Sep 07 Conservative book publisher eschews New York Times Best Seller rankings By Michael Boulter Regnery Publishing said this week that it will stop using the Times’ weekly rankings to to market its books, and its authors will no longer receive special bonuses for making the list. Continue reading
Sep 06 Here's every state's song of the summer (no, it's not all 'Despacito') By Elizabeth Flock America's song of the summer was the reggaeton hit "Despacito." But it wasn't the top song everywhere. Continue reading
Sep 06 Meet the Ace of Cups, the Haight's (almost) forgotten all-girl band By Kelly Whalen Despite their impact in San Francisco, the Ace of Cups were all but written out of history books. Now, decades later, four of the five original band members are recording their first album together. Continue reading
Sep 05 How death row inmates at San Quentin are using poetry to examine the prison system -- and themselves By Elizabeth Flock Prison literature has a long and rich history, stretching back to Jack London, Nelson Algren and Malcolm X. The genre includes powerful work from prisoners incarcerated on death row, which is often surfaced with the help of activists or artists… Continue reading
Sep 04 Watch 1:56 Walter Becker, introspective rocker of Steely Dan, dies at 67 By PBS News Hour Steely Dan co-founder and guitarist Walter Becker died Sunday at 67. He formed Steely Dan in 1971 and introduced a unique sound in rock, with hits such as “Do it Again” and “Reeling’ in the Years.” John Yang remembers the… Continue watching
Sep 04 Watch 5:10 Remembering John Ashbery, acclaimed writer who pulled poetry 'from the air' By PBS News Hour Considered one of the country’s most influential poets, John Ashbery died Sunday at the age of 90. He was a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Jeffrey Brown revisits his conversation with Ashbery from 2007, where… Continue watching
Sep 03 John Ashbery, esteemed and inventive poet, dies at 90 By Corinne Segal John Ashbery, a master of poetic verse whose enigmatic, dexterous work challenged the world of American poetry, died Sunday at 90. Continue reading
Sep 01 Watch 4:59 Offa Rex revives centuries-old folk songs with new sound By PBS News Hour Offa Rex -- a transatlantic collaboration of the English singer Olivia Chaney and the American indie rock band The Decemberists -- is putting a modern twist on traditional folk songs that were previously revived in the 1960s and ‘70s. Jeffrey… Continue watching
Sep 01 Watch 3:23 A summer colony where seabirds and science nest By PBS News Hour In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, an island six miles off the coast of Portsmouth, N.H., is home to a colony of terns — a species of seabirds whose numbers are quickly dwindling worldwide. Every summer, the island… Continue watching
Sep 01 WATCH: Offa Rex performs the song, 'Old Churchyard,' channeling rich oral history By Andrew Bossone The British folk song, "The Old Churchyard," performed here by the Portland band The Decemberists and English singer Olivia Chaney at this year's Newport Folk Fest, is part of a rich, oral tradition passed along by musicians and… Continue reading