Dec 31 Conversation: Peter Matthiessen By Arts Desk Peter Matthiessen, a 2008 National Book Award winner, is best known as both a novelist and non-fiction writer, but he's also an environmental activist, American Indian rights advocate and former C.I.A. recruit. Continue reading
Dec 29 Weekly Poem: ‘Rain Light’ W.S. Merwin is counted as one of the nation's greatest living poets. He is the author of more than 50 books of his own poetry, translations of others, memoirs and more. Continue reading
Dec 26 Preview for Next Week By Arts Desk I'm sure our regular NewsHour viewers will understand when I say that, first and foremost, we are "news people." One of our goals in starting Art Beat was to make sure we stay on top of the news in the… Continue reading
Dec 25 Influential Playwright Pinter Dies at 78 Harold Pinter, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright who has been lauded as the most influential dramatist of his generation, died Wednesday at age 78 after a long battle with cancer. Continue reading
Dec 23 Conversation: David Thomson on Film By Arts Desk For more than 30 years, film critic and scholar David Thomson has been asked one question over and over again: "So, what movies should I see?" His latest book, "Have You Seen....?," is an extended romp of an answer, with… Continue reading
Dec 19 Conversation: ‘Milk’s’ Cleve Jones By Arts Desk The new film, "Milk," by director Gus Van Sant tells the story of Harvey Milk, who in 1977 became the first openly gay elected official in the United States as a member of the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors. Continue reading
Dec 19 The Voice of Harvey Milk By Arts Desk The "Hope Speech" became Harvey Milk's stump speech. He gave a skeletal version when he declared his candidacy in 1977 and an expanded version in 1978 for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, later known as the Gay Pride… Continue reading
Dec 19 Preview for Next Week … and a Thank You By Arts Desk I want to thank all of you 'first responders' who've written here and reached us in other ways with comments on our new Art Beat blog. The positive feedback has been very gratifying and encourages us to go forward with… Continue reading
Dec 16 Jeffrey Brown Unveils Art Beat on the Program By Arts Desk In case you missed it Monday evening, here are correspondents Jeffrey Brown and Judy Woodruff talking about Art Beat on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Continue reading
Dec 15 Rebuilding New Orleans with Prospect.1 By Arts Desk Tonight on the NewsHour, Jeffrey Brown reports on the New Orleans' efforts to rebuild its art scene and its tourist industry through Prospect.1, an exhibition of contemporary art billed as the largest of its kind ever held in the United… Continue reading