There’s an old saying about Shakespeare plays: they’re a lot more fun to act in than they are to watch. However, there are efforts in town that are shaking apart that old idea and building a whole new paying audience for Shakespeare. We’re seeing this most notably with Dram Tree Shakespeare and Alchemical Theatre, whose productions are associated with the Theater Department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Guests: Tony Rivenbark, Executive Director of the Thalian Hall Center for

If you’ve ever marveled at the artistry of Citizen Kane or sneered at the 1990s cult film Starship Troopers or decided that Raging Bull is the greatest film of all time, then today’s discussion is for you. We explore why films give us pleasure.

On July 2, 1961, Ernest Hemingway rose quietly, so as not to disturb his wife. He put on his bathrobe and slippers, walked down to the basement of his Idaho home, and unlocked his gun case. He climbed the steps to his foyer, placed his favorite shotgun to the roof of his mouth, and blew the top of his head off.

It was 1975 when Martha Peterson’s plane landed in Moscow and launched her assignment as an American case officer for the CIA inside Russia.

Governor Roy Cooper says Chemours will have to turn off the faucet. The DuPont spin-off will not get a permit to discharge GenX into the Cape Fear River. Cooper made that vow at a meeting yesterday in Wilmington with local and state officials.

North Carolina state legislators have passed House Bill 527 – also known as an Act to Restore and Preserve Free Speech on the Campuses of the Constituent Institutions of the University of North Carolina -- almost exactly along partisan lines. Sponsored by North Carolina State Representative Chris Millis, a Republican from Pender County, the bill now sits on Governor Roy Cooper’s desk. On this edition of CoastLine, we explore the concept and practice of civil discourse on the campuses of

Five women hanged during the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts were memorialized Wednesday, July 19th on the 325th anniversary of their deaths. Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, and Rebecca Nurse might sound like familiar names -- either from history class or the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible , which was based on the Salem Witch Trials. Twenty people were killed during that 17th century witch hunt. On this edition of CoastLine , we take a closer look at how cultures

Isabelle Shepherd has been the Graduate Fellow in the News Department at WHQR for the past 3 years. She recently graduated with her MFA in Creative Writing...and we are sorry to see her go. She has hosted All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, and she's spent most of her time producing Coastline. Listen to Isabelle talk about her time here at the station above.

There is one thing that each of us is more familiar with than anyone else in the world, and that is our own language and the way we speak. Most of us are accustomed to using different language when talking to parents, children, spouses and partners, co-workers, friends, etc. How do we know when to switch gears? When we hear a new word, how do we know when we should incorporate it? Or do we reject it? How do all these different streams come together in a population, and what drives changes in

Listener Jeff wrote this week about several things: “Sorry to hear of your retirement. WHQR listeners will miss you (in a good way).” I imagine that by now some listeners may be saying “How can we miss you if you won’t go away?” Never fear, campers: next Friday will be my last day in the office. I hope to hear from you by then. Jeff went on to add; "1) I think WHQR should emphasize sustainer memberships (monthly donations by credit card) during all fundraising drives. All major NPR [member