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2.8.16: The Final Stretch, NH's Primary Imperfection

This primary's days are numbered - and we've got what you need to get ready for Tuesday. Primary expert Dante Scala tells Brady why the first-in-the-nation vote can break your heart, yet keep you coming back for more. Plus, how New Hampshire is and isn't like the rest of the country. And a hero public radio reporter saves a First in the Nation landmark.




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The Bookshelf: Trans Girl Navigates Middle School in Exeter Author's New Novel

For many kids, middle school is a fraught time. Friendships are forged and broken; bodies begin to change in sometimes uncomfortable ways. For Zenobia July, starting middle school is far more complicated than it is for most of her peers.




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The Bookshelf: Miriam Levine's Poetry of 'Loss and Consolation'

Miriam Levine's new collection of poetry is, as she describes it, a book about loss and consolation. In Saving Daylight, poems recall small moments: a chance meeting outside a theater, an encounter with a mosquito, watching a harmless spider walk across someone's hair. Levine lives in Concord for part of the year, and she sat down with NHPR's All Things Considered Host Peter Biello to chat about her new collection.




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The Bookshelf: The 'People's Book' Showcases New Hampshire Writers, Artists

This week marked the launch of the second annual edition of The People's Book, a collection of literary works and visual art created by New Hampshire writers and artists.




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The Bookshelf: Joe Hill on Collaboration: 'Story is Our Family's Private Language'

When Joe Hill launched his career as a writer, he didn't want anyone to know about his famous writer parents, Stephen and Tabitha King. Rather than ride their coattails, he wanted to find success on his own—thus the pen name, Joe Hill.




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The Bookshelf: Nelson's Stacia Tolman On Her Debut Novel

Writer Stacia Tolman worked for many years as a high school English teacher at a private school in New Hampshire’s Monadnock region.




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The Bookshelf: Poet Marie Harris and 'Desire Lines'

If you've ever been on a college campus or a public park, you may have seen desire lines. Those are those well-worn paths carved by travelers who, for whatever reason, preferred a route that diverged from the ones carefully cured in concrete by city or campus planners.




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The Bookshelf: Author John Brighton Remembers the Sullivan County of the 1960s

When New Hampshire author John Brighton was six years old, his family bought a lakeside farm in Washington, a small town in New Hampshire's Sullivan County.




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The Bookshelf: Keene Author Recalls 'Cub' Reporting Days in Graphic Memoir

When Cindy Copeland was in seventh grade in the early 1970s, an English teacher encouraged her to become a writer. Shortly after that, the Keene resident landed an internship as a “cub reporter” with a local journalist, following her to public meetings and learning how question people powerful people—most of them men. And Cindy did all this while navigating the tricky minefield of fraught friendships, cliques, and bullying that so often characterize life in junior high.




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The Bookshelf: A Sexual Assault Survivor Learns to Thrive in Lisa Gardner's New Novel

One day, while hiking in the Georgia mountains, a couple finds the bones of a human body buried many years ago. The discovery prompts a search for answers: why was this person killed? Who did it? And how many more bodies are hidden in these hills?




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The Bookshelf: The Little-Known History Of Violence At New England's African American Schools

The history of school desegregation in America has long been centered around the southern United States.




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Ask Sam: Grandpa's Rhubarb

Sam answers questions about rethinking the toilet, line-dry laundry, rhubarb, and sleeping mosquitoes.

Find moreOutside/In.




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Northwestern, U. of C. presidents talk 'safe spaces' on Katie Couric's new series

President Robert J. Zimmer and Northwestern president discuss safe spaces and discourse on campus




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Kroszner Doesn't Expect Big Statement From G-7 Summit

Video: Prof. Randall Kroszner explains expectations for G-7 summit




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Italian Euro Exit 'Incompatible' With Financial System, Zingales Says

Prof. Luigi Zingales discusses the economic and market impact of Italian political uncertainty




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Dessa describes 'My Own Devices'

The Minnesota musician describes why it was time to put her story in print instead of in an album.




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Twin Shadow's new album is about our society's fault lines

When the album was released he wrote: "Our perceptions of who we are as human beings, because of technology and machines, are falling apart. We're living at a breaking point, and a lot of the themes on the album are talking about these fault lines."




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Watchdog group finds spooky Spotify ad is too scary for kids, causes 'distress'

In 60 seconds, the commercial showcases a medley of horror film tropes, including a maniacal doll that presumably kills a group of young people whenever they play a catchy pop song.




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A 'cosmic connection' between two violinists

For decades, Cologne-based violinist Geoffry Wharton has played jazzy crowd-pleasing encores written in the 1930s by an obscure composer, Audrey Call. Then Wharton discovered a spooky connection with her.




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On Barbra Streisand's latest album, the walls do talk -- to the president

With her latest release, Barbra Streisand has done something different: Her new album, Walls, addresses songs -- including some of her own originals -- to the president of the United States.




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Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove dies at age 49

Many of Roy Hargrove's peers regarded him as the greatest trumpeter of his generation. Through his own bands and as a sideman, Hargrove brewed his jazz with African and Latin sounds, R&B, soul, pop, funk and hip-hop.




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28 trombonists play 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' will send shivers down your spine

Recorded during the 2018 International Trombone Festival, this brass choir elevates the cover game.




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Ensemble 'gives a voice' to Nazi death camp prisoners through unearthed music

While conducting research at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a music theory professor discovered manuscripts of music that haven't been heard since World War II.




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Minnesota Orchestra's Osmo Vanska to step down in 2022

Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vanska will step down at the conclusion of his contract, in August 2022. Vanska made the announcement at the Orchestra board's annual meeting Wednesday.




