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Although Venezuela has a rich literary culture, its writers remain largely unknown outside of the country. Marcela Valdes traces the intersection of literature and politics in the large Caribbean nation, showing the forces that have kept Venezuelan writers from getting the praise they deserve.

Hard to define, for one thing. But in our disorienting digital age, these image-savvy, genre-fluid, proficient yet irreverent artists can seem like the only ones who've gleefully cracked the code.

"He completely changed my life," Apatow says of his mentor. It's Garry Shandling's Book, which Apatow edited, explores the insecurities and personal trauma that Shandling turned into comedy.

The author's books are set in the poor, black Mississippi community where she grew up, a place where, she says, "the past bears very heavily on the present."

Nick Hornby's latest novel Juliet Naked is kaleidoscope of characters: Tucker Crowe, a washed up and reclusive singer songwriter; Duncan, an obsessed fan; and Duncan's girlfriend Annie. The action takes place in America, when Duncan and Annie take a tour of places that figure into Tucker's life and work, as well as in the English seaside town of Gooleness.

Journalist Craig Timberg, the former Johannesburg bureau chief for The Washington Post, says international AIDS organizations working in Africa went off in the wrong direction in fighting the spread of HIV across the continent.

NPR's go-to librarian would like you to meet some friends of hers — from six novels and one work of history. As you read, these artfully developed characters will become more and more real. Pearl says that when the stories ended, she was left longing for the people she'd met between the pages.

A new Hulu documentary looks back on the impact that one 1985 New York Magazine article had on the group of young actors it called the "Brat Pack."

NPR's Scott Simon talks with Barry Keoghan about his new movie, "Bird." The Irish actor was nominated for an Oscar for "The Banshees of Inisherin" and also starred in "Saltburn."

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with recording artist and Tiny Desk Contest winner Tarriona Ball about her first book of poetry, Vulnerable AF.