 | 2008 OCTOBER
October 3, 2008
Oregon Poet Laureate Inada Reflects on Internment
Along with more than 100,000 other Japanese-Americans, Lawson Inada was sent to internment camps for the duration of World War II. He was one of the youngest to live in the camps, and much of his writing addresses that childhood experience.
   
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| SEPTEMBER
September 30, 2008
Mexico's Violent Drug War Wreaks Havoc on Innocent Lives
Just south of the U.S. in Mexico, a ruthless drug war is taking a heavy toll on residents' lives on both sides of the border. Essayist Richard Rodriguez reflects on the increasingly unmanageable conflict.
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| September 25, 2008
Amy Tan, San Francisco Opera Take Novel From Page to Stage
Spencer Michels reports on how best-selling author Amy Tan's darkest family secrets from China became the focal points for a world-premiere opera in San Francisco.
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| AUGUST
August 25, 2008
Composer on 'Bang on a Can'
Pulitzer Prize winning composer David Lang founded the experimental classical music festival "Bang on a Can" or "Banglewood" over two decades ago with two college friends. Now, every summer, 35 young musicians are invited to perform at the festival.
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| August 21, 2008
'Bang on a Can' Showcases Inventive Classical Music
For the past several years, classical music composers have gathered to share their more eclectic scores at the "Bang on a Can" festival in North Adams, Mass. Jeffrey Brown explores the origins of the event.
 
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| August 20, 2008
Filmmakers Answered Your Questions on 'The Judge and the General'
The documentary "The Judge and the General" follows the investigation into the brutal murders of thousands of Chileans during the 1970s and 1980s. Filmmakers Elizabeth Farnsworth, a former NewsHour correspondent, and her co-producer and director Patricio Lanfranco answered your questions.
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| August 19, 2008
Chilean History Examined in 'The Judge and the General'
Decades after Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship claimed the lives of thousands of Chileans, a new documentary by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio Lanfranco sheds light on Chile's troubled past. Jeffrey Brown speaks with Farnsworth, a former NewsHour correspondent, about the film.
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| August 12, 2008
Author Takes a New Look at America's Old History
By tracing the paths of European settlers in the 16th century, Tony Horwitz tells the history of America's colonization of the new world during an oft-forgotten century. Ray Suarez discusses Horwitz's new book, "A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World."
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| August 4, 2008
Russian Author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Dies at 89
Acclaimed Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who wrote extensively about the gulag prison system and won the Nobel literature prize for his books on abuses in the Soviet Union, died Sunday at age 89 after a reclusive life fraught with challenges.
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| August 1, 2008
New Exhibit Focuses on Civil Rights Movement Images
Jeffrey Brown takes a look at a new exhibit exploring the Civil Rights movement through photographs, including some that have never been seen before, and finds the stories behind the powerful images.
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| JULY
July 31, 2008
Jeff Smith Answers Your Questions on 'Bone' Comics
Jeff Smith, the artist who draws the wildly popular "Bone" comics says he grew up hiding his drawings in math books. Now, his work is featured at the Wexler Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, where he is based. He answered your questions on his craft.
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| July 28, 2008
The Inescapable Lure of Superheroes
NewsHour essayist Julia Keller reveals what lures the average person to the unlikely characters of superheroes, who are cramming the action into many a blockbuster this summer.
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| July 28, 2008
Print Book Reviews Shrink While Online Versions Grow
The Los Angeles Times published its last standalone book review section Sunday due to a growing shift of readers and writers to review forums on the Internet. A literary agent and an editor debate the virtues of keeping reviews in print versus fostering book dialogue online.
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| July 25, 2008
Poet Ricardo Pau-Llosa Reflects on Influences, Art
Ricardo Pau-Llosa, a prolific Miami-based poet and critic of Latin American art, remembers the colors, tastes and memories that shaped his youth and his writing, taking him back to his native Cuba.
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| July 24, 2008
Art Exhibit Tackles Stereotypes of Surburban Life
An exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis aims to examine stereoptypes tied to life in the suburbs and shows the work of artists and architects influenced by the slew of social issues outside of cities. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports.
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| July 21, 2008
Jeff Smith's 'Bone' Goes From Comic Book to Gallery Wall
After launching his first issue in 1991, Jeff Smith's popular comic book series, "Bone," has sold over 4 million copies and is part of a new exhibition at the Wexner Center For the Arts at Ohio State University. Jeffrey Brown profiles Smith's work and influences.
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| July 21, 2008
Jeff Smith's 'Bone' Comics
Jeff Smith, the artist who draws the hugely popular "Bone" comics, says he grew up hiding his drawings in math books. Now, his drawings are on display at the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University.
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| July 17, 2008
Kay Ryan Discusses New Collection of Poems
Award-winning poet Kay Ryan describes her writing process as "self imposed emergencies." She reads some selections from her new collection, "The Niagara River."
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| July 17, 2008
Biographer Recaps U.K. Scientist's Fascination With China
Prolific author Simon Winchester discusses his latest book, "The Man Who Loved China," which chronicles the adventures of scientist Joseph Needham in the Asian nation.
