Stories - AZPM

Alexandra Kaplan stars as Nell in Live Theater Workshop's production "ship".

Go below decks with "Ship" at Live Theater Workshop, a quirky new play about a young woman charting a course to adulthood.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: "Weekend Edition Sunday" host Ayesha Rascoe on the current reality facing NPR; and storyteller Sharon Wysocki tells how her art project went viral way back in the '90s.

The dark brown primary cord of this khipu is made of human hair.

A lock of hair may have just changed what we know about life in the Incan Empire

Inca society kept records by encoding information into knotted cords called khipu. A new analysis of hair woven into these cords suggests this record-keeping was practiced by commoners as well as elites.

Tom "Papa" Ray is the owner and founder of Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis, Missouri.

"Music is a healing force": Meet the host of Papa Ray's Vintage Vinyl Roadshow.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How "Say One Thing" is combining art and recovery; an essay by nature writer Rebekah Doyle; and behind the scenes at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Raptor Free Flight Program.

The stacks at Boston Public Library, one of the oldest and largest public library systems in the country.

Boston Public Library aims to increase access to a vast historic archive using AI

The library is launching a project in collaboration with Harvard Law School and OpenAI this summer to digitize the materials and make them more fully searchable.

A sign at the headquarters of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC

Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were 'unlawful'

The ruling deems the government's termination of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities "unlawful" and allows a lawsuit brought by humanities groups to move forward.

80 years after atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, commemorating the victims and survivors

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Poet Joshua Lillie previews his new collection, "Small Talk Symphony".

"TV’s American Dream: U.S. Television after the Great Recession" by Dr. Barbara Selznick.

Is television watching us? "TV's American Dream: U.S. Television after the Great Recession"

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory begins to peer through space and time; and memories of growing up unsupervised in the 1950s.

The great room features floor to ceiling glass doors that look out onto a canopy of maple and oak trees.

What's it like to have Frank Lloyd Wright design your house? This 101-year-old knows

The Reisley House in Pleasantville, N.Y., was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s. Roland Reisley, 101, the original owner of the house, still resides there more than 70 years later.

A Martian meteorite, weighing 54.388 lbs. (24.67 kg), said to be the largest piece of Mars on Earth, estimated at $2 - 4 million, is displayed at Sotheby's, in New York, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, part of their Geek Week auction, July 16, 2025.

Largest piece of Mars on Earth fetches $5.3 million at auction, but young dinosaur steals the show

A rare skeleton of a young dinosaur sold for more than $30 million in a bidding frenzy.

Sad Boy, one of the cats that lived in Poets Square.

"Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats"--Why Courtney Gustafson's book is resonating with more than just cat lovers.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Set sail for NPR's podcast, "Sea Camp"; and a new book makes native plant gardening in the Southwest accessible to all.

The number of children learning the recorder in schools has declined over the years.

In praise of the humble recorder — a gateway instrument for millions of schoolchildren

The small plastic instrument has long been the go-to instrument in elementary schools. But it is capable of so much more than "Hot Cross Buns."

The vaquita is a critically endangered porpoise that lives in the northern part of the Sea of Cortez. It is considered the smallest and most endangered cetacean in the world.

Exploring "Observational Ecology" with Alán Ruiz Berman

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Local grassroots theater group debuts a new comedy/mystery; and how a local middle school teacher reclaimed her life after a tragic illness.

"Hidden Voices" reveals empathy and compassion on the streets of Tucson

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Building bridges through interfaith connections; and the spiritual creations of artist, Quinton Antone.

Abbess Victoria Murray, in an image from the documentary film "Final Vows", produced & directed by Victoria Westover.

The documentary "Final Vows" looks at a way of life that is disappearing

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Retired Tucson architect Paula Holmes celebrates 100 years; and "Stories that Soar!" shares an amphibious love story.

Yesenia reading to dogs Axul, Honey, and Martini at Pima Animal Care Center.

The A.R.F.F. Program: How shelter dogs are helping people living with aphasia.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Sharing memories of "The Twilight Zone" with Joseph Dougherty, author of "Rod Serling at 100".

The art of "Kindred Spirits: Honoring Animals in Death".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Katrina Kerstetter shares how she brought back things she learned in South Korea to help make Southern Arizona a better place.

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