MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Arts & Culture Stories from NPR

• 'Attenborough's Journey' Salutes The Broadcaster With A Passion For Nature
  Sir David Attenborough is TV's longest-running nature host with credits than span 70 years. A new BBC America special follows his path, from a nature-obsessed kid to a world-renowned broadcaster.
• Stories About Mothers, Featuring Trevor Noah, Martin Scorsese And More
  Fresh Air celebrates Mother's Day with stories of mom from past interviews with Noah, Scorsese and filmmaker Albert Brooks. Plus, Lorna Luft remembers her mother, Judy Garland.
• In The Mood To Binge? Here Are 4 Shows To Watch Now
  From HBO's two-part documentary on the opioid epidemic to a Star Wars spin-off, here are four shows that represent some of the best 2021 has to offer so far.
• A Black Samurai Fighting Giant Mechas? 'Yasuke' Asks, Why Not?
  The new Netflix series mashes up the story of a real-life Black samurai with giant mechas and wizards — Thomas calls it "Trojan horse-ing" the real history through the medium of Japanese anime.
• 'Jupiter's Legacy' Decodes The Superhero Genre Without Subverting It
  There are lots of familiar trappings in Netflix's latest "realistic superheroes" series, but the way it grapples with the moral code at the heart of the superhero genre sets it apart.
• Opera Looks To A New Mask To Safely Rehearse Again
  A new mask for singers has been developed and tested by the San Francisco Opera in collaboration with medics and researchers. The company is testing it in rehearsals for its first post-pandemic show.
• 'I Fit In Right Here': A History Buff Leads Walking Tours Of Black Indianapolis
  Amid the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, Sampson Levingston decided to bring people together by offering tours of African American neighborhoods. He's turned it into a thriving business.
• 'Things We Lost To The Water' Is A Literal And Allegorical Look At Dislocation
  Eric Nguyen's debut novel plays off a Vietnamese word that means both country and water, examining all the ways those two things affect a family of Vietnamese refugees who resettle in New Orleans.
• 'Girls5eva' Is Just Catchy Enough
  The Peacock comedy series about a has-been fictional girl group from the '90s has great, big performances and a lot of nostalgia.
• 'Everybody' Examines The Idea That Bodies Can Confine Or Free
  Olivia Laing weaves the history of people and ideas in with her own life, bringing readers on a fleet, gracious tour of bodily distress and joy that takes in Malcolm X, the Marquis de Sade and others.