Arts & Life

The new animated short Hair Love follows the story of an African American father trying to do his daughter's hair.

Arts

'Hair Love' Uses Animation To Bring A Story Of Natural Hair In Black Families To Life

4:30pm August 25, 2019

by Michel Martin

Conceived and directed by Matthew Cherry, it follows the story of an African American father — Stephen — and his daughter, Zuri. Stephen is trying to learn how to do Zuri's glorious natural hair.

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The Instrument of Hope is lacquered in black except for the shiny brass parts, which are clear lacquered. They include the lead pipe, which is made from bullets set end to end and drilled out so that air can flow through to make it a playable instrument.

A Trumpet Made Of Bullets And The Kids Who Inspired It Take Hope Around The Country

1:24pm August 25, 2019

by Talia Schlanger

The Instrument of Hope, a trumpet made partly of bullets and inspired by the survivors of the 2018 Parkland, Fla., mass shooting, is touring the country to promote healing.

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Books
Arts

'The Warehouse' Is Scary Because It's Plausible

10:00am August 25, 2019

by Gabino Iglesias

Rob Hart's new dystopian cyberthriller imagines a near-future America in a state of semi-collapse, where the only jobs available are in company towns built by an enormous conglomerate called Cloud.

As part of the "Sonic Succulents" exhibit at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, visitors are encouraged to touch plants and listen to what that contact sounds like.

Arts

Shhhhh. Listen Closely. Your Plants Might Be Talking

8:46am August 25, 2019

by Dana Cronin

With extremely sensitive microphones, a new exhibit at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden shows it's possible to hear the sounds that plants make when they're growing.

My Papi Has a Motorcycle, by Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña

Books
Arts

'My Papi Has A Motorcycle' Pays Loving Tribute To A California Childhood

8:46am August 25, 2019

Author Isabel Quintero and illustrator Zeke Peña worked together on My Papi Has a Motorcycle, a homage to Quintero's childhood in California's Inland Empire, and to her hard-working father.

In Tigers Are Not Afraid, 11-year-old Estrella (Paola Lara) meets a gang of orphans led by a boy in a tiger mask.

Arts

In 'Tigers Are Not Afraid,' A Dark Fantasy Amid Mexico's Drug War

8:06am August 25, 2019

by Leila Fadel

Director Issa López blends magical realism and horror with the current events of her native country in the story of young Estrella, who meets a street gang of fellow orphan children.

Books
Arts

'The Downstairs Girl' Faces Difficult History With Joy And Style

7:00am August 25, 2019

by Caitlyn Paxson

In Stacey Lee's new novel, an opinionated and talented Chinese American girl makes her way in Reconstruction-era Atlanta while preserving her secret work as an advice columnist in the local paper.

A Particular Kind Of Black Man cover image

Books
Arts

Tope Folarin Was 'A Particular Kind Of Black Man' — So He Wrote A Book About It

5:17pm August 24, 2019

by Michel Martin

The semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale from the Nigerian-American writer, his debut novel, finds a child of African immigrants growing up in Utah.

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The Autumn of the Patriarch, by Gabriel García Márquez

Books
Arts

Buying Greenland? That's Nothing To Gabriel García Márquez

7:00am August 24, 2019

by Nina Martyris

Gabriel García Márquez's intricate, confusing, magnificent novel centers around a monstrous, nameless dictator — known only as the General or the Patriarch — who sells the entire Caribbean Sea.

Books
Arts

Top Publishers Sue Audible, Alleging Encroachment On Text Territory

7:17pm August 23, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The seven plaintiffs, which include all of the publishing industry's Big Five, say the audiobook company is violating copyrights with a planned feature that would transcribe audiobooks for listeners.