Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn has spent more than three decades in Congress. But he’s not the first Black congressman to represent South Carolina; there were eight others before him. His new book, The First Eight, dives into the political careers of figures like Robert Smalls and George Washington Murray. In today’s episode, Clyburn speaks with NPR’s Michel Martin about one major takeaway from the project – and his thoughts on reelection .
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PBS News Hour - Art Beat - Remembering Rob Reiner’s life and iconic career
Authorities in California arrested the younger son of Rob and Michele Reiner after the couple was found dead this weekend. The "When Harry Met Sally" director and his wife were found with stab wounds Sunday in their Los Angeles home. Senior Arts Correspondent Jeffrey Brown looks back at the life and work of Reiner, who entertained millions. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
PBS News Hour - Art Beat - U.S. service members perform ‘Rock of Ages’ for Hanukkah
It's a News Hour tradition to ask members of the armed forces to record a holiday song. To celebrate Hanukkah, we bring you the song "Rock of Ages," which was composed in the 13th century. This video was produced by the Pentagon's Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
NPR's Book of the Day - ‘The Heir Apparent’ asks existential questions about Britain and its beloved crown
Becoming the queen of England wasn’t in the plan for Lexi Villiers, the heroine of The Heir Apparent. But when tragedy strikes Lexi’s family and she discovers that she’s next in line for the throne, she finds herself forced to choose between her own modernity and the crown’s antiquity. Is the best option to just leave the monarchy entirely? In today’s episode, author and journalist Rebecca Armitage talks with NPR’s Miles Parks about her debut novel, and the process of turning her real reporting on the British crown into a fictionalized narrative.
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PBS News Hour - Art Beat - Beverly and Dereck Joubert reflect on 40 years of African wildlife photography in new book
For more than 40 years, Beverly and Dereck Joubert have lived with, photographed and filmed African wildlife. Their images bear witness not just to the majesty of life on the continent, but also the host of threats that confront both the animals and the wilderness. John Yang speaks with the Jouberts about their new book, “Wild Eye: A Life in Photographs,” and their decades of work. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
NPR's Book of the Day - Revisiting ‘Kitchen Confidential’
Anthony Bourdain published his memoir Kitchen Confidential in 2000 as a little-known chef. In the 25 years since its publication, his writing – and subsequent work in TV and entertainment – has shaped the way we talk about restaurants and food. In today’s Books We’ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker are joined by Eric Deggans, critic-at-large at NPR. They discuss Bourdain’s documentation of a particular time in the restaurant industry, the book’s impact on dining culture, and Bourdain’s personal legacy. Then, special guest Samin Nosrat shares her perspective on what’s changed in the culinary world in the years since.
Eric’s Recommendation: ‘Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets’ by David Simon
Parker’s Recommendation: ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ by C Pam Zhang
Andrew’s Recommendation: ‘Meet Me in the Bathroom’ by Lizzy Goodman
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Eric’s Recommendation: ‘Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets’ by David Simon
Parker’s Recommendation: ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ by C Pam Zhang
Andrew’s Recommendation: ‘Meet Me in the Bathroom’ by Lizzy Goodman
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NPR's Book of the Day - ‘How a Game Lives,’ ‘How to Save the Internet’ show the best and worst of life online
Two new books delve into the best and worst corners of the internet. First, Jacob Geller creates YouTube essays about art, literature, film, video games and more. He’s compiled those essays in print form in a new book called How a Game Lives. In today’s episode, Geller speaks with Here & Now’s Scott Tong about how video games help him explore life’s big questions. Then, Nick Clegg was president of global affairs at Meta, a position he left earlier this year. In today’s episode, Clegg talks with NPR’s Steve Inskeep about his new book How to Save the Internet.
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PBS News Hour - Art Beat - A look at some of the best video games of 2025
The video game industry is getting ready to celebrate its top achievements at the annual Game Awards, an awards show dedicated to honoring the very best in game design, storytelling, music and more in gaming. The show draws millions of viewers from around the world to see which of their favorite games will win any awards. Jeffrey Brown has more for our arts and culture series, Canvas. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
NPR's Book of the Day - A new book of poems by Kate Baer wrestles with the realities of middle age
NPR’s Scott Detrow and poet Kate Baer share a favorite bookstore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They recently met there to discuss Baer’s new poetry collection How About Now, which wrestles with the realities of middle age. In today’s episode, Baer tells Detrow about navigating honesty and privacy in her work, what it’s like to share shelf space with poets like Ada Limón and Sharon Olds, and writing moments that made her hear “the angels sing.”
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NBN Book of the Day - Michael D. Dwyer, “Tinsel and Rust: How Hollywood Manufactured the Rust Belt” (Oxford UP, 2025)
Tinsel and Rust: How Hollywood Manufactured the Rust Belt (Oxford UP, 2025) tells the story of Hollywood's role in the shaping of the Rust Belt in the United States. During the 1970s and 1980s, filmic representations of shuttered auto plants, furloughed millworkers, and decaying downtowns in the industrial heartland contributed to pervasive narratives of American malaise and decline--informing the wider cultural view of these cities and their people. Author Michael D. Dwyer (Arcadia University) untangles the complicated relationship between Hollywood and the Rust Belt, exploring how the sociocultural image of the region has become a tool to tell stories about America's mythic past, degraded present, and potential futures.
Dwyer offers a reading in twofold: through the conventional lens of film and cultural studies, and through an interdisciplinary lens that pulls in elements of cultural geography and urban studies to understand the ways in which Americans learned to interpret the cities and towns of the industrial Midwest. Each chapter spotlights a different Rust Belt city--Johnstown, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit--and considers how films and filmmaking processes helped shape audiences' cultural understanding of those cities. Over the course of the book, Dwyer also examines several films which offer notable representations of the Rust Belt, including Slap Shot, The Blues Brothers, Major League, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and It Follows. Finally, the volume highlights how in more recent years, cities like Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Cleveland have all attempted to remake their public image and revitalize their economies through film and media production.
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