Arts

Books
Arts

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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Books
Arts

'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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Raeanne Rubenstein first photographed Johnny Cash at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. "It was just the most amazing experience," she says.

Arts

Meeting Country Music's Superstars: Behind Each Portrait, A Story

6:29pm September 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

Nashville-based photographer Raeanne Rubenstein recalls working with charismatic stars like Johnny Cash. Jerry Lee Lewis, on the other hand, dodged her (and his audience) by leaping out a window.

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Ai Weiwei's With Wind greets visitors to his exhibit, "@Large," on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.

Confined In China, Ai Weiwei Directs Alcatraz Exhibit From Afar

5:03pm September 27, 2014

by Mina Kim

The dissident Chinese artist uses San Francisco's former island prison to contrast themes of freedom and restriction.

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Jeffrey Tambor plays Maura on the new drama Transparent on Amazon Prime.

Arts

In 'Transparent,' A 70-Year-Old Divorced Dad Comes Out As A Woman

5:00pm September 27, 2014

by David Bianculli

The new drama, which launches Friday on Amazon Prime, stars Jeffrey Tambor as a transgender woman coming out to her three grown kids. Tambor acts the role without any hint of cheap humor.

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Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of the memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Committed and The Signature of All Things.

Arts

Not My Job: 'Eat, Pray, Love' Author Gets Quizzed On Dieting, Blasphemy, Hate

12:31pm September 27, 2014

We ask Elizabeth Gilbert about the opposites of eating, praying and loving. Her latest novel is called The Signature of All Things.

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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.

Books
Arts

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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Culinary Diplomacy Takes Texan Chef To The Land Of Grilled Yak

7:03am September 27, 2014

by Allison Aubrey

Is food the oldest instrument of diplomacy? The U.S. State Department just sent award-winning chef Tim Byres to Kyrgyzstan, where he ate a sheep's eye and wowed his hosts with Texan spices.

Books
Arts

'Love Is The Drug' For A Teen Caught In A Dystopian D.C.

7:03am September 27, 2014

by Genevieve Valentine

Alaya Dawn Johnson's latest is about senior at a Washington, D.C. prep school in the midst of a global pandemic. This book offers a chilling glimpse of a dystopia that could be just around the corner.

As The Ebola Outbreak Worsens, A Book About Compassion

6:59pm September 26, 2014

by Alaya Dawn Johnson

This week, the CDC predicted there could be tens of thousands of Ebola cases if the disease is not controlled soon. Author Alaya Dawn Johnson turns to a favorite novel for wisdom amid this epidemic.

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