In 'The Panopticon,' They're Always Watching
Jenni Fagan's debut novel, The Panopticon, is a creepy and troubled portrait of a girl lost in the system. The plot is loosely based on Fagan's experience growing up in foster care.
Arts & Life
Pie-Deprived New Orleans Roots For Bakery, A Year After Fire
Eating a Hubig's fried fruit pie has been a ritual for decades for the local food-obsessed in New Orleans. But a year ago, a fire destroyed the baking facility and much of its custom machinery from the 1920s. Rebuilding is a long and expensive road, but fans are eagerly awaiting the bakery's comeback.
Did America's Pastime Originate In England?
New evidence suggests the first recorded game of baseball took place in Surrey in 1749. Guest host Linda Wertheimer has the details.
What's It Take To Be A Polar Explorer?
From the TED Radio Hour, polar explorer Ben Saunders on what pushes adventurers like him to brink of human endurance. In 2004, Saunders became the third man — and the most recent — to ski solo to the North Pole.
An Arctic Summer Vacation
Author and adventurer James Campbell and his 15-year-old daughter are spending the summer 130 miles above the Arctic Circle building a cabin. Guest host Linda Wertheimer reached them by satellite phone.
'Blue' Rhapsodies: Woody Allen, In Need Of New Tricks
Blue Jasmine finds the filmmaker stuck in old ruts; though his technique is as sound as ever, his worldview seems to have congealed decades ago. Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins and Alec Baldwin star in a story inspired by Bernie Madoff and Blanche DuBois.
'In A World ...' Is A Comedy About, You Guessed It, Voice-Over Artists
Actress Lake Bell wrote and directed the film, which mixes laughs with an inspiring story about a female vocal coach who wants to break into the world of movie trailers.
A Metro 'Revolution': Cities, Suburbs Do What Washington Can't
Even as Detroit files for bankruptcy protection, Bruce Katz says many American cities are showing promising signs of renewal. In The Metropolitan Revolution, he writes that, together, cities and suburbs have the power to take on the challenges Washington won't.
How Musicians Helped Integrate The Silver Screen
America's first Freedom Riders may well have been the black musicians who, in the '30s and '40s, broke ground in Hollywood. Those could have been milestone moments, but the industry responded to provincial concerns and allowed Jim Crow markets to cut out integrated scenes.
'My Lunches With Orson' Puts You At The Table With Welles
For years, there were rumors that filmmaker Henry Jaglom had taped hours of his conversations with Orson Welles but that the tapes had been lost. They weren't. Now the transcripts have been released in a new book, edited and introduced by Peter Biskind.