Arts & Life

Patricia Volk is an essayist, novelist and memoirist. She grew up in a restaurant-owning family in New York City.

Books
Arts

Beauty Marks: Patricia Volk's Lessons In Womanhood

12:12pm May 23, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

In her new memoir, Shocked, Volk examines the two women who had a lasting impact on her as she began to parse who she was as a woman: her beautiful, critical mother, Audrey Morgen Volk; and the famous — and unconventional — haute couture designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

Queue Listen Now

The video for Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's newly released song starts by re-creating the conditions of his captivity during the 81 days he was held in police detention in 2011, and later dissolves into a dystopian nightmare.

China's Artist Provocateur Explores New Medium: Heavy Metal

8:18pm May 22, 2013

by Louisa Lim

In 2011, police detained Ai Weiwei for 81 days. Now, he's released a song that's turned the experience into a heavy metal protest song, along with a dystopian nightmare video. The lyrics are explicit and angry. Ai says his music is for the many political prisoners who remain jailed.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Fictional 'Mothers' Reveal Facts Of A Painful Adoption Process

4:38pm May 22, 2013

After years trying to conceive, novelist Jennifer Gilmore and her husband decided to adopt. What they thought would be a relatively simple process was instead a long and painful one. In her latest novel, Gilmore channels these autobiographical experiences into fiction.

Queue Listen Now

Once vehemently opposed to the idea of being the subject of a documentary, Brooks had a change of heart. The result is a new American Masters episode, Mel Brooks: Make a Noise.

Arts

Mel Brooks: 'I'm An EGOT; I Don't Need Any More'

11:54am May 22, 2013

The screenwriter, producer, director and actor, whose name has become synonymous with American comedy, talks about his penchant for spoofs and his decades-long friendship with Carl Reiner. Brooks, who is among a handful of people who've won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, is the subject of a new documentary on PBS.

Queue Listen Now

One of the highlights of the new China Art Palace in Shanghai is a giant digital rendering of a famous ancient scroll, "Along the River During Qingming Festival," which includes figures that walk and talk. The work was first presented at the 2010 World Ex

China Builds Museums, But Filling Them Is Another Story

5:43pm May 21, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

China has been building museums with abandon, opening about 100 annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.

Queue Listen Now

David Cross and Portia de Rossi in a scene from Arrested Development, which returns on Netflix on May 26.

Arts

'Arrested Development' Leads The Charge For Old Brands In New Media

5:43pm May 21, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

Brands that found their original audiences in traditional, old-media platforms are finding ways to keep going in the world of new media.

Queue Listen Now

The Art And Science Of Motivation

2:05pm May 21, 2013

Graduation season is upon us and that means a slew of uplifting commencement speeches trying to motivate young adults to greatness. Science and experience tell us that everyone is motivated differently, so how do speakers, coaches and business managers inspire people?

Queue Listen Now

Courtside Chemistry: How NBA's Phil Jackson Won 'Eleven Rings'

11:13am May 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

Jackson is famous for his philosophical take on basketball and for the many stars he led to championship triumphs. He taught his players yoga and gave them assigned reading — but also pushed them to intensely practice fundamental skills. His new book looks back on a legendary coaching career.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

After Crashing In Canadian 'Abyss,' Four Men Fight To Survive

11:13am May 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

On an icy night in 1984, a commuter plane crashed in the wilderness. Six passengers died, but four survived: the pilot, a politician, a policeman and a prisoner. Carol Shaben's Into the Abyss describes their fight to make it through that frigid night alive.

Queue Listen Now

Beth Lapides (with music director-producer Mitch Kaplan) is the founder and ringmaster at UnCabaret, a Los Angeles comedy institution that's marking its 25th anniversary this year.

Arts

At L.A.'s UnCabaret, 25 Years Of Letting It All Hang Out

9:07pm May 20, 2013

by Art Silverman

Launched as an alternative to the stale stylings of the '80s stand-up circuit, Beth Lapides' event bills itself as a venue for "idiosyncratic, conversational comedy." It's helped establish careers for performers from Kathy Griffin to Randy and Jason Sklar.

Queue Listen Now