MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Arts & Culture Stories from NPR

• In 'Patti Cake$,' An Aspiring Rap Artist Reaches For The Stars
  NPR's Dwane Brown speaks with director Geremy Jasper and lead actress Danielle Macdonald about the film's message of finding yourself.
• How Late Night TV Addressed Charlottesville And This Week In Politics
  This week gave late night television shows a lot of material to work with — a recap and review of how they did.
• 'Good Booty': Backing Up How Music And Sex Helped Shape American Culture
  In her new book Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black and White, Body and Soul in American Music, Ann Powers explores how popular music became America's primary erotic art form.
• President Trump To Skip Kennedy Center Honors, Highlighting Rift With Artists
  Three of the five honorees had already spoken out against the president and said they either planned to boycott a White House event or were considering it.
• 'Stay With Me' Is A Novel Of Commitment, Culture And The Struggle To Conceive
  Set in Nigeria in the 1980s, Ayobami Adebayo's debut novel tells the story of a couple who desperately want to have a child, in a society where that's what's expected of them.
• A Hologram Husband Keeps Lois Smith Company In 'Marjorie Prime'
  Smith has been acting for more than 60 years, and she's earned rave reviews for her performance in Marjorie Prime. How does she explain her continued success? "I'm very lucky," she says.
• Total Eclipse Of The Stomach: A Stellar Menu Of Gastronomic Delights
  What can you do when the Earth plunges into total darkness on Aug. 21? Eat, of course! And there are many space-themed treats to keep the skywatching party going.
• In 'The Stone Sky,' Some Worlds Need To Burn
  N.K. Jemisin won Hugo Awards for the first two volumes of her Broken Earth trilogy. The Stone Sky is a powerful, timely finale to this story of a world built on oppression and exploitation.
• Marvel Comics Meet Reality On The Not-So-Mean Streets Of Hell's Kitchen
  In Netflix's newest Marvel Universe show, The Defenders, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil and Iron Fist patrol the dirty streets of a Hell's Kitchen that doesn't exist in today's New York City.
• Billy Eichner Makes A Career Out Of Love/Hating Celebrity Culture
  In addition to starring in Hulu's Difficult People, Eichner roams the streets of NYC, asking open-ended questions about celebrities in Billy on the Street. Originally broadcast Dec. 12, 2016.