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Tuesday

Alice Sebold apologizes to the man exonerated in the rape that her memoir focused on

The Lovely Bones author Alice Sebold said in her statement, "I will continue to struggle with the role that I unwittingly played within a system that sent an innocent man to jail." TINA FINEBERG/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

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TINA FINEBERG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alice Sebold apologizes to the man exonerated in the rape that her memoir focused on

"I am sorry most of all for the fact that the life you could have led was unjustly robbed from you," the author wrote in a statement. A judge exonerated Anthony Broadwater of the crime last week.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art scores its largest capital gift ever — $125 million

The pandemic was a major blow to the museum's budget. But this historic gift will allow it to expand its collection of modern and contemporary art. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Metropolitan Museum of Art scores its largest capital gift ever — $125 million

The money will be used to complete a long-delayed renovation the museum's Modern Wing and comes from philanthropist Oscar Tang, a museum trustee, and his wife Agnes Hsu-Tang.

'Passing' filmmaker Rebecca Hall shares the personal story behind her movie

Rebecca Hall (right) works on the set of Passing with actors Ruth Negga (left) and Tessa Thompson. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Movie Interviews

'Passing' filmmaker Rebecca Hall shares the personal story behind her movie

Fresh Air

Hall's new Netflix film centers on two light-skinned Black women — one of whom passes for white. The story is a personal one for Hall: Her grandfather and mother also passed as white.

'Passing' filmmaker Rebecca Hall shares the personal story behind her movie

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Famed author Jodi Picoult novelizes the pandemic in new book 'Wish You Were Here'

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Ballantine Books

Books

Famed author Jodi Picoult novelizes the pandemic in new book 'Wish You Were Here'

Picoult's pandemic-inspired story focusing on a character stranded in the Galápagos Islands highlights how events can change us — and offer perspective.

Famed author Jodi Picoult novelizes the pandemic in new book 'Wish You Were Here'

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'Chouette' is part owl part human baby. Fine. But how to raise her?
Harper Collins

NPR's Book of the Day

'Chouette' is part owl part human baby. Fine. But how to raise her?

Claire Oshetsky's new novel Chouette is... pretty strange, but also kind of wonderful? Oshetsky says the story is a parable about motherhood, in which a woman gives birth to an owl baby. The mother finds this strange not because the baby is an owl, but because she only had intercourse with the owl parent in a dream, and that owl was a woman. Still with us? Good. Oshetsky talked with NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben about how her own daughter consulted on writing the book, and what she learned from raising an autistic child.

'Chouette' is part owl part human baby. Fine. But how to raise her?

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'Encanto' is a Disney film filled with charming visuals and lackluster songs

Stephanie Beatriz voices Mirabel in the new Disney film Encanto. Disney hide caption

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Disney

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Encanto' is a Disney film filled with charming visuals and lackluster songs

Encanto is the latest animated Disney musical that tells the story of the Madrigal family, whose members are tucked away in the mountains of Colombia. The film is stuffed with characters who wield magical powers and perform lavish musical numbers written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. But for all its magical realism, it's also a fairly simple story about a family whose bonds need healing.

'Encanto' is a Disney film filled with charming visuals and lackluster songs

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Monday

Prosecutors ask U.S. Supreme Court to review the Bill Cosby case

Attorney Jennifer Bonjean, Bill Cosby, and spokesperson Andrew Wyatt speaking outside of Cosby's suburban Philadelphia home in June, after the actor was released from prison. Michael Abbott/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Abbott/Getty Images

Law

Prosecutors ask U.S. Supreme Court to review the Bill Cosby case

The prosecutors who brought Cosby to a conviction in 2018 — and then saw him freed earlier this year — are asking the Supreme Court to throw out a state court's ruling.

The long and winding Beatles docuseries will enchant die-hard and casual fans

The Beatles: Get Back concludes with the band's legendary 1969 rooftop concert. Courtesy Apple Corps Ltd. / Disney + hide caption

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Courtesy Apple Corps Ltd. / Disney +

Review

TV Reviews

The long and winding Beatles docuseries will enchant die-hard and casual fans

Fresh Air

The new three-part Disney+ docuseries Get Back is a true treasure. It offers an inside look at The Beatles' creative process, as well as amazing footage from their legendary rooftop concert.

The long and winding Beatles docuseries will enchant die-hard and casual fans

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Jury selection begins today in Jussie Smollett criminal trial

Actor Jussie Smollett, center, arriving at Leighton Criminal Court in Chicago in July. at the Building on July 14, 2021, in Chicago. Stacey Wescott/Tribune News Service via Getty Images hide caption

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Stacey Wescott/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Law

Jury selection begins today in Jussie Smollett criminal trial

The former Empire actor is accused of lying to Chicago police about being the purported victim of a hate crime in Jan. 2019. He is charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct.

Jury selection begins today in Jussie Smollett criminal trial

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Mario Vargas Llosa explores 1954 Guatemalan coup in new novel

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Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Author Interviews

Mario Vargas Llosa explores 1954 Guatemalan coup in new novel

Harsh Times, set in the 1950s, is historical fiction centering on events of a CIA-backed coup to overthrow Guatemala's democratically-elected government led by Jacobo Árbenz.

Mario Vargas Llosa explores 1954 Guatemalan coup in new novel

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Honored onscreen and in sound, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, a messenger whose time is now

Beverly Glenn-Copeland Alex Sturrock/Grandstand PR hide caption

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Alex Sturrock/Grandstand PR

Honored onscreen and in sound, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, a messenger whose time is now

Beverly Glenn-Copeland is the subject of a recent documentary and a forthcoming tribute album, both paying homage to his artistry and his status as a Black trans elder.

Honored onscreen and in sound, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, a messenger whose time is now

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