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Arts & Life

Review

Book Reviews

Dissident Stories: Ma Jian's 'Stick Out Your Tongue'

Chinese dissident author Ma Jian's story collection Stick Out Your Tongue bends time and reality. The collection, of stories inspired by a trip to Tibet in the mid-1980s, was published in China in 1997; since then, Ma Jian's work has been banned there.

Dissident Stories: Ma Jian's 'Stick Out Your Tongue'

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Review

Music Reviews

Senegal's Cheikh Lo Brings 'Lamp Fall'

Cheikh Lo is from Senagal, but his music is steeped in rhythms from all over the world. In fact, many of the rhythms for his new CD came from work he did in Brazil with producer Nick Gold, known for his work with the Buena Vista Social Club.

Senegal's Cheikh Lo Brings 'Lamp Fall'

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Movies

A Cannes Recap

Fresh Air

Critic at large John Powers has just returned from the Cannes film festival. The top prize winner at Cannes was director Ken Loach's The Wind That Shakes the Barley, a film about the Irish rebellion against British rule and the country's subsequent civil war.

A Cannes Recap

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'Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death'

Writer and director Melvin Van Peebles talks to Ed Gordon about his latest project, a new production of his 1971 Broadway hit, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death -- a critically lauded play with music about black street life.

'Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death'

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Art & Design

'Rwanda/After, Darfur/Now': Photos for Change

Given the scale of the crisis in Darfur, it's hard to believe that one individual can make a difference -- but photographer Michal Ronnen Safdie is a believer in the power of images to spark change for the better.

'Rwanda/After, Darfur/Now': Photos for Change

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Opinion

A Short-Lived Fan of Andy Milonakis

Commentator Charles Monroe-Kane became attached to an MTV show featuring what he thought was a real 12-year-old crazy kid. He loved it until he found out the guy was 30 -- and the show was scripted.

A Short-Lived Fan of Andy Milonakis

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Opinion

Analysis

Are 'X-Men' Mutant Issues a Mirror on Society?

For the first time, mutants have a choice -- they can retain their uniqueness, though it isolates and alienates them, or give up their powers and become human. That's the ad line from the marketing material for the new film X-Men: The Last Stand. Mike Pesca looks at how "mutantism" in the movie represents real-life issues ranging from dwarfism to deafness to sexual orientation.

Are 'X-Men' Mutant Issues a Mirror on Society?

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Review

Movies

Summer 2006: Silliness, Superheroes and More

More superheroes and stupid comedies, plus a couple of flicks with public radio connections -- Bob Mondello looks forward to the films that will hit theaters during the summer of 2006.

Summer 2006: Silliness, Superheroes and More

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The Impact of War

'When I Came Home': Fighting for Homeless Vets

As many as 400,000 veterans of U.S. wars are homeless at least part of the time, including hundreds recently returned from Iraq. A documentary follows the plight of many of those vets, including one who appeals for help on Capitol Hill.

'When I Came Home': Fighting for Homeless Vets

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David Douglas Duncan's Images of War

Fresh Air

Life magazine has called David Douglas Duncan perhaps the best war photographer since Matthew Brady. In 1999, Duncan received a lifetime achievement award for excellence and bravery from the Marine Corps. We rebroadcast an interview with Duncan from July 2, 1990.

David Douglas Duncan's Images of War

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Movies

'Baghdad ER:' The Wounded and the Healers

Fresh Air

The new documentary Baghdad ER goes inside the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq, the Army's premier medical facility in Iraq. Shot over two months in 2005, the film tells the stories of the hospital's doctors and wounded soldiers.

'Baghdad ER:' The Wounded and the Healers

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Music Interviews

Graffman Steps Down After 20 Years at Curtis Institute

For the past 20 years, president and director Gary Graffman has nurtured top talent at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music. Now 77, he's stepping down from his adminstrative posts and focusing once again on teaching piano.

Graffman Steps Down After 20 Years at Curtis Institute

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Performing Arts

Tall Tales from West Virginia's Top 'Liars'

Each year on Memorial Day weekend, West Virginia's best storytellers compete for the prestigious title of "Biggest Liar," in a tall- tale contest that draws large crowds. Two contest judges, including a five-time champion, spin a couple of whoppers.

Tall Tales from West Virginia's Top 'Liars'

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Author Interviews

Deon Meyer: Probing South Africa in Crime Fiction

Novelist Deon Meyer writes in Afrikaans and his books wrestle with South Africa's racial tensions. The most recent book translated for American audiences is Dead Before Dying. Meyer talks with Linda Wertheimer about his work.

Deon Meyer: Probing South Africa in Crime Fiction

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