Books

Detail of cover of America #2, by Gabby Rivera and Joe Quinones, starring America Chavez, Marvel's lesbian Latina superhero.

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Arts

Beyond The Pale (Male): Marvel, Diversity And A Changing Comics Readership

8:06am April 08, 2017

by Glen Weldon

Comments about diversity in superhero comics made last week by a Marvel executive unleashed an online firestorm. But heroes who look more like the growing comics readership are here to stay.

The Complete Stories of Leonora Carrington

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Arts

Rediscovering Surrealist Leonora Carrington's Delights And Disturbances

7:00am April 08, 2017

by Carmen Maria Machado

Carrington's complete short stories have just been published, along with a re-release of her wrenching memoir Down Below. She's one of many mid-20th century female writers now reaching new audiences.

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Arts

Clint Smith: What Do We Risk If We Don't Speak Up?

8:59am April 07, 2017

by NPR/TED Staff

Clint Smith is a poet and doctoral candidate at Harvard. As a high school English teacher, he taught his students the dangers of staying quiet and the importance of finding their voice.

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The Sci-Fi Strangeness (And Canadian Sensuality) Of Cartoonist Michael DeForge

7:00am April 07, 2017

by Oliver Sava

DeForge's new book Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero grew out of a collection of Tumblr strips. It follows a woman who flees into the Canadian forest to escape a family scandal and make a new life.

The Picture Book Behind The New Movie 'Boss Baby'

5:14pm April 06, 2017

by Elissa Nadworny

Before the new animated film was a box-office hit, it was a beloved children's book.

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Howard Norman's 'My Darling Detective' Pays Homage To Film Noir

4:30pm April 06, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with writer Howard Norman about his new novel, My Darling Detective, which tells the story of a photograph and an auction in Halifax, Novia Scotia.

Valeria Luiselli's previous books include Faces in the Crowd and The Story of My Teeth.

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Arts

'Tell Me How It Ends' Offers A Moving, Humane Portrait Of Child Migrants

12:07pm April 06, 2017

by John Powers

Valeria Luiselli's new book is based on her experiences working as an interpreter for Central American child migrants seeking entry to the U.S. Critic John Powers calls it "fair minded and expansive."

Ex-Secretary Of State Advocates Causes Not Key In Modern Republican Agenda

10:58am April 06, 2017

James Baker, who served in two Republican White Houses, is writing about causes that don't figure prominently in the modern Republican agenda. He's advocating a global ban on the sale of ivory.

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Six members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps preparing to ship off for France in 1918, where they and 217 other women served as switchboard operators.

Books

'The Hello Girls' Chronicles The Women Who Fought For America — And For Recognition

10:00am April 06, 2017

by Glen Weldon

A book published today, the 100th anniversary of America's entry into World War I, tells the story of "America's First Women Soldiers" who served as switchboard operators in the field.

Competition for scarce funding and tenure may be prompting some scientists to cut corners.

How Flawed Science Is Undermining Good Medicine

9:21am April 06, 2017

U.S. taxpayers pay $30 billion a year to fund biomedical research aimed at finding better treatments. But competition for scarce funding and tenure may be prompting some scientists to cut corners.

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