Books

Lena Dunham's new collection of personal essays about her relationships, friendships and obsessive-compulsive disorder has received rave reviews.

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Arts

Lena Dunham On Sex, Oversharing And Writing About Lost 'Girls'

12:33am September 30, 2014

Dunham says when she started writing HBO's Girls, she was drawn to characters with "a bit of a Zelda Fitzgerald lost, broken woman quality." Her new essay collection is called Not That Kind of Girl.

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Novelist Caitlin Moran Wryly Shows 'How To Build A Girl'

6:29pm September 29, 2014

by Ellah Allfrey

Caitlin Moran's semi-autobiographical novel is an earnestly written look at a young woman's self-reinvention. How to Build a Girl tackles class, gender and sexuality with both humor and sincerity.

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Charles Blow is a New York Times columnist. Before that, he worked at the paper as the graphics director and design director for news.

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After Childhood Abuse, 'Times' Columnist Says He Chose Life Over Vengeance

3:33pm September 29, 2014

Charles Blow says he was 7 years old when he was sexually abused by a cousin. His new memoir, Fire Shut Up In My Bones, is about what he says happened, his recovery and his bisexuality.

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Book News: Listen To The First-Timers Nominated For PEN Prize

9:40am September 29, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

A night before the winner's declared, the writers shortlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize read their works. Listen here first. Also: Thomas Pynchon might soon be coming to the big screen.

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Arts

'Rooms' Is Haunted By People (And Ghosts) That Can't Let Go

7:03am September 29, 2014

by Alaya Dawn Johnson

YA author Lauren Oliver's debut adult novel features an old mansion occupied by dysfunctional characters, both living and dead. Oliver fits these seemingly disparate lives together like a puzzle ring.

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Inaugural Poet Recalls A Closeted Childhood Of Cultural Tension

8:13pm September 28, 2014

by NPR Staff

Richard Blanco, who read "One Today" at Obama's inauguration in 2013, explores the collision of sexual, artistic and cultural identity in his new memoir about his childhood in Miami.

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Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg has directed Stereo, Crimes of the Future, Fast Company, The Brood, The Dead Zone, The Fly, Naked Lunch, M. Butterfly, Crash, A History of Violence, A Dangerous Method and many more.

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Virtual Reality, Corporeality Collide In Cronenberg's First Novel

7:03pm September 28, 2014

by NPR Staff

Director David Cronenberg's debut work of fiction is not for the faint of heart. Consumed follows two journalists as they chase stories of cannibalism, backroom surgeries, self-mutilation and murder.

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From Glass To Artificial Light: The Innovations That Got Us To 'Now'

3:21pm September 28, 2014

NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks to Stephen Johnson about his new book and TV series, How We Got to Now. He looks at six innovations that he thinks shaped the modern world.

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'Guests' Is A Story Of Mystery, Manners And Dramatic Love

3:21pm September 28, 2014

NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks to novelist Sarah Waters about her latest book, The Paying Guests. It's a historical novel and a lesbian love story, with a courtroom drama mixed in.

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Paul Theroux is known for both his fiction and travel writing. His books include The Great Railway Bazaar and The Old Patagonian Express.

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Writer Paul Theroux: The Short Story Is 'Diabolically Hard To Master'

12:21pm September 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

"It's only 10 or 15 pages," he says, "but still you got to get it right." Theroux's new collection, Mr. Bones, tells stories of the odd person out.

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