Arts

A small museum of Palestinian embroidery in Jordan keeps ancient heritage alive

8:23am April 27, 2024

by Jane Arraf

Widad Kawar, 94, started collecting Palestinian dresses when she was a child in Jerusalem and founded a museum dedicated to Palestinian embroidery. She talks about what has been lost and what endures.

The trees in this photo are amazing (and not just because they happen to be growing in a very Instagrammable heart shape around Baker Lake in Quebec, Canada.) Read on for a tree appreciation reading list for Arbor Day.

Books
Arts

Happy Arbor Day! These 20 books will change the way you think about trees

5:48pm April 26, 2024

by Beth Novey

Trees communicate. They migrate. They protect. They heal. We climbed into the NPR archives to find some of our favorite arboreal fiction, nonfiction, and kids' lit — get ready to branch out.

A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio

5:19pm April 26, 2024

by Jack Morgan

San Antonio's charreada or traditional Mexican rodeo originated among the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. The unique rodeo tradition has taken deep roots in the American Southwest.

A dying father looks for the perfect family to adopt his son in 'Nowhere Special'

5:19pm April 26, 2024

by Bob Mondello

A young single dad is on a mission in the film Nowhere Special. With a terminal illness and no family to turn to, he's searching for the perfect adoptive family for his four-year-old son.

How NPR decides the words we use to describe war

5:01pm April 26, 2024

by Tony Cavin

In newsrooms, there are constant debates over how journalists should use certain words. We're pulling back the curtain to provide some transparency on the words you hear — or don't hear — from NPR.

Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer on Netflix.

Arts

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, listening and gaming

5:00pm April 26, 2024

Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: the show Baby Reindeer, Chappell Roan's Tiny Desk concert, a podcast about MTV, and retro gaming.

Americans are sleeping less. This podcaster wants to help change that

4:35pm April 26, 2024

by Yuki Noguchi

More than half of Americans say they'd benefit from more sleep. A woman has made it her business to help people get better sleep via a podcasting company that focuses on meditation.

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Joanna Smith was sentenced today for defacing the case of Edgar Degas' Little Dancer sculpture in 2023.

Arts

Climate activist who defaced Edgar Degas sculpture exhibit sentenced

4:27pm April 26, 2024

by Chloe Veltman

A federal judge sentenced Joanna Smith to 60 days in prison for smearing paint on the case surrounding Edgar Degas' Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen at the National Gallery of Art.

The thriving market of crafty products inspired by Taylor Swift

4:17pm April 26, 2024

by Chloe Veltman

Taylor Swift superfan makers are responding to the star's music and style with all manner of artsy creative merch, from Swift-inspired cookies to yarn.

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Ashley Judd says the #MeToo movement isn't going anywhere

4:17pm April 26, 2024

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Ashley Judd, who came forward in 2017 with allegations about Harvey Weinstein, about the overturning of his 2020 rape conviction in New York.