Arts

Daniel Genis, son of Soviet emigre Alexander Genis, served 10 years in prison for armed robbery. He was released last year, and his essays about life in prison have been widely published.

Arts

Released From Prison, 'Apologetic Bandit' Writes About Life Inside

4:48pm March 18, 2015

Daniel Genis, son of Soviet emigre writer Alexander Genis, served 10 years for armed robbery. The crimes fueled his heroin addiction. "It was so obvious I didn't fit in," he says.

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Books
Arts

How Self-Improvement Became Self-Destruction On 'Diamond Mountain'

4:17pm March 18, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

Scott Carney's new book unpacks the complicated story of Ian Thorson, who died in the Arizona wilderness after becoming involved with an unorthodox Buddhist group led by a charismatic American monk.

Arts

Local Filmmakers Screen "Unmappable" at SxSW

4:16pm March 18, 2015

by Bethany Chafin

The annual music, film and interactive conference and festival South by Southwest (SxSW) is in full swing in Austin, Texas.

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Butter labels from Irish creameries operating in the 1970s.

To Eat Authentically Irish This St. Patrick's Day, Go For The Butter

2:11pm March 18, 2015

by Deena Prichep

From 3,000-year-old peat bogs to 19th-century Brazil to modern foodies, the love of Irish butter has spread far. The secret to Ireland's deliciously rich, creamy butter is in its rolling green hills.

A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

Books
Arts

Small Batch Edition: On Loving Romance With Sarah Wendell

1:55pm March 18, 2015

by Linda Holmes

We talk to romance blogger Sarah Wendell about romance fans, romance novels, and some of her top recommendations for fans and new visitors alike.

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Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis during a guest appearance on ABC's The Chew last fall. She can cook rich foods and keep her trim figure, but new research suggests that's a difficult feat for amateur cooks watching along at home.

Do TV Cooking Shows Make Us Fat?

1:37pm March 18, 2015

by Allison Aubrey

Women who cooked the meals they saw prepared on television weighed more, on average, than those who simply watched, a study shows. The findings challenge the notion that home cooking is always best.

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Idris Elba stars as an African warlord in the forthcoming film Beasts of No Nation. Netflix recently purchased distribution rights for the film for nearly $12 million.

Arts

Movie Chains Balk At Netflix's Plan For Simultaneous Release

12:58pm March 18, 2015

by Mandalit del Barco

The streaming service plans to release Beasts Of No Nation, starring Idris Elba, in theaters and online at the same time. But at least four major movie theater chains won't be showing it.

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Robert Durst was the subject of the six-part HBO documentary series The Jinx.

Arts

'The Jinx' And The Challenges of Public Curiosity

12:36pm March 18, 2015

by Linda Holmes

One of the lessons documentarians are learning is that the more people like your work, the more they ask questions about it.

Books
Arts

25 Years After Art Heist, Empty Frames Still Hang In Boston's Gardner Museum

12:23pm March 18, 2015

by NPR Staff

On March 18, 1990, robbers stole $500 million in art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Author Stephen Kurkjian explains why anyone would bother to steal work so priceless it couldn't be sold.

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Arts

High Praise for "The Sweet Shel Suite: Music Inspired by Shel Silverstein"

8:47am March 18, 2015

by David Ford

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