MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Arts & Culture Stories from NPR

• SXSW Film Festival Heads to Amazon
  The SXSW Film Festival joins other cancelled or postponed film fests looking for alternate ways to screen their movies.
• A Young Cult Member Turns Against Her Flock In 'The Other Lamb'
  Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska's film about a young woman (Raffey Cassidy) questioning her place in a remote religious cult wears its broad allegory on its (woolen) sleeve.
• Iconic Gaming Franchise Returns With 'Half-Life: Alyx'
  After a long hiatus, the iconic Half-Life video game franchise is back. Half-Life: Alyx came out last week, and hopes to re-shape the virtual reality industry.
• Feisty. Ambitious. Lucky. Female Writers On The Words That Undermine Women
  Pretty Bitches, a new essay collection edited by Lizzie Skurnick, explores how words that sound complimentary can actually be loaded with sexism. "These words are code," Skurnick says.
• Cristina Monet Zilkha, Singer Who Fused Punk's Sneer To Disco's Bounce, Dead At 61
  The singer, known for songs like "Things Fall Apart" and "Is That All There Is," died on Wednesday.
• 'War Doctor' Says Treating COVID-19 Is Like Fighting An Invisible Enemy
  Trauma surgeon David Nott has volunteered in war zones and disaster areas around the world. Now he's treating COVID-19 patients in London. He calls the pandemic a "disaster zone for the whole world."
• In 'Hurricane Season,' Words Swirl Wild And Dark
  Fernanda Melchor's poetic, foul-mouthed new novel sits on the border between crime fiction and horror: A woman known as the Witch has been murdered, and her neighbors want to know who did it and why/
• Want To Hear A Frank, Funny 'Muslim Love Story'? 'That Can Be Arranged'
  In her graphic memoir, cartoonist Huda Fahmy explains how her parents played a role in her romantic relationships. She hopes her book is representation "for people who want to find love in this way."
• 'A Matter Of Common Decency': What Literature Can Teach Us About Epidemics
  Authors explore questions of morality, evil, solidarity and survival in Albert Camus' The Plague, Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders and Karen Thompson Walker's The Dreamers.
• 'Social Distance': A Community-Style Poem To Help You Feel Less Isolated
  Last month, poet Kwame Alexander asked you to write a poem inspired by two paintings of women looking out of a window. Many of you found a way to express life during the coronavirus pandemic.