NPR Staff

Johnny Dwyer's new book explores the life of Chuckie Taylor: the son of Liberia's former president, a leader in the Liberian Civil War and the only American ever convicted of torture committed abroad.

Stephanie Izard is the chef behind Chicago's award-winning Girl and the Goat restaurant — and the first woman to win on Bravo's Top Chef. But her food career began in the land of unlimited salad.

The internationally celebrated soloist convinced violinist Klara Berkovich to teach her when she was just five years old. Student and teacher join NPR's Arun Rath to reflect on their relationship.

The Hula Hoop. The pogo stick. The Tamagotchi.

Fads, crazes and must-have toys all sweep the country from time to time. But in the annals of faddish toys, one achievement stands tall — or rather, sits small: the Pet Rock.

It was exactly what it sounds like: a rock (a ...

In radio, we don't punctuate — at least, not on the air. Nevertheless, we're honored to meet a woman who is at the pinnacle of punctuation. Mary Norris is a copy editor at The New Yorker, a magazine justly famous for the care it takes with words. The work of ...

For more conversations with music-makers, check out NPR's Music Interviews.

Comics posing as chefs have written a book with sensational recipes and explanations of essential tools like the "spankler." It's designed to "spank the food if it does anything wrong."

Matzo balls are at the center of any Passover seder. Cookbook author Joan Nathan, known as the "grande dame" of Jewish cooking, explains the history behind this culinary tradition.

BuzzFeed writer Matt Stopera tells NPR's Melissa Block about his trip to China to meet "Brother Orange" — the man who bought Stopera's stolen iPhone and started a sensation on Chinese Twitter.

Fatima Bhutto is a member of one of the most famous families in Pakistan. 

Poet and author Margaret Howe Freydburg died last week at 107; she wrote and published well past her 100th birthday. Her friend Nancy Slonim Aronie has an appreciation of a remarkable woman.

When Johanna Basford first told her publisher she wanted to draw books for adults — well, she says, "You can imagine how quiet they were." Today, both of her books have become sellout successes.

The nation's largest retailer is known for sprawling suburban and rural stores. Now Wal-Mart is moving into city centers — sometimes despite strong local opposition.

"There are some lessons that only grief and responsibility can teach us," says Weekend Edition host Scott Simon. His new memoir, Unforgettable, is about the life and death of his mother.

Host Steve Inskeep explores modern-day humiliation with writer Jon Ronson, whose new book So You've Been Publicly Shamed digs into the lives of people who've been raked over the coals on social media.

During the Sino-Japanese War, Huan Hsu's great-great-grandfather buried his vast porcelain collection to keep it safe. Hsu went to find it 70 years later, on a trip about more than missing china.

The Bronx native grew up in a blue-collar household; a life in show business seemed far from reality. He spent time in the Air Force and as a cop before he finally gave his childhood dream a chance.

The Global Village host is back with a stack of music that tests the sonic limits of the squeezebox.

Spring has arrived and young people's fancies might be turning (lightly or not-so-lightly) to thoughts of love.

With that in mind, NPR's Weekend Edition asked the college students of The Howard Project — who have spent the last few weeks giving us insights into their lives during their last semester ...

Afghanistan's leaders were in Washington last week asking for more assistance from the U.S. They got what they wanted: President Obama announced he would postpone the withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops this year. Those forces are needed to help Afghanistan troops battle the Taliban as the spring
fighting ...