Books

Poet Billy Collins sat down with NPR at the Georgetown Public Library in Washington, D.C., to read and discuss his work.

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Arts

Billy Collins On How To Become A Poet, And Why Poetry Can Be A Game

3:25pm December 14, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The former Poet Laureate recently joined NPR fans on Facebook Live. He talked about the inspiration for a poem imagining a Keith Richards-based mythology, and offered a tip to aspiring writers: Read.

Alia Shawkat stars as Dory in the TBS comedy Search Party.

A Critic's Year-End 'Ghost File': Books, Movies And TV Shows He Didn't Review

2:44pm December 14, 2016

by John Powers

Every year, Fresh Air critic John Powers is haunted by all the terrific things he didn't get a chance to talk about on air. As 2016 winds down, he "un-haunts" himself with these six recommendations.

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'The Jingle King' Tracks Decline Of Original Music In Advertising

4:30pm December 13, 2016

Steve Karmen wrote a number of famous jingles, including Budweiser Beer's, "When You Say Bud," the New York State song, "I Love New York", the jingle, "Here Comes the King," the Exxon Song and Wrigley Spearmint Gum's, "Carry The Big Fresh Flavor." He also composed several music scores for motion pictures during the 1960s, and performed briefly as a Calypso singer, achieving some recognition in Trinidad during that time. Karmen is the recipient of 16 Clio Awards. NPR explores how the business of writing the music for advertising has changed.

Trump, China And A Long History Of Misunderstandings

10:46pm December 12, 2016

Donald Trump appears to have moved away from the U.S.'s longstanding "one China" policy. Writer John Pomfret talks to NPR's Robert Siegel about the significance of this apparent shift in policy.

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Clancy's writing has appeared in The Rumpus, The New York Times and The Paris Review Daily.

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Arts

When A Professor Laughed At Her Queens Accent, Writer Tara Clancy Doubled Down

7:41am December 12, 2016

by NPR Staff

She says, "Instead of feeling mortified, I felt defiant." In The Clancys of Queens, Clancy tells stories of growing up in a working-class, New York family.

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The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom

The U.S. And China: Two Centuries Of Infatuation And Disappointment

2:49pm December 11, 2016

by Alan Yu

In a new book, journalist and author John Pomfret tackles a relationship that stretches back to America's earliest years and is now more important — and challenging — than ever.

Sebastian Bach's new memoir is called 18 and Life on Skid Row.

'High Times' And High Notes: The Life Of Sebastian Bach

12:38pm December 11, 2016

by NPR Staff

The former Skid Row frontman spent a lot of his glory years under the influence, but his first true high came from singing in Christmas mass as kid. He discusses his new memoir with NPR's Ailsa Chang.

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One of the many, many computer-generated worlds you can explore in No Man's Sky.

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Arts

Reading The Game: 'No Man's Sky'

11:35am December 11, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Some of the best, wildest, most moving storytelling right now isn't on TV or in movies — it's in video games. So we're taking a literary look at one of this year's hottest games, No Man's Sky.

Books
Arts

Comedian Jenny Slate And Her Father Share Family Stories In 'About The House'

9:01am December 11, 2016

About the House is a collection of stories, essays and poems by Ron Slate and his daughter, comedian Jenny Slate. NPR's Ailsa Chang talks to the Slates about their collaboration.

It's Not Just A Danish Word That Made Dictionary's Shortlist; It's A Lifestyle

8:57am December 11, 2016

The Danish word "hygge" was shortlisted as the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year 2016. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Meik Wiking, the author of The Little Book of Hygge, about the concept.