Arts May 15 American Museum of Natural History opens stunning new expansion At a time when the public teaching of science is again being fought over, the largest museum of natural history in the U.S. just extended its reach. Jeffrey Brown got a look inside the American Museum of Natural History's stunning…
Arts May 12 Tom Hanks on his debut novel, ‘The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece’ You could be forgiven for not knowing about the blockbuster film, “Knightshade: The Lathe of Firefall.” That's because it’s a fictional film at the center of a new novel, "The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece," written by Tom…
Arts May 03 Art historian brings attention to overlooked women in ‘The Story of Art Without Men’ How many women artists can you name? That was a question Katy Hessel, then a 21-year-old art history major, asked herself. The results were disappointing. And so she set about learning and teaching herself and then others. That resulted in…
Education Apr 28 Judy Blume describes latest wave of book bans and censorship as ‘disgusting’ and ‘fascist’ The new film “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret,” is shining a spotlight on Judy Blume, author of the original novel. Many of her books deal with issues of sexuality and adolescence rarely found elsewhere when Blume was writing.
Arts Apr 27 Judy Blume on new film adaptation of her classic ‘Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret’ Just say the title, "Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret,” and many will respond with a knowing smile and a memory of what was a formative book for young people beginning in the 1970s. Now, the novel by Judy…
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…