Historian Harold Schechter tells Anne Strainchamps that violence has always been an important part of popular entertainment and our ancestors enjoyed truly grisly spectacles.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Brian Turner was an average young American who volunteered for military service in Iraq. At night he wrote poetry by flashlight. When his tour ended, he collected his poems into a book called "Here, Bullet." This one is called "A Night in Blue."
Greil Marcus tells Steve Paulson that self-invention has been a part of American nationhood since Puritan times.
Gayle F. Wald is the author of "Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe."
Writer Gina Nahai grew up in Iran under the Shah and watched the growing strength of Islamic fundamentalism. Her latest novel is set in Tennessee, among a community of Appalachian Holy Rollers.
Psychiatrist Hans Breiter tells Steve Paulson that men’s brains may be hard-wired to appreciate female beauty and explains some of the science that makes him think so.
What's behind the popularity of historical fantasy? George R. R. Martin, father of "Game of Thrones" has a theory.
Greg Mortensen is the author of "Three Cups of Tea." The book explains how a failed attempt to climb K2 led to a program to build schools in the heart of Taliban country in Pakistan and Afghanistan with local people and donated money.
Pages
