Arts

Books
Arts

'Doubter's Almanac' Is A Family Saga, Plus Algebraic Equations

10:14am February 23, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Ethan Canin traces the complicated lives of two generations of mathematical geniuses in his new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it an "elegant and devastating novel."

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Screenwriter Meg LeFauve attends The Hollywood Reporter's Nominees Night on Feb. 8. LeFauve co-wrote two 2015 Pixar films: Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur.

Arts

This Oscar Nominee Could've Been An Executive. Instead, She's A Screenwriter

6:37pm February 22, 2016

by Elizabeth Blair

At one point, Meg LeFauve was getting multiple studio executive job offers. But as her mentor says, "She knew she had a different path." Now her screenplay for Inside Out is up for an Oscar.

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Sonia Shah is also the author of The Fever and The Body Hunters.

'Pandemic' Asks: Is A Disease That Will Kill Tens Of Millions Coming?

5:40pm February 22, 2016

Author Sonia Shah says that urbanization and air travel put the global population at an increased risk for disease. "Zika is a great example of how new pathogens are emerging today," she says.

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Arts

Hey, Sci-Fi And Comics Fans: It's Time To Embrace The Dark Side

3:23pm February 22, 2016

by Jeff Yang

Why fans have nothing to fear — and everything to gain — from diversity in science fiction and fantasy.

Books
Arts

The 'Girl' In The Title: More Than A Marketing Trend

3:02pm February 22, 2016

by NPR Staff

Lately it seems as if every thriller written by a woman gets compared to two recent blockbusters: Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. So what makes those two books so appealing and influential?

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Chefs at work in the kitchen of a restaurant in New York's Chinatown, circa 1940. For many Chinese, opening up restaurants became a way to bypass U.S. immigration laws designed to keep them out of the country.

Lo Mein Loophole: How U.S. Immigration Law Fueled A Chinese Restaurant Boom

2:44pm February 22, 2016

by Maria Godoy

In the early 20th century, the Chinese faced draconian immigration rules. But owners of a few types of businesses could get special visas. In 1915, restaurants got on that list. The rest is history.

The world-famous Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles.

Hollywood Has A Major Diversity Problem, USC Study Finds

2:08pm February 22, 2016

by Eric Deggans

The study examined more than 21,000 characters and behind-the-scenes workers on films and TV, and found an "epidemic of invisibility." For example, just 3.4 percent of film directors were female.

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Arts

Helen Simoneau Danse And Nathalie Joachim Collaborate For "Land Bridge"

9:25am February 22, 2016

by David Ford

Next month Helen Simoneau Danse will present a new work inspired in part by Helen's French Canadian background.

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Designed by architect William Krisel, this tract house was built in the Twin Palms neighborhood of Palm Springs, Calif., in 1956.

Arts

Meet The Architect Who Helped Bring Modernism To The Masses

10:16am February 21, 2016

by Matt Guilhem

Nearly 60 years ago, William Krisel did everything he could to break the monotony of tract housing. In the process, he proved that Modernism could be both livable and affordable.

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Arts

The Phrase Or Name Is Familiar: Try This Puzzle And See What They Are

7:59am February 21, 2016

by Will Shortz

Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word ends in the letter -E, and the second word starts GO-.