Arts & Life

Christina Ricci plays Zelda Fitzgerald in Amazon's Z.

Books
Arts

Forget F. Scott: In 'Z,' Christina Ricci Tells Zelda Fitzgerald's Story

11:35am March 26, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

There's a common misconception (popularized by Ernest Hemingway) that Zelda Fitzgerald ruined her husband's life. The truth, Ricci says, is much more complicated.

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Books
Arts

'Wait Till You See Me Dance' Is A Marvelous Waltz Of Misdirection

10:00am March 26, 2017

by Annalisa Quinn

Deb Olin Unferth's story collection delights in going in unexpected directions, and her sensitively-drawn characters feel the full, real, often contradictory and uneasy layering of human emotion.

The Moluccan Cockatoo Feast, from the series The Fantastical Feasts, 2014

Books
Arts

How Do You Dream Up A Cockatoo Feast? An Artist Explains In 'Imaginarium'

8:14am March 26, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Looking at Claire Rosen's photographs can feel like walking into someone else's dreams. In her new book Imaginarium she provides inspiration and advice for curating a creative life.

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In 1957, Duncan Hines and his wife, Clara, cut a cake at the Duncan Hines test kitchen in Ithaca, N.Y.

Duncan Hines: The Original Road Warrior Who Shaped Restaurant History

7:00am March 26, 2017

by Nicole Jankowski

The name on that box of cake mix belonged to a real person. Hines was a traveling salesman who just wanted to find a decent meal on the road — and ended up being America's go-to restaurant expert.

Books
Arts

Tale As Old As Time: The Dark Appeal of 'Beauty And The Beast'

4:31am March 26, 2017

by Genevieve Valentine

Disney's new live-action extravaganza is just the latest retelling of this classic fairy tale. But why do Beauty and her Beast have such a hold on us? And why are there so many versions of their tale?

Atole de elote is a warm corn drink from Central America. Student Jose Rivas wrote an essay about a weekly tradition of enjoying atole with his late father in El Salvador, and how the drink helped him to feel more at home after he moved to the U.S.

Students Serve Up Stories Of Beloved Family Recipes In A Global Cookbook

2:03pm March 25, 2017

by Becky Harlan

Many students at D.C.'s Capital City Charter School are first-generation Americans. For a creative writing project, a literacy nonprofit picked a topic everyone could relate to: food from home.

Charley Pride performs in Nashville, Tenn., on June 10, 2015.

Not My Job: Country Singer Charley Pride Gets Quizzed On Shame

11:44am March 25, 2017

Charley Pride, one of the first African-American stars in country music, has sold more records for RCA than anyone not named Elvis Presley.

The league-wide's secret recipe to success is out: The NBA and the PB&J go together like, well ...

The Pregame PB&J: How The Comfort Food Became The NBA's Recipe For Success

11:29am March 25, 2017

by Scott Simon

"If there's a locker room that doesn't have it, I haven't seen it," says ESPN reporter Baxter Holmes, who expands on his recent story, which details professional basketball's obsession with the snack.

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Wright describes Martha, her Americans character, as an "average, everyday person that's open and trusting and loving."

Arts

We Are All Martha: Alison Wright On How Her 'Americans' Character Became A Hit

7:45am March 25, 2017

by Scott Simon

Wright plays an FBI secretary who falls in love with an undercover Russian spy. She says Martha is "who we would all most likely be" if we found ourselves in the world of The Americans.

Books
Arts

'Girl In Disguise' Is A Spunky Spy Saga

7:00am March 25, 2017

by Jean Zimmerman

Little is known about the real life of Kate Warne, the first female detective in America — but Greer Macallister's romp of a novel paints her as a live wire, an ace in a dangerous man's world.