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Bangles cofounder Susanna Hoffs' first novel follows a one-hit wonder, 10 years later Aug 07, 2023

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The protagonist of Susanna Hoffs' debut novel, Jane Start, probably listens to Dionne Warwick to hype herself up in the morning. Start is 33 and living with her parents – her days of pop stardom, for one song, are 10 years behind her. But in This Bird Has Flown, a romantic spark reignites a second chance for her creative endeavors, too. In today's episode, Hoffs tells NPR's Andrew Limbong how her own experiences as a rockstar influenced the story, which she's now adapting into a feature film.
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Two books dive into the history of minimalist music and the origins of the saxophone Aug 04, 2023

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Today's episode is all about music history. First, musicologists Kerry O'Brien and William Robin tell NPR's Noah Caldwell about their new book, On Minimalism, and how the genre was born out of 1960s counterculture and went on to influence artists like The Who and Alice Coltrane. Then, Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome tell NPR's Samantha Balaban about their new picture book, The Story of the Saxophone, which chronicles the instrument's journey to becoming one of jazz's most important players.
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Madhur Jaffrey celebrates 50 years of 'An Invitation to Indian Cooking' Aug 03, 2023

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Today's episode comes to you straight from Madhur Jaffrey's kitchen. NPR's Michel Martin pays the celebrated chef and actor a visit in her New York home, where she discusses how she first learned to cook while studying acting in London. Jeffrey also reflects on how Indian cooking has changed since she published her first cookbook. An Invitation to Indian Cooking will be re-issued later this year to mark its 50th anniversary.
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Poet Hanif Abdurraqib reflects on the ways grief has shaped his spirituality Aug 02, 2023

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In his new book, A Little Devil in America, poet Hanif Abdurraqib writes about music in such a way that NPR's Rachel Martin wanted to focus a conversation about spiritual transcendence related to it. What came out, however, was a deep discussion about how losing his mother and close friends early in life created its own kind of spiritual practice for Abdurraqib. In today's episode, he explains how "grief makes a home within us" and why that might actually be a good thing.
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'Monsters' examines fandom and how we consume art by morally compromised people Aug 01, 2023

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In the midst of the #MeToo movement in 2017, Claire Dederer posed a difficult question in The Paris Review: "What Do We Do With the Art of Monstrous Men?" From that viral essay comes her new book, Monsters, which examines how we morally engage with – or don't – musicians, authors and actors whose work we love, when we condemn their personal actions. In today's episode, Dederer tells NPR's Ayesha Rascoe how this question first arose for her around Roman Polanski movies, and how complex and personal it is to try to separate the art from the artist.
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'The Collector' follows a fictional spy's quest to track down a real stolen painting Jul 31, 2023

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Johannes Vermeer's 1664 masterpiece "The Concert" was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. That real - still unsolved - case is at the heart of Daniel Silva's new thriller, The Collector. Despite his initial reluctance, art restorer and former Israeli intelligence officer Gabriel Allon is enlisted to hunt down the painting, along with an unexpected collaborator. In today's episode, Silva speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about his distaste for art theft and his reasons for turning villains into protagonists.
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Two children's books show the comfort kids can find in darkness Jul 28, 2023

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Today's episode is all about young readers and the ways they interact with complicated emotions. First, NPR's Julie Depenbrock speaks with Jon Klassen about his new book, The Skull, inspired by a folk tale about a little girl who runs away from home. She befriends the skull and they form a close bond despite the strangeness of the situation. Then, NPR's Miles Parks talks with author Kevin Johnson and illustrator Kitt Thomas about their new book, Cape, which chronicles a young boy's first experience with grief.
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In her memoir, designer Aurora James examines representation and equality in fashion Jul 27, 2023

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Aurora James is the designer behind the fashion brand Brother Vellies and the 15% pledge, an initiative that encourages major retailers to stock more work by Black-owned businesses on their shelves. In her new memoir, Wildflower, she describes the complicated upbringing that led her to her current work as a creative and activist. In today's episode, she tells NPR's Michel Martin why it was so important for her to work with African artisans and the misconceptions and biases she hopes to break down in the world of high fashion.
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'Nobody's Fool' explains the science behind falling for scams – and how not to Jul 26, 2023

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In their new book, Nobody's Fool, psychology professor Daniel Simons and cognitive scientist Christopher Chabris make the case that people don't just fall for scams because they're gullible. The way our brains work – the way they reason and trust – can often lead us to believe a piece of misinformation or to click on a phishing scam. In today's episode, the authors explain to NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer why truth bias and familiarity can work against us, but that skepticism and fact-checking can help us fight back.
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'The Best Possible Experiences' captures immigrant experience through short stories Jul 25, 2023

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In today's episode, author Nishanth Injam tells NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer that when he first arrived in the U.S. from India, he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. That tension he grappled with is now at the heart of his debut collection of short stories, The Best Possible Experiences, which chronicles the expansive ups and downs of being an immigrant, both at home and in a new place.
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