Arts & Life

The human need to connect means offices will likely survive the pandemic, but in an altered state.

No More Watercooler Talk And Other Ways Offices Will Adapt To The Pandemic

5:20pm May 18, 2020

by Maureen Pao

As stay-at-home orders loosen, people will return to offices transformed by the crisis. Conference rooms, air conditioning, kitchenettes and open-floor plans are all being rethought.

Queue Listen Now

Elena Nikolaenko re-created Raphael's Sistine Madonna with her husband, mother and three children.

Russian Speakers Imitate Art In A Time Of Coronavirus Confinement On Facebook

1:52pm May 18, 2020

by Charles Maynes

An art project to shake the lockdown blues has become an online sensation as pent-up Russian speakers from across the globe reenact classic artwork to pass the time amid the pandemic.

Janelle Monáe's film roles include Moonlight and Hidden Figures. Her most recent album is Dirty Computer.

Janelle Monáe Wants To Represent The Underdog — In Music And Onscreen

1:31pm May 18, 2020

by Terry Gross

Monáe stars as a veteran struggling with memory loss in season 2 of the Amazon series Homecoming. The role continues the themes of identity and representation she explored on her album Dirty Computer.

'Rodham' Asks: Who Is Hillary Without Bill?

8:02am May 18, 2020

by Annalisa Quinn

In Curtis Sittenfeld's new novel, Hillary Rodham dumps Bill Clinton and goes on to forge a life of her own, in law and then politics. It's an uncomfortable, moving, technically brilliant book.

The bathroom at the Glasscock house in Pensacola, Fla., where mother and daughter attempted to install a bidet.

Arts

DIY During Quarantine. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Plenty

12:30pm May 17, 2020

by Martha Ann Overland

Stay-at-home orders have inspired many people to take on do-it-yourself projects and tackle their own home repairs. But sometimes a toolbox and YouTube videos aren't enough to prevent disasters.

Queue Listen Now

Hillary Without Bill? 'Rodham' Imagines What Could Have Been

7:41am May 17, 2020

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Curtis Sittenfeld's latest novel imagines a life for Hillary Rodham in which she turns down Bill Clinton's proposals and forges a career for herself, as a law professor and later a politician.

The cast members from KQED's staged reading of Half A Dozen of the Other, a new short play by Min Kahng commissioned by Berkeley Repertory Theatre for the national Play at Home initiative. Featured clockwise from upper left: Chinwe Oniah, Masha Pershay, G

Arts

With Theaters Shut Down, Why Not Put On A 'Play At Home'?

7:41am May 17, 2020

by Chloe Veltman

Theaters across the country have commissioned playwrights to create short plays that anyone can download and perform at home or online with friends and family. The initiative is called Play at Home.

Ambulante En Casa Festival Moves Online

7:41am May 17, 2020

A documentary film festival in Mexico has been streaming. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to co-founder and actor Diego Luna as well as director Paulina Suarez.

Books
Arts

Finding Love — And Feeling Worthy Of It — In 'Felix Ever After'

7:00am May 17, 2020

by Elise Hu

Kacen Callender's new young adult novel centers on a queer, trans teen trying to find out who's behind a traumatizing transphobic act — a quest that takes him on an emotional roller coaster.

Arts

Fred Willard, Scene Stealer Extraordinaire, Dies At 86

4:40pm May 16, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The actor best known for roles in mockumentaries such as Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman died Friday, according to his daughter. The daytime Emmy winner had a knack for improvisation.