Books

Aspen finalists: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward; What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah; Exit West by Mohsin Hamid; Mad Country by Samrat Upadhyay; What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons

Books

Mohsin Hamid's 'Exit West' Wins First-Ever Aspen Words Literary Prize

8:50pm April 10, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

His magical realist novel on the lives of refugees "hints at possibilities for doing better," judges said. And it won him the prize, which recognizes fiction tackling today's thorniest social issues.

Heads of the Colored People, by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

Books
Arts

'Heads Of The Colored People' Takes On The Pressures Of Being 'The Only One'

5:21pm April 10, 2018

by Audie Cornish

Nafissa Thompson-Spires' new story collection is full of characters coping with being not just black in a white world — but the only black person in their worlds. She says that's a hard role to fill.

The photographs in Museum Bhavan, including this one, are drawn from across Singh's career.

Books
Arts

This Photographer Wants To Put A Museum In Your Pocket

4:44pm April 10, 2018

by Bilal Qureshi

When Dayanita Singh grew frustrated with the conventional gallery format, she created Museum Bhavan, an exhibition of almost 300 photos housed in a small box.

Chrissy Metz plays Kate on the NBC's This Is Us.

Books
Arts

'This Is Us' Star Chrissy Metz Retraces Her Journey From Agent To Actress

9:10am April 10, 2018

Metz worked as an agent for years before her acting career finally took off. She says, "It was like watching your boyfriend take another woman out every day."

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Books
Arts

'Sharp' Is A Dinner Party You Want To Be At

7:00am April 10, 2018

by Heller McAlpin

Michelle Dean's new compendium of outspoken women is as stimulating and insightful as its roster of guests — ten writers, from Dorothy Parker to Pauline Kael, who pulled no punches on the page.

detail to cover of Varina by Charles Frazier

Books
Arts

In 'Varina,' A Confederate Contemplates Her Complicity

5:05am April 10, 2018

by Steve Inskeep

Charles Frazier was done writing about the Civil War after his award-winning novel Cold Mountain. Then he discovered the true story of the first lady of the Confederacy.

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Books
Arts

Nobel Prize Judges Face Crisis 'Worse Than One Can Imagine' After Resignations

5:54pm April 09, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

Three members of the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Prize in literature, protested its response to a simmering scandal by resigning their permanent roles. Now, the group is in a tough spot.

Books
Arts

How Rodgers And Hammerstein Revolutionized Broadway

1:48pm April 09, 2018

by Terry Gross

Todd Purdum's new book, Something Wonderful, is about the creative partnership and strained personal relationship behind such hit shows as Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific and The Sound of Music.

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Books stacked in a library. The Romance Writers Association issued a statement earlier this week criticizing their own history of excluding black authors from RITA prizes.

Books

The Billion-Dollar Romance Fiction Industry Has A Diversity Problem

12:11pm April 08, 2018

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

No black author has ever won its top prize. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks about the issue with Alisha Rai, author of the Forbidden Hearts series.

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Books
Arts

'No One Meant To Be In My Office': A Divorce Lawyer's Tips On Staying Together

7:15am April 08, 2018

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

James Sexton has seen the demise of more than a thousand marriages — which inspired him to write a new book on how to keep it together. His advice? Keep communicating, and be painfully honest.