Arts

Artist Jesse Howard filled his 20-acre property with hand-painted signs.

Arts

Ornery Artist's Hand-Lettered Screeds Helped Him Keep The World At Bay

11:41am February 08, 2015

by C.J. Janovy

Jesse Howard filled his property with signs that proclaimed his disappointment with the world. The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis recently opened the first comprehensive survey of his work.

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Books
Arts

Black And Female In Jim Crow Era, A Reporter In 'Jam! On the Vine'

11:41am February 08, 2015

The new novel follows a black journalist in Kansas City in the aftermath of the Civil War. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with LaShonda Katrice Barnett about her book.

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Arts

Two Is Company, Three Is A Crowd

11:41am February 08, 2015

by Will Shortz

For each familiar two-word phrase, use the first three letters of the first word and the first three letters of the second word to start two other words that have opposite meanings of each other.

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Books
Arts

Stories That Must Be Told In 'My Documents'

10:10am February 08, 2015

by Juan Vidal

Chilean writer Alejandro Zambra's new story collection shows off his exacting eye, comic timing and powers of description; critic Juan Vidal says the narratives flow like a glass of cool water.

Until about 30,000 years ago — around the same time these animals were drawn on the walls of France's Chauvet Cave — there were at least five other species of humans on the planet.

Books
Arts

We Went From Hunter-Gatherers To Space Explorers, But Are We Happier?

9:29pm February 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

In his book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari packs the history of humanity into 400 pages. "In some areas we've done amazingly well," the historian says. "In other areas we've done amazingly bad."

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Afghan war rugs featuring U.S. drones is a recent trend in the market, says collector Kevin Sudeith.

Arts

'War Rugs' Reflect Afghanistan's Long History With Conflict

9:29pm February 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

Afghanistan has suffered through decades of war. The modern history of violence has seeped into the nation's ancient art of rug making — rugs now feature imagery of tanks, AK-47s and U.S. drones.

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Reforming Prisoners Through Poetry

9:29pm February 07, 2015

For the last 40 years, poet Richard Shelton has been helping prisoners in Arizona reclaim their humanity. NPR's Arun Rath talks with Shelton about his work.

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An undated photo provided by Yusuf Syed shows his brother, Adnan Syed. Adnan Syed, now 33, was the subject of a popular public radio podcast that raised questions about his guilt. A Maryland court on Saturday granted his request for an appeal.

Adnan Syed, Subject Of 'Serial' Podcast, Granted Appeal

3:41pm February 07, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Syed was convicted in 2000 of murdering his ex-girlfriend. In October, a series of podcasts produced by the makers of This American Life re-examined his case and raised questions about his guilt.

Arts

Missing Your 'Breaking Bad' Fix? 'Better Call Saul' Will Hit The Spot

2:24pm February 07, 2015

by Eric Deggans

This Sunday, AMC debuts Better Call Saul, the backstory behind Breaking Bad drug kingpin lawyer Saul Goodman. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says the show's so good, TV lightning just might strike twice.

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Larry David hasn't been in a play since the eighth grade, but he's written and stars in a new comedy called Fish in the Dark, directed by Anna D. Shapiro. "I didn't think it was going to get any laughs at all," he says. "The first time we did it, like eve

Arts

Much To His Chagrin, On Broadway Larry David Has To 'Wait And Talk'

2:24pm February 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

"I like to interject, and there's no interjections here," says the comedian behind Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's "very unnatural for an interrupter." David makes his Broadway debut in Fish in the Dark.

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