Arts Aug 20 American music of days gone by endures in Virginia In August, tens of thousands of fans and musicians gathered in the small town of Galax, Virginia, for the 79th Old Fiddler’s Convention. When the festival began in 1935, one of its aims was to keep “alive the memories and…
World Jul 25 Islamic militants destroy sacred Iraqi shrine Islamic militants in Mosul, Iraq on Thursday blew up a sacred mosque that was considered the final resting place of the Prophet Jonah.
Arts Jul 24 Blues musician John Németh gets 'greasy' in Memphis The first gigs that blues musician John Németh played were not in darkened, smoke-filled dives near the muddy banks of the Mississippi River, but at bright luncheons in Boise, Idaho for the religious group Catholic Daughters of America.
Arts Jul 18 From painting overpasses to stadiums, a graffiti artist on his evolving art form For more than 30 years, Los Angeles-based artist RISK has been creating colorful murals on everything from highway overpasses -- known as “heavens” -- to dilapidated buildings, walls, trains and buses. He recently joined eight other graffiti artists to paint…
Poetry Jun 13 Pulitzer-winning poet Vijay Seshadri fuses the fantastic with the everyday The Bangalore-native, Brooklyn-based poet assiduously collects the details of his life, his world, his ruminations big and small, in the hope that once amassed and ordered they'll connect with readers and arrive at a higher meaning.
Poetry Jun 09 Weekly Poem: Pulitzer winner Vijay Seshadri reads 'Memoir' Vijay Seshadri opens his poem "Memoir" by paraphrasing George Orwell, writing that "no one ever writes the real story of their life. The real story of a life is the story of its humiliations."…
Arts Jun 06 Digital revolution threatens American literature, says best-selling author James Patterson Despite having authored dozens of best-selling titles, James Patterson is very worried about the present and future of books in America, as the publishing world continues to grapple with the tectonic shifts brought about by the advent of ebooks and…
Arts May 30 Arts education helps build 'whole people,' says singer Jessye Norman Award-winning singer Jessye Norman has a big problem with declining arts programs in America’s schools. “It is a big issue and it makes me completely crazy,” Norman told correspondent Jeffrey Brown, when they sat down to discuss her new memoir,…