Mar 17 Conversation: NPR’s Bob Boilen on SXSW By Arts Desk In March, basketball fans have their "madness"...music fans have South by Southwest. The annual festival brings more than 1,800 musicians from around the globe to Austin, Texas, which even in normal times bills itself as the "live music capitol of… Continue reading
Mar 17 SXSW Shifts Gears to Music Festival By Arts Desk The gears are shifting in Austin, Texas, as the South by Southwest Interactive Festival wraps up and the live music capital of the world prepares for the start of the music festival on Wednesday. Continue reading
Mar 16 Weekly Poem: ‘Brokenmusic’ Nathalie Handal is the author of two books of poetry and is also the editor of "The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology" and co-editor of "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia &… Continue reading
Mar 13 Conversation: Pianist Simone Dinnerstein By Arts Desk Two years ago, pianist Simone Dinnerstein seized the attention of the classical music world with a debut concert at Carnegie Hall and a self-produced recording that became a bestseller and made many critics' top lists that year. Continue reading
Mar 13 National Book Critics Circle Awards Announced The National Book Critics Circle Awards were announced Thursday night in New York. The fiction prize went to Roberto Bolano for "2666," and the general nonfiction award went to Dexter Filkins for "The Forever War."… Continue reading
Mar 12 Foreclosures Rise 6 Percent Between Jan., Feb. By Admin, PBS News Hour Despite several major lenders and states halting foreclosures, the number of households threatened with losing houses jumped 6 percent in February after falling 10 percent in January, RealtyTrac announced Thursday. Continue reading
Mar 12 ‘New’ Mark Twain Story to Be Published On Monday, a nearly 400-year-old portrait of William Shakespeare was uncovered in England. Now comes news that a previously unpublished short story by Mark Twain will come out next week, nearly 99 years after his death. Continue reading
Mar 11 Sketchbook Project Draws Artists Together Two young men hit the road with sketchbooks from more than 2,700 artists. It's not the greatest heist of found art ever; it's the third annual Sketchbook Project, now touring galleries across the country in a two-door Honda Civic. Continue reading
Mar 11 Is This William Shakespeare? Earlier this week, lovers of the Bard got a special thrill: the unveiling of supposedly the only known portrait of William Shakespeare painted during his lifetime. Continue reading
Mar 10 From Moscow With Jazz The forecast called for a mix of rain and snow in Moscow, and that's exactly what greeted Jackie Ryan last month when she arrived for her first visit to the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival. Continue reading