Arts & Life

Books
Arts

Playwright Neil Simon Explains Why He 'Just Always Wanted To Write'

1:24pm August 28, 2018

by Terry Gross

Simon, who died Sunday, spoke to Fresh Air in 1996 about finding balance between his desire for leisure time and his need to write: "They were at odds," he says. "I'm my own odd couple."

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Books
Arts

'Ohio' Is A Wild, Angry, Devastating Debut

12:10pm August 28, 2018

by Michael Schaub

Stephen Markley's novel follows four friends, each with their own baggage, who return to their home town on the same night, but for different reasons — leading to an explosive moment of violence.

Princess Margaret watches her older sister Princess Elizabeth make her first broadcast on Oct. 12, 1940 in London.

Books
Arts

'Ninety-Nine Glimpses Of Princess Margaret': A Woman Who Watched The Throne

12:10pm August 28, 2018

by Melissa Block

Craig Brown's new biography of Queen Elizabeth's glamorous and scandalous younger sister documents "a life which sort of went off the rails," he says.

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Books
Arts

Raising Kids In An 'Age Of Fear' Results In Impossible Choices For Parents

6:07pm August 27, 2018

by Mary Louise Kelly

"There's now the expectation that to be a good parent in this country you have to have your eyes on your children every second," says author Kim Brooks — and that's stressful for adults and kids.

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Chef David George Gordon shows biologist and host Haley Chamberlain Nelson how to prepare a tarantula meal on Bug Bites. The new five-part cooking show from Smithsonian Channel makes insects the star ingredient.

Don't Bug Out! The Smithsonian Channel Is Going To Show You How To Cook Insects

2:41pm August 27, 2018

by Kristen Hartke

Dried Manchurian scorpions? Think softshell crabs. Crickets? They're not far from crawfish. A new series aims to showcase the flavors of edible insects — prized ingredients in parts of the world.

The sun rises over a Tangier boat channel lined with crab shanties, most of which are empty: By this time of day, the island's crabbers have been out in the bay for hours, pulling up their pots.

Books
Arts

'Chesapeake Requiem' Chronicles Life On An Endangered Island

1:15pm August 27, 2018

by Petra Mayer

Tangier Island, in the Chesapeake Bay, has been home to a small, self-reliant community of watermen for centuries — and now climate change is threatening to swamp the island and its way of life.

(From left) Julia Roberts in Homecoming; Jim Carrey in Kidding; Maya Rudolph in Forever; and Lil Rel Howery in Rel.

Arts

NPR's Fall TV Preview: 20 Shows To Watch Out For

9:50am August 27, 2018

Broadcast, cable and streaming networks have a lot on tap for the remainder of 2018. Our television and pop culture team has assembled a list of the most promising shows coming your way.

Playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon, photographed here in September 1980, wrote over 50 works for theater and screen.

Arts

Neil Simon, Preeminent And Prolific Playwright And Screenwriter, Has Died At 91

2:17pm August 26, 2018

by Jon Kalish

The writer behind hits like The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park, known for his zany characters and comic dialogue, won over two dozen nominations for Tonys, Emmys and Oscars.

David Bowie performs in character as Ziggy Stardust, in a 1973 show in London.

Books
Arts

Ashes To Ashes, Funk To Funky: Questions For Jason Heller, Author Of 'Strange Stars'

10:00am August 26, 2018

by Petra Mayer

Critic and author Jason Heller's new book traces the considerable influence of David Bowie on the science-fiction inflected music of the 1970s, from "Space Oddity" to the glittery glory of Funkadelic.

Arts

How Hurricane Harvey Harmed The Clocks

8:46am August 26, 2018

by Allison Lee

When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas last year, it flooded Houston. One of the unexpected effects of the storm: many damaged clocks in need of repair.