Books

The Star-Touched Queen, by Roshani Chokshi

Books
Arts

What's In A Genre Name? The Trouble With 'Asian Fantasy'

4:54pm May 30, 2021

by Kalyani Saxena

Asian fantasy has been increasingly popular over the past few years, but some authors shelved in that category are wondering whether it's really a useful way of describing a vast and varied subgenre.

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Books

In 'Instructions for Dancing', A Cynical Former Romantic Gets A Magical Surprise

8:56am May 30, 2021

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Nicola Yoon about her new romance novel, Instructions for Dancing, in which a disenchanted teenager fed up with love gets a strange superpower.

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Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martínez

Books
Arts

A Stunning Graphic Novel Uncovers The History Of Enslaved Women Who Fought Back

7:00am May 30, 2021

by Etelka Lehoczky

Wake, by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martínez, blends passion and fact to set a new standard for illustrated history: Not just action scenes of daring, desperate women, but the struggle to make them known.

The original cover of Jewell Parker Rhodes' novel, Magic City.

Books
Arts

In Both Fact And Fiction, The Truth Of Tulsa Is Hard To Stomach

12:25pm May 29, 2021

by Karen Grigsby Bates

When author Jewell Parker Rhodes tried to publish a novel retelling the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre, she found that not everyone was ready to reckon with the city's painful, traumatic history.

Books

Alice Waters Gets To The Heart Of America's Health And Food Problem In New Book

7:43am May 29, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon talks to chef and restaurateur Alice Waters about her slow food manifesto, We Are What We Eat.

The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Books
Arts

'The Other Black Girl' In This New Thriller May Not Be Your Friend

7:43am May 29, 2021

by Scott Simon

Zakiya Dalila Harris drew on her book-world background for her new novel, about a Black woman in publishing who thinks, at first, that she has a new ally when her company hires another Black woman.

Books
Arts

'Sixteen Scandals' Rewinds A Teen Classic To Regency England

7:00am May 29, 2021

by Alethea Kontis

Sophie Jordan's romp of a novel follows Primrose Ainsworth, youngest of four sisters, who escapes the family on her 16th birthday for an adventure through Regency London with a charming mystery man.

The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection, by Ben Brashares and Elizabeth Bergeland

Books
Arts

Give 'The Great Whipplethorp Bug Collection' A Buzz, You'll Bee Charmed

5:00am May 29, 2021

by Juanita Giles

In Ben Brashares and Elizabeth Bergeland's charming new picture book, a discontented young boy finds a new way to carry on his family's legacy of awesomeness — and without hurting any bugs.

Rahele Megosha of South Dakota, the 2021 Poetry Out Loud national champion.

Reciting Poetry Earns South Dakota Teenager A National Prize

5:23pm May 28, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Rahele Megosha, a senior at Washington High School in Sioux Falls, won the 2021 Poetry Out Loud prize on Thursday. The award is given by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation.

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AAPI Heritage Month: NPR Staff Share Book Recommendations

4:59pm May 28, 2021

As Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month draws to a close, NPR staffers share some of their favorite books by AAPI authors.