Interviews

On May 27, 1963, Ali (known then as Cassius Clay) held up five fingers in a prediction of how many rounds it would take him to win against British boxer Henry Cooper. In June 1963, he fulfilled his prediction and was declared the bout winner after five ro

Fresh Air Weekend: New Muhammad Ali Biography; Roz Chast Draws A Guide To NYC

10:48am October 07, 2017

Biographer Jonathan Eig says Ali had "the spirit of a rebel." Linguist Geoff Nunberg reflects on the vanished styles and language of the hippie era. Cartoonist Roz Chast draws a "love letter" to NYC.

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In the musical KPOP, Ashley Park plays the Korean pop star Mwe, one of the show's emotional centers.

A New Musical — And Its Audience — Grapple With Asian Identity, Through K-Pop

1:36pm October 05, 2017

by Kat Chow

The show's plot and very existence provoke larger questions around race, representation and casting.

Music & Culture

Damian Marley Promotes African Pride Over Prejudice In 'Stony Hill To Addis' Doc

11:37am October 04, 2017

by Rodney Carmichael

In its wide-release premiere, the short documents Jr. Gong's historic tour of the motherland with majestic cinematography.

Maureen Scalia holds one of her favorite photos of her and her husband, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, in their home in Virginia.

Antonin Scalia's Less Well-Known Legacy: His Speeches

10:08am October 02, 2017

by Nina Totenberg

Scalia Speaks is an anthology of the late justice's speeches on everything from the arts, turkey hunting, games and sports, faith and judging — and even the "Italian view of the Irish."

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Candy, a prostitute who hopes to get out of the trade by learning to make porn films, on the HBO series The Deuce.

Fresh Air Weekend: 'Deuce' Traces The Birth Of Porn; An Obama Speechwriter Looks Back

11:07am September 30, 2017

David Simon and George Pelecanos discuss the dawn of the porn industry. Haroon Moghul recounts living abroad with depression. David Litt says writing for President Obama was often a delicate task.

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Dr. William Lynn Weaver at his StoryCorps interview in Fayetteville, N.C.

'Evil Depends On Good People To Be Quiet'

5:05am September 29, 2017

William Weaver, who helped integrate his Southern high school, recounts painful memories of football games he played with teammates he says may now wish they would have said something supportive.

Arts

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies: A Recipe For Home-Wrecking?

5:04pm September 24, 2017

by Maquita Peters

Two years ago in The New York Times' food section, Sydne Newberry commented on this recipe — and the bittersweet end to her marriage. The comment went on to become Internet legend.

Goodbye, For Now, To A Vital Source For Native American News

6:01am September 24, 2017

by Leah Donnella

Indian Country Today Media Network announced it would "cease active operations." That leaves a big hole in news coverage by, and about, Native Americans.

American soldiers advance through a rice paddy during the Vietnam War.

Fresh Air Weekend: Loudon Wainwright III; 'Jerry Before Seinfeld'; 'The Vietnam War'

10:33am September 23, 2017

Wainwright opens up about the "exes & excess" that inform his music. David Bianculli reviews Jerry Seinfeld's new Netflix special. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick discuss their PBS documentary series.

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Dolores Huerta: The Civil Rights Icon Who Showed Farmworkers 'Sí Se Puede'

7:36pm September 17, 2017

by Maria Godoy

A key architect of the nationwide grape boycott that galvanized the farmworkers' rights movement, her legacy has long been overshadowed. A new film aims to change that. Huerta speaks with NPR.