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'Baby, It's Cold Outside,' seen as sexist, frozen out by radio stations

Programmers have banned the song after fielding listener complaints that the song is offensive, only to face a backlash against that decision.




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Friends in high places: Dayton asks Garth Brooks for another show, Brooks says 'I'm in'

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday called on Garth Brooks to add another Minneapolis show to his upcoming stadium tour — and it sounds like the country music star is on board with the idea.




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Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" reached number one 50 years ago

Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" reached number one on the Billboard Country chart 50 years ago today. Jimmy Webb, who wrote the song, told Songfacts that the inspiration was an image he witnessed while driving one day.




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'Baby Shark' has crashed into the pop charts. How did it get there?

The uber-viral children's song "Baby Shark" landed in the top 40 of the Billboard charts this week, years after it debuted on YouTube.




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Documentary shows 'perception and reality' of infamous concert flop

In 2017, the Fyre Music Festival was billed as an exclusive event in the Bahamas. The reality was very different. Director Chris Smith tells the behind-the-scenes story in a new Netflix documentary.




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For many with disabilities, 'Let It Go' is an anthem of acceptance

The breakout song from Disney's "Frozen" has inspired many marginalized groups -- but its message of rejecting stigma holds special resonance for disabled people and their families.




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'Proud Mary' released 50 years ago

John Fogerty wrote the song shortly after being discharged from the National Guard.




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Sixty years later, remembering 'The Day the Music Died'

Sixty years ago this week, the Winter Dance Party concert tour was crisscrossing Minnesota and neighboring states, featuring Ritchie Valens, J.P. "the Big Bopper" Richardson and Buddy Holly. Then came "The Day the Music Died."




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Buddy Holly's hometown looks back, 60 years after 'The Day the Music Died'

"He sang strictly country," said Larry Byers, a former DJ in Lubbock, Texas, who heard Buddy Holly's early performances. "Until he saw Elvis Presley and decided that maybe he should change his style a bit."




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Bobbie Gentry's 'The Delta Sweete' gets a much-belated tribute

Back in 1967, Bobbie Gentry sang a haunting ode to young love and sad endings in the deep South called "Ode to Billie Joe." A year later, Gentry released a country-rock opera, "The Delta Sweete." It hardly sold at all — but has since become a cult classic.




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Dominick Argento, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, dead at 91

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento died Wednesday. He was 91. Known for his eclectic range of work, he composed operas such as "Casanova's Homecoming", "The Dream of Valentino" and "Miss Havisham's Fire."




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Peter Tork, Monkees' lovable bass-guitar player, dead at 77

Peter Tork, who studied at Carleton College in Northfield and later rose to teen-idol fame in 1966 playing the lovably clueless bass guitarist in the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, has died. He was 77.




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R. Kelly calls accusers 'liars' in sex abuse case

The singer, out on bail following his Feb. 22 arrest in Chicago, said he has done "lots of things wrong" when it comes to women, but said he has apologized. He denies doing anything against their will.




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Nat King Cole remains 'one of the great gifts of nature'

Born 100 years ago today, Nat King Cole topped the charts year after year, sold more than 50 million records, pushed jazz piano in a new direction and paved the way for later generations of performers.




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At 83, Mary Lane upholds the blues tradition: 'I still got it'

The Arkansas-born blues singer looks back on her career and discusses "Travelin' Woman," her first album in more than 20 years.




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Dick Dale, 'King of Surf Guitar,' dies at 81

Dick Dale, whose pounding, blaringly loud power-chord instrumentals on songs like "Miserlou" and "Let's Go Trippin'" earned him the title "King of the Surf Guitar," has died at age 81.




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Need a can't-miss wheel of cheese? Try playing it some hip-hop

Researchers exposed cheese to different genres of music for 24 hours a day over six months to find out that hip-hop might create the tastiest cheese.




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Art Hounds: Globally infused banjo tunes on 'Intermodal Blues'

Plus, Art Hounds recommend an ice-skating performance inspired by black social dances and an Earth Day singalong with Dan Chouinard.




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Billy Bragg's three-night stand in Minneapolis

British singer/songwriter Billy Bragg is in Minneapolis for his "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back" tour. On each stop of the tour he is playing three nights.




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After the fire, assessing the future of Notre Dame's centuries-old organ

Chief organist Olivier Latry shares recordings of music played on Notre Dame Cathedral's famed organ — and looks ahead to the church's extensive renovation process after the fire on April 15.




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Prince memoir 'The Beautiful Ones' coming out in the fall

"'The Beautiful Ones' is the deeply personal account of how Prince Rogers Nelson became the Prince we know: the real-time story of a kid absorbing the world around him and creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and the fame that would come to define him," Random House announced.




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An album from Prince's vault, and his memoir, are coming

The Prince estate has announced plans to release Originals, another album of previously unreleased tracks -- many of which were hits for other artists -- he recorded between 1981 and 1991.




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MN Orchestra's Vanska to hold concurrent role in Seoul

It's not unusual for music directors to serve multiple orchestras at one time.




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Morning Edition debuts the show's updated theme music

NPR's David Greene and Rachel Martin look back at famous theme songs from pop culture, and remember the old Morning Edition theme as the show debuts the updated version of the song.




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Orchestra finds child who charmed crowd with 'wow!'

A performing arts group has found the child who was literally wowed by a recent classical music concert.




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Cuban diva Omara Portuondo feels as strong as ever on 'Last Kiss' world tour

Now 88 years old, Cuba's musical matriarch wants to perform for audiences until she dies. "What I have left to live for is smiles," Portuondo says.