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Culture

Monday

In 'Believers', Courage And Cowardice Of Conviction

Review

You Must Read This

In 'Believers', Courage And Cowardice Of Conviction

Who says unlikable characters make for unlikable books? The prickly people in Zoe Heller's The Believers are infused with wit and intelligence. Author Meghan Daum says she has recommended the poignant satire to more friends than she can count.

In 'Believers', Courage And Cowardice Of Conviction

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'Things They Carried' Back From Vietnam

The Impact of War

'Things They Carried' Back From Vietnam

Fresh Air

Novelist Tim O'Brien served in Vietnam as an infantryman in 1968. He wrote about the war in several novels, including Going After Cacciato and If I Die in a Combat Zone. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1990 about his classic book of short war stories, The Things They Carried.

'Things They Carried' Back From Vietnam

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Reflecting 'Stateside' With A Loved One At War

Jehanne Dubrow blogs about poetry and literature at Notes from the Gefilte Review. Jeremy Schaub hide caption

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Jeremy Schaub

Poetry

Reflecting 'Stateside' With A Loved One At War

Fresh Air

Poet Jehanne Dubrow shares several poems from her third poetry collection, Stateside, about her experience as a Navy wife, trying to understand her own life while waiting for her spouse to return from war.

Reflecting 'Stateside' With A Loved One At War

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Finding The Summer Movies That Are (Well) Off The Beaten Path

Joan Rivers in A Piece of Work Seth Keal/IFC Films hide caption

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Seth Keal/IFC Films

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Finding The Summer Movies That Are (Well) Off The Beaten Path

Film critic Bob Mondello has a few suggestions if you're looking for summer films that don't primarily feature explosions, bazaars, or gross jokes.

Finding The Summer Movies That Are (Well) Off The Beaten Path

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Sunday

8 Million Portraits In The Naked City

They say there are 8 million stories in New York City, and artist Jason Polan wants to sketch all of them. He's trying to draw every single person in the city -- even if it takes him the rest of his life.

8 Million Portraits In The Naked City

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Art & Design

An Art Factory Goes Out Of Business

Up until a few weeks ago, the factory floor of Carlson and Company was the most famous art fabrication plant in America — if not the world. After nearly four decades, the maker of Jeff Koons' Balloon Dogs is closing its doors forever.

An Art Factory Goes Out Of Business

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Saturday

Booksellers' Picks: 15 Soaring Summer Reads
Chris Silas Neal

Critics' Lists: Summer 2010

Booksellers' Picks: 15 Soaring Summer Reads

Susan Stamberg gathers recommendations from booksellers Rona Brinlee, Lucia Silva and Daniel Goldin. Their selections for summertime reading include books about small-town America, a polygamist father in over his head, and a postmistress in New England during World War II.

Booksellers' Picks: 15 Soaring Summer Reads

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Dennis Hopper, Hollywood Rebel, Dies At 74

Dennis Hopper received an Oscar nomination for his performance in <em><em><em><em><em><em>Hoos<em>iers<em> and<em> for the <em>Easy Rider screenplay, which he co-wrote with Peter Fonda. Charley Gallay/Getty hide caption

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Charley Gallay/Getty

Opinion

Obituaries

Dennis Hopper, Hollywood Rebel, Dies At 74

Actor Dennis Hopper has died of complications from prostate cancer. Hopper made a name for himself in the classic films Blue Velvet, Rebel Without a Cause and, most famously, Easy Rider. But his path to enduring fame was far from easy.

Dennis Hopper, Hollywood Rebel, Dies At 74

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One Hundred Faces Of War Gives Soldiers A Voice

Marine Lance Corporal Jeff Lucey. Matt Mitchell/100 Faces Of War Experience hide caption

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Matt Mitchell/100 Faces Of War Experience

One Hundred Faces Of War Gives Soldiers A Voice

Painter Matthew Mitchell's project is deceptively simple: He's painting 100 portraits of people who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The process has taken on a much more powerful reality than he realized it would.

One Hundred Faces Of War Gives Soldiers A Voice

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Friday

John Lithgow, Talking Shakespeare And His Father

Character-Building Experience: "It's a kind of alchemical process," says actor John Lithgow about the process of creating a role. "Some of it is you, and some of it is pure calculation." WVIZ/PBS ideastream hide caption

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WVIZ/PBS ideastream

Performing Arts

John Lithgow, Talking Shakespeare And His Father

Twice nominated for an Oscar, the actor is notable for the breadth of his range: He's played a serial killer, a transgendered woman and an alien, and audiences have eaten it up every time. He joined Scott Simon for a conversation about getting started as the son of a producer -- and making it on his own.

John Lithgow, Talking Shakespeare And His Father

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Television

The Struggles of 'Life' Unfold On Screen

An 11-part television documentary series highlights the tactics plants and animals use to survive in nature. Mike Gunton, executive producer for the Life series describes how his team got the shots -- from cheetahs taking down an ostrich, to the mating run of humpback whales.

The Struggles of 'Life' Unfold On Screen

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