Filmmaker John Waters -- aka the 'Pope of Trash' -- turns 80 Once called the "King of Bad Taste," Waters is known for his off-beat cult films Pink Flamingos and Polyester, as well as the more mainstream Hairspray. Originally broadcast in 2014 and 2019. Terry Gross
How author Stephen Graham Jones' scary stories help us stay alive Author Stephen Graham Jones has summoned fear in the form of everything from an alien caterpillar to zombie wrestlers. He's used a few, let's say, more traditional scares in between, too, like werewolves and supernatural killing machines. Katie Campbell
Have we been reading Toni Morrison all wrong? Harvard professor Namwali Serpell has been teaching Morrison for nearly two decades. Her book, On Morrison is a deep dive into the Nobel winner's complete body of work — 11 novels, plays and criticism. Tonya Mosley
'Speakeasies to Symphonies' and 'Cosmic Music' chronicle 2 jazz greats Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews biographies of two musicians who transcended jazz, and to whom recognition was slow in coming: James P. Johnson, born in 1894, and Alice Coltrane, born in 1937. Kevin Whitehead
Gut troubles? This gastroenterologist has tips to help you achieve 'poophoria' In her new book You've Been Pooping All Wrong, Dr. Trisha Pasricha shares habits and practices to make your relationship with your solid waste as smooth as possible Andrea Muraskin
Move over, Mr. Ripley. 'I Am Agatha' is a delightfully duplicitous debut Nancy Foley's deviously-plotted novel centers on an aging artist in New Mexico. Brutally dismissive of anyone who disagrees with her, Agatha is a perfectly engaging (if unreliable) narrator. Maureen Corrigan
This doctor turned a 31-foot RV into one of the country's only mobile OB-GYN clinics Mary Fariba Afsari's book, Labor, is a portrait of reproductive healthcare in post-Dobbs America. Her book also is about her Iranian heritage and her grandmother's death from an illegal abortion. Tonya Mosley
'After the Flood' argues Bob Dylan's late career is just as potent as his early years Much of our image of Dylan derives from his early protest music, but Robert Polito's book makes the argument that the most recent 30 years of Dylan's career have been just as creative as the first 30. Ken Tucker
A new program unites West Coast readers for stories of Japanese American incarceration A new program dubbed “the largest book club on the West Coast” is uniting libraries to explore an often erased chapter of the region. Noel Gasca
A humorist faces life with Stage 4 lung cancer: 'The future disappeared for me' In 2020, Annabelle Gurwitch went to urgent care for a COVID-19 test and learned she had cancer. She writes about life as a "cancer slacker" in her memoir, The End of My Life is Killing Me. Terry Gross