The French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, was presented with a Freedom on Expression award from the PEN American Center this week. Six high-profile writers boycotted the awards ceremony at PEN's...
Sabaa Tahir's new YA novel, "An Ember in the Ashes," is being called "The next Harry Potter." So we went to the target demographic to get the story—a group of kids.
Colm Toibin is the director of the PEN World Voices Festival. In his first public remarks on the Charlie Hebdo debate, he says that as a writer he can completely sympathize with both sides of the...
From Newton and Einstein to Steve Jobs, we have an insatiable curiosity about geniuses. But do we actually know what “genius” is? In this interview, produced in collaboration with Nautilus magazine,...
The shootings at Kent State were the impetus for the formation of the band DEVO. On the 45th anniversary of that day, we're revisiting our interviews with founding members Gerald Casale and Mark...
This week we're thinking about the much anticipated debut novel by Sabaa Tahir. Called "An Ember in the Ashes," it's an epic fantasy set in a world reminiscent of ancient Rome. Sabaa Tahir tells...
One hundred years ago, Fritz Haber invented the first chemical weapon and convinced the German army to use it. His wife Clara, also a chemist, fiercely opposed her husband's project. When she couldn'...
Michael Eric Dyson’s recent takedown of Cornell West in the New Republic pulled no punches, chastising the outspoken academic and media commentator for his often personal attacks on critics. It made...
Tolerance is a modern day virtue, with presidents and popes and a million others lauding it. To be considered intolerant these days is to become a social pariah. But can there be a downside to...
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