Education Apr 24 The top library books people tried to ban or censor last year Battles have erupted at schools, school boards and library meetings across the country as parents, lawmakers and advocacy groups are debating books. The American Library Association documented more than 1,200 demands to censor books and resources last year, the highest…
World Apr 21 Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks explores the pandemic in ‘Plays for the Plague Year’ Is it too soon to explore the pandemic through art? Not if you’re Suzan-Lori Parks, who wrote a short play a day while sitting at home for 13 months and has now turned those into a full-length performance at New…
Education Apr 17 Jenny Odell’s new book ‘Saving Time’ gives fresh perspective on the meaning of time We’re all used to being ‘on the clock’ and ruled by it. But a new book by Jenny Odell takes on the very idea of time in our lives. "Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock" is Odell's follow-up…
Arts Apr 13 Sphinx Organization diversifying classical music nationwide and changing lives There is much talk these days about diversifying classical music and other arts. But one Detroit-based organization has been at it for a long time. The Sphinx Organization's reach now expands across the nation. Jeffrey Brown reports for our arts…
Arts Apr 12 ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ among 25 additions to National Recording Registry Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings of cultural, historical or aesthetic importance for the National Recording Registry. Tunes for the history books, for the memory banks or just to hum or dance along to. This year is…
Arts Apr 03 Kehinde Wiley exhibit uses historic icons to expose systemic violence against Black people Kehinde Wiley is best known for his distinctive presidential portrait of Barack Obama. But Wiley has spent most of his career painting vibrant portrayals of everyday Black men and women. A new exhibition of his work focuses on grief and…
Nation Mar 31 Excitement and anticipation surround NCAA Women’s Final Four The Final Four in the NCAA women’s tournament gets underway Friday in Dallas. Arguably, there’s more excitement and anticipation around these games than the men’s Final Four. Ratings for the women’s tournament are up 73% compared to a year ago…
Arts Mar 30 New film ‘Nine Parts’ explores lives of Iraqi women after U.S. invasion After the U.S. invaded Iraq 20 years ago, Iraqi American playwright and actor Heather Raffo created and starred in an acclaimed play “Nine Parts of Desire” about the lives of Iraqi women. She’s returned to the subject on film and…
Arts Mar 22 Darren Walker proposes shift in focus of giving in new book ‘From Generosity to Justice’ In 1889, one of the richest men of his age, industrialist Andrew Carnegie, wrote “The Gospel of Wealth,” calling on those with money to use it to promote the general good. Now comes “From Generosity to Justice: A New Gospel…
Arts Mar 17 Jessica Chastain takes on ‘A Doll’s House’ in new Broadway adaptation “A Doll’s House,” the classic 19th-century play by Henrik Ibsen, is getting a new Broadway adaptation starring one of today’s biggest stars, Jessica Chastain. She plays Nora Helmer, one of the most iconic characters in theater history. Chastain sat down…