Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon has a story this week about something that doesn't make the news much these days: a private and unscripted act of kindness on the streets of Washington, D.C.

We remember New York Democratic Rep. Lousie Slaughter, who died on Friday at the age of 88.

His new book The Merry Spinster infuses old stories with psychological horror, tackling issues of gender and property. "The blood was already there," he says. "I was just moving the blood around."

Hefner's magazine was blamed for (or credited with) setting off a cultural revolution in America, but within a few years he was branded a male chauvinist.

It was reported this week that one of Syria's leading activists for democracy and free speech, Bassel Khartabil Sadafi, was executed by the Syrian government almost two years ago.

The famous 89-year-old pianist has spent a lifetime perfecting Chopin. Along the way, the composer has reached out from the great beyond in a few startling ways.

Author Danzy Senna's new novel follows a young, interracial couple — Khalil and Maria — whose seemingly charmed life falls apart after Maria becomes infatuated with a mysterious poet.

Rafi Kohan traveled all over the country to research stadiums for his new book. He learned the secrets of ground crews and ticket scalpers and explored the economics of tax-funded stadiums.

Steven Bartman is famous for interfering with a foul ball in a Chicago Cubs baseball game in 2003. This week, the Cubs gave Bartman a ring from their 2016 World Series win.

Prosecutors charged a man with securities fraud. They said he searched the Internet with phrases like, "how SEC detect unusual trade," and "insider trading international account."

A group of NOLA music lovers has created "A Closer Walk," an interactive map of landmarks like the birthplace of jazz, a recording studio-turned-laundromat and the home of a legendary cornetist.

NPR's Scott Simon remembers Liu Xiaobo and the principles he stood for in China, and wonders how Americans and American institutions will respond to his death.

Baddiewinkle is an Instagram influencer with more than 3 million followers. She's also a great-grandmother, and, at 88, she's written a new book: Baddiewinkle's Guide to Life.

How do you get away from a black bear if you can't climb a tree or can't swim in a nearby lake? You run! We have the story of a junior at the University of Maine and his lucky escape.

NPR's Scott Simon remembers Neil Cohen, who first handed Simon The New York Times one summer at Camp Indianola. Cohen was his camp counselor, and went on to become an attorney and law professor.

Dr. Kurt Newman has spent his career caring for children. In a new book, he argues that children are not just smaller adults, and the differences matter for their treatment.

In his new book, John T. Edge writes that food plays a central role in Southern identity, but African-American and immigrant cooks have often been left out of the stories the South tells about itself.

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Jeh Jeh Pruitt of local TV station WBRC Fox 6 about the NBA finals, and what Alabama and Auburn fans are talking about in the off-season.

Scott Simon has a special request for musical guest John Paul White: the song "Birmingham Jail," also known as "Down in the Valley."

The Lyric Theatre in Birmingham Ala., has a long history. It embraces it, both the good and the bad.