Books

A Spectral Hue, by Craig Laurance Gidney

Books
Arts

This 'Spectral Hue' Has A Shimmering Life Of Its Own

7:00am June 20, 2019

by Jason Heller

Craig Laurance Gidney's debut adult novel is set in a marshy, mysterious rural town where a community of artists, students and townspeople are united by visions of a strange, pinkish-purple color.

Joy Harjo will become the 23rd poet laureate of the United States, making her the first Native American to hold the position.

Books
Arts

Joy Harjo Becomes The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate

10:53pm June 19, 2019

A member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, the 68-year-old poet and musician says she bears "the honor on behalf of the people and my ancestors" and aims to serve as an "ambassador" of the art form.

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Robert Menasse Looks At The People Who Make the European Union Run In 'The Capital'

4:39pm June 19, 2019

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Austrian novelist Robert Menasse about his new book, an absurdist comic tragedy called The Capital, for which he embedded with European Union civil servants in Brussels.

USA v Chile: Group F - 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France

Finding Equal Footing On And Off The Soccer Field

4:10pm June 19, 2019

The U.S. Women's National Team's fight for equal pay and treatment is just the latest chapter in a long history of women footballers.

Reviving Ophelia has been updated by Mary Pipher and her daughter Sara 25 years after it was first published.

Books
Arts

'Reviving Ophelia,' Cultural Touchstone On Teen Girls, Updates After 25 Years

11:38am June 19, 2019

by Genevieve Valentine

The new edition is in some ways like the retelling of a familiar tale for a new generation; but parts of the discussion that the book first inspired have moved beyond what an update can encompass.

Books
Arts

Regular Old Sci-Fi Not Weird Enough For You? Try 'FKA USA'

10:00am June 19, 2019

by Jason Sheehan

The pseudonymous Reed King's new novel is a loopy, violent, funny Technicolor road trip across a post-apocalyptic America. There are robots, talking goats, and even the occasional lone songbird.

Books
Arts

'The Porpoise' Is A Rich — But Wandering — Read

7:00am June 19, 2019

by Gabino Iglesias

Mark Haddon's new novel uses Shakespeare's Pericles and its founding myth of the villainous king Antiochus to explore aberrant family relationships, loss, depression, judgment and cowardice.

'The Accident Of Color' Looks At The Failure Of Reconstruction

6:40pm June 18, 2019

by Kamil Ahsan

Daniel Brook has written a book that goes a long way toward injecting thoughtfulness into popular notions of the history of race and racism in America but doesn't delve far enough into class conflict.

Books

New Noir By James Ellroy And Denise Mina Is Daredevil Storytelling At Its Finest

2:34pm June 18, 2019

by Maureen Corrigan

From Nazis and narcos to mistresses and mysterious ship wrecks, Ellroy's This Storm and Mina's Conviction offer plot twists and zig-zags that take readers on a wild ride.

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Books
Arts

Uncovering The Story Of Cyclist Major Taylor, America's 1st Black Sports Star

2:34pm June 18, 2019

by Dave Davies

At the height of America's Jim Crow era, Taylor broke barriers by becoming the country's fastest and most famous cyclist. Michael Kranish tells his story in the new book, The World's Fastest Man.

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