Arts & Life

Author Gene Luen Yang is the author of books including American Born Chinese and Level Up.

Books
Arts

The War Over Comics For Kids Is Nearly Over, And Kids Are Winning

12:13pm January 05, 2016

by Glen Weldon

The selection of graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang as the latest National Ambassador for Young People's Literature signals an important shift in the effort to reunite kids and comics.

Books
Arts

Food Culture Gives Rise To New 'Eatymology'

8:01pm January 04, 2016

by NPR Staff

From brogurt to gastrosexual, humorist and food writer Josh Friedland has collected many of the new words born of our current foodie culture in a new food dictionary, Eatymology.

Arts

What Mattered In Media In 2015

3:07pm January 04, 2016

by Eric Deggans

NPR TV critic Eric Deggans looks at some of the moments, from Trump to Brian Williams, that made a difference in media in the past year.

To mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death, the Folger Shakespeare Library is sending the first printed collection of all his plays out on tour.

Books
Arts

400 Years After His Death, Shakespeare's First Folio Goes Out On Tour

2:38pm January 04, 2016

by Susan Stamberg

The First Folio is the first printed collection of all of Shakespeare's plays, assembled by two of his buddies after he died. Without it, plays like Macbeth and Twelfth Night might not have survived.

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Author Profiles The 'Traumatized People' Living In The World's Largest Refugee Camp

2:35pm January 04, 2016

Founded in 1991 as a temporary shelter for Somalis, the Dadaab complex in Kenya now houses nearly half a million refugees. Ben Rawlence profiles nine of its residents in his new book, City of Thorns.

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Books
Arts

In A Dark Time, The Eye Begins to See: A 2016 Poetry Preview

11:16am January 03, 2016

2016 brings with it an exciting crop of poetry books. Here are our picks for the best verse of the new year.

This platinum-engraved sapphire disk, part of a set illustrating Earth's biodiversity, will be housed in the Earth Chamber of the MoonArk. It's designed by Mark Baskinger with Matt Zywica, Maggie Banks, Christie Chong, Bettina Chou, Adella Guo, Natalie Ha

Science
Arts

An Artistic Time Capsule Prepares To Hitch A Ride To The Moon

8:14am January 03, 2016

by Irina Zhorov

When a company named Astrobotic launches a lunar rover in 2017, the MoonArk will be aboard. It's a lightweight, sturdy "portrait of humanity," carrying the work of more than 200 artists and designers.

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Arts

'Downtown Abbey' Begins Its Sixth And Final Season

7:49am January 03, 2016

And it's about time the mansion closed its doors for the last time, says reviewer Eric Deggans.

George R. R. Martin answers questions before a game between the Hudson Valley Renegades and the Staten Island Yankees — briefly renamed the Staten Island Direwolves for their "Game of Throne" night in August. Now, four months later, Martin has some bad

Books
Arts

George R.R. Martin Admits 'Winter' Isn't Coming — At Least, Not For A While

6:55pm January 02, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

The writer says he missed an end-of-year deadline to finish Winds of Winter, the sixth book in the Game of Thrones series. The delay means the show will air the next season before its source material.

Books
Arts

Absorbing Mystery Novel Offers A Glimpse Into Mormon Utah

6:03pm January 02, 2016

by Karen Grigsby Bates

The second mystery by Mette Ivie Harrison boasts details about contemporary Mormon life that most of us aren't privy to. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates says His Right Hand is is her "one that got away."