Opinion

Jack Richmond and his daughter, Reagan, visit StoryCorps in Knoxville, Tenn.

National

Losing A Leg, But Gaining A Sense Of Purpose

9:30pm April 19, 2013

by NPR Staff

Jack Richmond was a young father when his leg was crushed in a work accident. Though in denial at first that it would need to be amputated, he quickly realized he could share his experience to help other amputees, as he tells his daughter, Reagan, on a visit to StoryCorps.

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Veteran magician Ricky Jay reveals much about himself in a new documentary on his life of deception. His card-trick techniques? That may be another story.

Arts

Digging Into Ricky Jay's 'Deceptive' Card Tricks

8:37pm April 17, 2013

by Bob Mondello

It's been said that to properly understand a magician, you have to get right on stage and watch how the act is done. NPR's Bob Mondello had that chance once with card whiz Ricky Jay — subject of the new film Deceptive Practice — and has a few words about how the showman works.

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The Pitch For More No. 42s

2:46pm April 17, 2013

by Frank Deford

There's more buzz than usual this year around baseball legend Jackie Robinson, who made his major league debut on April 15, 1947. But commentator Frank Deford says there isn't enough buzz in college athletics to help shape the Robinsons of the future.

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'Central Park Five': Rape, Race And Blame Explored

3:28pm April 16, 2013

by David Bianculli

A documentary airing tonight on PBS tells the story of the five young black and Latino men wrongly convicted of the 1989 assault and rape of a white female jogger in Manhattan's Central Park. Ken Burns made the film with his eldest daughter, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon.

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Op-Ed: What Exhumation Means For A Legacy

3:34pm April 15, 2013

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was exhumed in early April, with the goal of discovering whether the poet's death was from prostate cancer or poison. In a The New York Times op-ed, Amherst College professor Ilan Stavans argues that Neruda's legacy is more important than the way he died.

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Joan Collins, John Forsythe and Linda Evans at a party celebrating the production of 150 episodes of Dynasty in 1986.

Arts

Big Hair, Big Shoulders And Big Money: Linda Evans On '80s Excess

1:34pm April 15, 2013

by Linda Holmes

Linda Wertheimer talks to Dynasty star Linda Evans about the legacy of Krystle Carrington, who lived in a greed-obsessed decade but remained surprisingly pure of heart.

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Week In Politics: Gun Control, Immigration, Obama Budget

5:20pm April 12, 2013

Melissa Block talks to regular political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss gun control legislation, immigration and President Obama's budget.

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John Curtis with his 11-year-old son, John Wikiera.

National

Adoptive Dad Dreamed A Dream That Brought Him A Son

4:19pm April 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

John Curtis never thought he would be able to be a dad. But in 1998 he held his son against his chest. It was "like we fit," he says.

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Venezuelan author Romulo Gallegos (1884-1969), circa 1950.

Oil, Chavez And Telenovelas: The Rise Of The Venezuelan Novel

10:55am April 12, 2013

by Marcela Valdes

Although Venezuela has a rich literary culture, its writers remain largely unknown outside of the country. Marcela Valdes traces the intersection of literature and politics in the large Caribbean nation, showing the forces that have kept Venezuelan writers from getting the praise they deserve.

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Tiger At The Masters: The Juncture Of Exhilaration And Peril

7:20am April 10, 2013

by Frank Deford

When Tiger Woods tees off at Augusta National Golf Club this week, he will have overcome injuries and personal scandal. But commentator Frank Deford wonders whether a Masters win for Woods would be a comeback or his way of getting back at his detractors.

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