NPR Arts & Culture
Summer Movies: The Sweet, The Light And The Loud Trailer: 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' Trailer: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' Trailer: 'The Hurt Locker' Trailer: 'Whatever Works' Trailer: 'Julie An
The summer-movie slate looks like a typically airheaded one, from Land of the Lost to the naughty new spoof Bruno. But fear not: We found a few dramas — even some foreign weepies — to help tide you over.
Stalking The Elusive, Worthy Apricot
Apricots are the finest of summer's fruits, with dense, juicy flesh and delicate, velvety skins. That's why it is so disheartening when you bite into one, only to find it is mealy and flavorless. To find the best ones, head to your local farmers market.
Change Is On The Horizon For London's Famous Skyline
The city of London boasts centuries of architectural history. But a building boom is threatening the city's traditionally low-rise aesthetic and the views of some of that history. Critics — including UNESCO — are very worried about London's changing skyline.
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In NYC, A Play Festival Spotlights Stories Of Disability
Now in its third year, the "... Our Parts" festival at Theater Breaking Through Barriers runs through June 28. Here and across the country, artists with disabilities are making drama (and comedy) in illuminating ways.
Cécile McLorin Salvant: Making Old Songs New Again
The 23-year-old jazz phenom's debut album showcases her takes on vintage jazz and blues numbers by Bessie Smith, Fats Waller and others. You can trace some of her effects back to jazz greats like Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln.
Samberg, Taccone And Schaffer: Three's Not A Lonely Island
As the brains behind the hip hop parody group responsible for digital shorts like "D*#! In A Box," Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer have produced some of the funniest material on Saturday Night Live in recent memory. They talk about comedy, Yo! MTV Raps and adolescence.
Death Of A Puppy: An Exclusive Imaginary Excerpt From The 'Man Of Steel' Sequel
We've gotten our hands on an exclusive excerpt from the sequel to the Superman smash (by making it up ourselves).
Books Your Kid Might Give Up Video Games To Read
It's finally summer and for many kids that means swimming, video games and vacations. But a lot of parents hope their kids will to do some extra reading during the break. Host Michel Martin is joined by three moms in the literary world with summer book suggestions
Book News: VICE Draws Ire By Staging Female Author Suicides
The anonymous book sculptor of Edinburgh strikes again; the childhood drawings of E.E. Cummings; Jonathan Franzen on literary sexism.
The Funny (Touching, Fascinating) Pages: 5 Comics For Summer
When's the last time you read a comic book? Here are five for summer, covering everything from tiny Finnish critters to Viennese punk rockers and musings on Anna Wintour. Writer Myla Goldberg says they represent a golden age in comic art.
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Spy Reporter Works Her 'Sources' To Write A Thriller
Mary Louise Kelly used to cover national security for NPR, but lately she's turned her attention to fiction. Her new novel, Anonymous Sources, draws on Kelly's own reporting experiences, including things she couldn't say when she was a journalist.
Teens Find The Right Tools For Their Social-Media Jobs
There was a time — a time long, long ago — when MySpace dominated the teen social-media world. Not anymore. NPR's Sami Yenigun looks at how teenagers use various social platforms in today's increasingly segmented online universe.
Digital Scrapbook Collects Rock-Star Authors' Memories
If any story screams out for a multimedia e-book treatment, it's the tale of The Rock Bottom Remainders, a small band of best-selling authors — including Amy Tan, Dave Barry and Stephen King — who yowled out rock standards. Hard Listening is a digital scrapbook about their years as musicians.
A Deceptively Simple Tale Of Magic And Peril In 'Ocean'
Neil Gaiman's latest, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, is the story of an artist who returns to his childhood home and recalls a magical struggle he was involved in as a young boy. Reviewer Annalee Newitz says the book balances "frenetic action with wistful self-knowledge."
Sandwich Monday: The Wendy's T-Rex Burger (R.I.P.)
For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try "The T-Rex Burger," a nine-patty monster that, until this week, had been on the menu of a renegade Canadian Wendy's franchise.
In 'TransAtlantic,' The Flight Is Almost Too Smooth
Colum McCann won the National Book Award for his 2009 novel, Let the Great World Spin, about a high-wire artist. Critic Maureen Corrigan says McCann's new novel, TransAtlantic, also has its head in the clouds.
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WWII 'Deserters': Stories Of Men Who Left The Front Lines
In his new book, journalist Charles Glass explores the little-known history of thousands of American and British soldiers who deserted during World War II. Glass describes how the strain of war can push a soldier to the breaking point — and how the line between courage and cowardice is never simple.
Spoken Dish Asks Southerners: What Is Your Food Identity?
Food can reveal a lot about a person's history and values. A video history project is collecting the public's food memories — from grandma's cornbread to the favorite restaurants of civil rights giants — as a way to document the rituals of a changing South.
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In Slight Defense Of Miss Utah USA, A Little Bit, With Reservations
What do you expect when you ask a terrible question in a ridiculous setting?
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Book News: 'Tweet,' 'Geekery' Make The Oxford English Dictionary
Also: Judy Blume gets her own holiday; Michael Chabon considers the superhero costume; the best books coming out this week.
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