Arts

Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) in a scene from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' And Toys

2:44pm December 18, 2015

We talk about the new Star Wars film (because of course we do), as well as about tie-in toys and merchandise. Plus: a bonus review with a little more meat on the bones.

Queue Listen Now

Paula Pell has "a very toned joke-writing muscle," says comedian Tina Fey. "She can just go and go and go."

Arts

Comedy Writer Paula Pell Says You Don't Have To Go Far For Good Material

1:36pm December 18, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

The longtime Saturday Night Live writer created the screenplay for the new Tina Fey-Amy Poehler movie Sisters. Pell says she wanted to explore how people carry their teenage identities into adulthood.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Colin Allured, "Approaching Ali," And The Festival Of Nine Lessons And Carols

1:04pm December 18, 2015

by Bethany Chafin, David Ford, Eddie Garcia, and Quique Rodriguez-Pastor

Colin Allured and Always Music

Queue Listen Now

"We started the school day ... with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag — looking out the window I could see the barbed wire fence and the sentry tower right there — as I recited the words 'with liberty and justice for all.'" — George Takei

Arts

Is Forgiveness The Ultimate Test?

10:17am December 18, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

In 1942, the U.S. government interned George Takei and his family in a Japanese-American internment camp. Decades later, the actor describes his journey to forgive the country that betrayed him.

Queue Listen Now

"There is a certain typical sequence of actions which can be detected in stories from all over the world and from many periods of history." — Joseph Campbell

Books
Arts

What Is The Blueprint For Stories About Heroes?

9:55am December 18, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Host Guy Raz raises the curtain on this episode by exploring the hidden blueprint embedded within our most popular and powerful stories.

Queue Listen Now

"I made my mind up there and then that one day, somehow, I was going to sail around the world." — Dame Ellen MacArthur

Arts

How Does A Hero's Journey Begin?

9:55am December 18, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Dame Ellen MacArthur's journey began when she discovered sailing. She describes how years later she undertook her greatest challenge: to sail solo around the world faster than anyone in history.

Queue Listen Now

"There's no way I'd be doing what I'm doing today if it weren't for those mentors." — Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Books
Arts

How Can Mentors Turn An Uncertain Journey Into A Heroic One?

9:55am December 18, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is a successful author and illustrator. But, he says, his life could have gone in a completely different direction, if he hadn't had a long line of mentors.

Queue Listen Now

"I was honest with myself about ... not ever putting myself at risk to be in anybody's institution or prison." — Ismael Nazario

Arts

How Does A Rikers Inmate Become a Hero?

9:55am December 18, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

As a teenager, Ismael Nazario spent more than 300 days in Rikers Island's solitary confinement before being convicted of a crime. He describes how every day was a test to survive.

Queue Listen Now

"I think everyone has the capacity to do things within them that maybe they are not aware of — or maybe only have to do in difficult circumstances." — Dame Ellen MacArthur

Arts

How Does The Journey Change The Hero?

9:55am December 18, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

After completing her harrowing solo sail around the world, Dame Ellen MacArthur describes how that journey transformed her.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Triad Holiday Celebration, Dark Prophet Tongueless Monk, And Authoring Action

11:54pm December 17, 2015

by Bethany Chafin, David Ford, and Quique Rodriguez-Pastor

It's the last day to submit to Triad Arts Holiday Celebration! This annual tradition features the musicians, authors, and actors of the Triad sharing the sounds of the season with WFDD listene

Queue Listen Now