If there’s one writer who’s identified with the Mississippi River, it’s Mark Twain. He grew up in Hannibal, Missouri — on the river’s edge — and as a young man, he worked as a steamboat pilot. And then he wrote the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” the novel that turned the Mississippi into myth. But it also created one of the most enduring controversies in American literary history: how to depict race relations in America's past. In this interview, Andrew Levy says that "Huckleberry Finn" is actually anti-racist — and when it was first published, the big controversy was about Twain’s depiction of wild children.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Josh Koury is a film-maker whose film "We Are Wizards" explores the hugely popular underground music scene called Wizard Rock.
In 2009, Eric Glatt did the unthinkable for an unpaid intern — he sued his employer, Fox Searchlight Pictures, alleging that they violated the Labor Department's standards for internships. He describes why he believes unpaid internships threaten workers everywhere.
Nikiko Masumoto's family farm goes back several generations in her family. Today, it grows some of the world's best peaches. Nikiko explains the link between growing food and growing stories.
Fed Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake may wield more power over the economy than anyone else, even though he was never elected. Washington Post journalist Neil Irwin takes us inside the elite club of the world's leading central bankers.
For centuries, the oddities of nature - like two-headed cats and conjoined twins - fascinated people. Science historian Lorraine Daston says a history of wonders is to some degree a history of pre-modern science.
Maurice Sendak's new book, “Brundibar” is a collaboration with playwright Tony Kushner. It’s a story about confronting evil, based on events from the Holocaust.
Mikael Niemi is the author of the best selling book in Swedish history. "Popular Music from Vittula" is a poignant coming of age story and its author talks with Steve Paulson.
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