Mia Venkat
Stories
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On 'Miss Black America,' singer-songwriter Kirby pays homage to her Mississippi roots
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with soul singer KIRBY about her new album, Miss Black America, and how her Mississippi roots have shaped her music.
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Main character of the week: Swifties
Sometimes online, there's a character everyone's talking about: someone or something the internet has decided they're obsessed with. This week it has to be Taylor Swift and her fanbase – the Swifties.
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'Songs for Other People's Weddings' is an experiment in music and prose
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with author David Levithan and singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, creators of the new novel and album Songs for Other People's Weddings.
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The director of 'Sketch' sought every emotion and every demographic
NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Seth Worley, director of the feature film Sketch, where a young girl's drawings of monsters come to life.
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The ad campaign that launched a thousand critiques: Sydney Sweeney's jeans
One topic dominated online conversation this week: the American Eagle jeans ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. We break down why people are so worked up about it.
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National Urban League says Trump's policies amount to emergency for Black Americans
One of the nation's oldest Civil Rights organization warns the Trump administration's policies have thrust the country into a "state of emergency" for antidiscrimination policies, personal freedoms and black economic advancement.
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Is the 'Gen Z stare' just a call to look inwards?
This week's discourse has revolved around the so-called "Gen Z stare" in professional and retail environments. But what are people really talking about?
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Poet Mary Jo Bang reaches the end of her 20-year journey through Dante's 'Divine Comedy'
Poet Mary Jo Bang has spent the last two decades translating the three books of Dante's Divine Comedy. Purgatorio is the final installment and continues her style of lively, lyrical translation.
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DNC chair says Republicans sold 'their constituents out to help billionaires'
NPR's Juana Summers talks with Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, about how the Big Beautiful Bill Act will figure into democratic messaging in the midterms.
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How Steve Aoki laces EDM into every genre imaginable
EDM mega-star Steve Aoki continues to break genre boundaries with his new album HiROQUEST 3: Paragon.