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| July 17, 2008
Kay Ryan Is Appointed U.S. Poet Laureate
The Library of Congress announced Thursday the appointment of Kay Ryan as the 16th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2008-2009.
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| July 4, 2008
Columnist Values the Right to Pursue Happiness
Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page measures the importance of happiness and its part in one of the most famous phrases of the Declaration of Independence as the United States turns another year older.
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| July 2, 2008
Antiquities Exhibit Illuminates Ancient Afghan Trading
A museum exhibit of ancient Afghan art demonstrates the country's rich and diverse culture. Jeffrey Brown visits the relics that have survived the tumult of recent history in Afghanistan.
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| JUNE
June 23, 2008
Irreverent Comedian George Carlin Dies at 71
George Carlin, 71, an American comedic icon, died on Sunday of heart failure. The NewsHour looks back at some of his memorable work.
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| June 16, 2008
Poetry Program Gives Prisoners Unexpected Voice
For more than 30 years, poet and professor Richard Shelton has traveled to a high security prison in Arizona to run a program that encourages prisoners to write and read poetry.
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| June 13, 2008
Paul Solman Pays Tribute to His Father
Paul Solman offers reflections on his father, painter Joseph Solman, on the occasion of Father's Day. Joseph died April 16 at his home in Manhattan at age 99.
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| June 13, 2008
Young Brazilian Musicians Try to Go Global
Linguistic, political and economic barriers stand between Brazil's most popular acts and global recognition. NewsHour special correspondent Simon Marks caps a series of reports from Brazil by looking at the music scene.
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| MAY
May 30, 2008
Extended Interview: Magazine Editor Hung Huang
While reporting in China in May, Margaret Warner spoke to Hung Huang, CEO of China Interactive Media Group and editor of the lifestyle magazine iLook, about the state of media freedom in China today.
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| May 27, 2008
Achebe Discusses Africa 50 Years After 'Things Fall Apart'
A half century after Chinua Achebe penned 'Things Fall Apart', Jeffrey Brown discusses Africa's ongoing story with the famed author.
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| May 13, 2008
Pop Artist Robert Rauschenberg Dies at 82
American artist Robert Rauschenberg died Monday at age 82. Jeffrey Brown looks back at the life and work of the acclaimed pop artist.
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| May 13, 2008
Robert Rauschenberg, Pioneering Artist, Dies at 82
Robert Rauschenberg, the prolific and pioneering American pop artist, died Monday at the age of 82. Following is a selection of some of his works. Thanks to the Rauschenberg Estate/VAGA, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum, New York City for photo permission and usage.
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| May 9, 2008
Frances Richey's Poetry Speaks to Son's Role as Soldier
"The Warrior" by Frances Richey is composed of 28 poems written by the poet to her son, Ben, a Green Beret who has served two tours of duty in Iraq. Jeffrey Brown speaks with Richey and her son about the collection and their unique perspectives on the war.
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| May 8, 2008
Words in Conflict: Israeli, Palestinian Poetry
Poets in the Middle East are often held in high regard, and many achieve a level of celebrity and authority not common in the West. Tonight, in recognition of Israel's 60th anniversary, Jeffrey Brown has an encore report on the lives of Israeli and Palestinian poets.
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| May 5, 2008
Robert Hass Answered Your Questions on Modern Poetry
Robert Hass won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for "Time and Materials," the first book of poetry since 1983 to win both a Pulitzer and the National Book Award. He answered your questions on his methods, favorite poets and the meaning of poetry.
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| APRIL
April 30, 2008
Robert Hass Discusses His Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poetry
"Time and Materials" by Robert Hass won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, becoming the first book of poetry since 1983 to win both the Pulitzer and the National Book Award. Hass talks about the collection.
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| April 29, 2008
Novelist Junot Diaz Weaves Cultures and Languages
From the "Fuku" of the Dominican Republic to Klingon from Star Trek, the world of author Junot Diaz is a vibrant mix of cultures and languages. He discusses his influences and winning the Pulitzer Prize earlier this month for his novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Wao."
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| April 24, 2008
For Hayes, Pittsburgh and Poetry Are No Strangers
Terrance Hayes is the author of three books of poetry and is a professor of Creative Writing at Carnegie Mellon University. He discusses life as a poet in Pittsburgh, "where no one is a stranger," and shares some of his work.
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| April 16, 2008
Retracing Roots with 'The African-American National Biography'
Renowned African-American writers Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham discuss their latest joint project, 'The African-American National Biography'.
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| April 11, 2008
Van Cliburn Reflects on 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition
Master pianist Van Cliburn reflects on his historic victory at the 1958 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow and on the vitality of the classical arts.
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| April 10, 2008
Mary Jo Bang Examines Grief's Poetic Form, the Elegy
Mary Jo Bang is professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at Washington University. Her fifth book, "Elegy," which won of the National Book Critics Circle Award, examines the pain and grief following the death of her son. She shares two poems from the collection.
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| April 8, 2008
Newsman Roger Mudd Reflects on 'Glory Days of Television News'
In his new book, "The Place to Be |
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