Mar 26 Conversation: Mary Gaitskill's 'Don't Cry' Vladimir Nabokov once wrote that art is "beauty plus pity." It's a formula author Mary Gaitskill took to heart, after quoting his words in a tribute essay years ago. They've both been accused, after all, of varying levels of perversity… Continue reading
Mar 26 U.S. Economic Downturn Worsened at End of 2008 By Admin, PBS News Hour The U.S. economy contracted at its fastest pace since 1982 at the end of last year, and it likely isn't faring much better now, according to a Commerce Department report released Thursday. Continue reading
Mar 25 Kay Ryan Reads 'The Other Shoe' and 'Salvage' Kay Ryan was named 16th Poet Laureate in July 2008. She was born in California in 1945 and grew up in the small towns of the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. Her work has been selected four times… Continue reading
Mar 25 Watch Kay Ryan Reflects on Role as Nation's Poet Laureate Known for compact writing and for leading a quiet life, Kay Ryan has taken on a very public role as the nation's poet laureate. For more than 30 years, she has taught remedial English in Marin County, Calif. Her poems… Continue watching
Mar 25 Witness to the American West Like most great figures of the American West, there is a touch of legend in the tale of how Ernest L. Blumenschein made it to New Mexico. Continue reading
Mar 25 Kay Ryan Reflects on Role as Nation's Poet Laureate Known for compact writing and for leading a quiet life, Kay Ryan has taken on a very public role as the nation's poet laureate. For more than 30 years, she has taught remedial English in Marin County, Calif. Her poems… Continue reading
Mar 24 Getty, Italian Museum Announce Collaboration By Arts Desk The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles announced Monday a new collaboration with the Archaeology Museum in Florence, Italy to bring artifacts from the Italian museum to museum-goers in California. Continue reading
Mar 23 Weekly Poem: 'Handymen' Cornelius Eady is the director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Notre Dame and is the co-founder and vice president of Cave Canem a national organization for African American poetry. Continue reading
Mar 20 It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's 'The 99' By Arts Desk It looks like an ordinary American comic book; heroes wear brightly colored costumes and use their bulging muscles to conquer the forces of evil. But look again -- one of the superheroes is wearing a burka. Continue reading