Sometimes a great movie forces you to see the world in a completely different way. That’s the case with Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary, "The Act of Killing." The film follows a former Indonesian death squad leader as he remembers and even re-enacts the atrocities he committed.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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How do we mind our mortality without being overwhelmed with morbid thoughts?
Stoically, says philosopher William Irvine. But he says Stoicism doesn't require us to be unemotional about death and loss. Irvine says the Stoics used thoughts about mortality to make our lives more joyful.
Tracy Daugherty talks about Donald Barthelme and his passion for jazz.
Steven MacDonald plays bass. He recorded himself playing along with the band White Stripes’ latest CD. Then he made the altered music available on the internet.
The founder of Storahtelling and the Lab/Shul re-interprets Yom Kippur as a Day of Forgiveness.
Ron Chernow's recently published "George Washington: a life" logs in at 900 pages, one of the most acclaimed historical biographies of the past year.
Susan Sontag’s new book about the imagery of war is “Regarding the Pain of Others.” She says that graphic war photos can be very powerful, but they often elicit complicated reactions among viewers.
Steve Paulson talks with writers and editors about the enduring influence of Vladimir Nabokov's novel "Lolita."
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