MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Arts & Culture Stories from NPR

• A novelist's time in the MMA cage informed his book on memory loss and identity
  John Vercher trained in mixed martial arts as a young man. His novel, After the Lights Go Out, is about a veteran MMA fighter struggling to remember everyday things. Originally broadcast June 2022.
• Why it's perfectly normal to see baby puffins thrown off cliffs in Iceland each year
  Throwing thousands of baby puffins off a cliff is a yearly tradition for the people of Iceland's Westman Islands. It's part of what's known as "puffling season" and is a crucial life-saving endeavor.
• 'Less' offers more in Andrew Sean Greer's follow-up to his Pulitzer-winning novel
  Greer's new comic novel, Less is Lost, is as funny and poignant as its predecessor. But comedy also arises out of pain and Greer smoothly transitions into the profound.
• He spent decades recording soundscapes. Now they're going to the Library of Congress
  Jim Metzner has traveled far and wide to record sounds of the world and share them with listeners. The Library of Congress will preserve thousands of tapes and other items dating back to the 1970s.
• 'House of the Dragon' episode 6: From here to paternity
  On HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off, questions around several characters' lineage turn the show into one long episode of medieval Maury.
• Alt.Latino is taking over the mic at Tiny Desk concerts for Latinx Heritage Month
  Alt.Latino has big plans for Latinx Heritage Month, including taking over the mic at NPR's Tiny Desk concerts.
• The internet's new favorite video game is about playing the trombone
  A new video game allows users to play a virtual trombone to the music of some familiar favorites. Players get feedback ranging from "nasty" to "perfecto" - making Trombone Champ a tootin' good time.
• Tamara Lawrence on playing Jennifer Gibbons in the real-life story 'The Silent Twins'
  NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with British actor Tamara Lawrance, co-star of "The Silent Twins" - a movie about two girls who grew up speaking only to each other.
• Megan Piphus Peace is making history as Sesame Street's first Black female pupeteer
  NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Sesame Street's Megan Piphus Peace, who recently joined the show as its first Black female puppeteer.
• 40 years after she took the stage, 'Angelina Ballerina' is still dancing
  Angelina is a determined little mouse in a pink tutu who dreams of becoming a ballerina. Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig revisit their beloved character, the star of more than 25 picture books.