Arts
The Arts
Brit Bennett Set Her Novel ‘The Vanishing Half’ 50 Years Ago — She Didn’t Expect It To Be ‘Timely’
The Vanishing Half is about African American twins — one lives as a black woman, the other “passes” as white. Passing is “an act of self-creation and also an act of self-destruction,” Bennett says.
Dayton, Washington’s Historic Liberty Theater Hopes For A Summer Reopening
The lights have dimmed for a couple of months at the historic Liberty Theater in Dayton, Washington, due to the coronavirus. But its manager has plans to reopen the doors this summer.
Here Are The Finalists In The NPR Student Podcast Challenge (Including One From Walla Walla)
Despite the coronavirus pandemic that closed schools nationwide, students from 46 states and the District of Columbia submitted entries. We’ve narrowed those down to 25 finalists.
Pullman’s RTOP Play House Adapts As It Navigates Coronavirus Restrictions
When COVID-19 struck, the theatre in Pullman was preparing its final show of the season, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Associate director Michael Todd says it had even hired actress Sandrinne Edstrom to come from New York for a couple of months to play the lead role. When the show was postponed, Ms. Edstrom was quarantined in Pullman. Still is. So they made the best of it.
Art Of The New Deal: How Artists Helped Redefine America During The Depression
When the Roosevelt administration rolled out millions of dollars to fund artists, musicians, writers and actors, it wasn’t just about job creation. It was to unite a nation in turmoil.
BOOK REVIEW: ‘Brown Album’ Centers On The Erasure Of Race In American Culture
Porochista Khakpour’s work is strongest when she turns the lens on herself to examine how she, too, is complicit; many essays here are just too tantalizingly brief to allow space for deep analysis.
Hillary Without Bill? ‘Rodham’ Imagines What Could Have Been
Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest novel imagines a life for Hillary Rodham in which she turns down Bill Clinton’s proposals and forges a career for herself, as a law professor and later a politician.
TV REVIEW: With Crass Warfare, ‘The Great’ Casts A (Vodka) Gimlet Eye On Privilege
Loosely (very loosely) based on the early life of Russia’s Catherine the Great, Hulu’s 10-episode historical comedy-drama is arch, witty, twisty and knowing.
In ‘She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power,’ True Strength Is In Being Yourself
Netflix and DreamWorks Animation have rebooted the classic 1980s cartoon She-Ra: Princess of Power. The new version updates characters from the old show to reflect a more diverse audience for kids.
BOOK REVIEW: Classic Literature Meets Modern Teen Drama In ‘By The Book’
In Amanda Sellet’s charming young adult romance, a teenage bookworm transfers to the local public high school and discovers that the literary classics she lives by aren’t quite a match for real life.
WATCH: Missouri Penguins Enjoy ‘Morning Of Fine Art’ At Local Museum
The birds were allowed to waddle through the galleries of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Both the museum and the Kansas City Zoo, which is home to the penguins, have been closed due to pandemic.
‘She’s Challenging You’: Alison Saar’s Sculptures Speak To Race, Beauty, Power
Saar says the nude in her 2019 sculpture Set to Simmer has a message for the viewer: “If you want to look at me, don’t just give me a sideways glance. Sit down in this chair and know me.”
