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Poet Ocean Vuong sifts through the aftershock of grief in 'Time Is a Mother'

1:40pm April 05, 2022

by Tonya Mosley

Vuong's new collection of poetry was inspired by his mother's death from breast cancer. His 2019 novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, followed a boy who, like Vuong, is an immigrant from Vietnam.

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Books
Arts

In 'Time is a Mother,' poet Ocean Vuong reflects on life, and time, without his mom

7:18am April 05, 2022

by Thúy Đinh

In his new collection, poet Ocean Vuong transforms Time, normally associated with death and erasure, into a mother with endlessly regenerative power.

Early opera recordings on wax cylinders 1900–1904, recorded by Lionel Mapleson.

Mystery recordings will now be heard for the first time in about 100 years

5:22am April 05, 2022

by Jennifer Vanasco

The New York Public Library recently received a machine that will read cracked and scratched wax cylinders — which include some of the earliest recorded audio.

Some of the banned books of 2021, according to the ALA.

Efforts to ban books jumped an 'unprecedented' four-fold in 2021, ALA report says

7:29pm April 04, 2022

The American Library Association says libraries faced the highest number of book challenges since they started tracking in 2000. Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer topped their list of most challenged books.

Books
Arts

'Sea of Tranquility' reflects our pandemic woes through a time-travel lens

5:04pm April 04, 2022

by Natalie Zutter

Station Eleven author Emily St. John Mandel wrote a book during these last two years of social isolation — about big moments in our lives and small moments in time.

Conductor Marin Alsop talks about the joys and challenges of leading an orchestra

1:30pm April 04, 2022

by Terry Gross

Alsop talks about the rejection she faced on the way to becoming the first woman to lead a major American orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony. She's now the subject of a new documentary, The Conductor.

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Jon Batiste accepts the Grammy for album of the year at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, presented Sunday, April 3 in Las Vegas. Batiste was the night's biggest winner by the numbers, with five awards including the night's final honor.

Jon Batiste and Silk Sonic take home major prizes at 2022 Grammys

1:15pm April 04, 2022

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

In a year of particularly wide-ranging nominees and competitive fields, bandleader Jon Batiste and the duo Silk Sonic came away with big prizes. Ukrainian president Zelenskyy also made an appearance.