The State of Things

The campaign season is in the final stretch, and both presidential candidates are making last minute pleas in North Carolina. Polls predict a tight race, and candidates up and down the ballot are working to get out the vote. Host Frank Stasio talks with political junkie Ken Rudin about the election.

When writing a short story, an author must be swift and succinct. A short story does not allow a plot the same amount of breathing room compared to a novel. Writers April Ayers Lawson and Clare Beams welcome the immediacy inherent in a short story as they integrate intimate and engaging tales into their work. Lawson's debut short story collection "Virgin and Other Stories" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux/2016) grapples with gender, sexuality and intimacy in gothic Southern landscapes. Meanwhile,

For their latest album, "Carolina Tiger Milk," Triangle-based jazz group Peter Lamb and the Wolves invited some of North Carolina's most prominent musicians. The band's guest lineup includes vocalist Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony, saxophonist Maceo Parker and members of the Mint Julep Jazz Band. Host Frank Stasio talks with Lamb about the inspiration for the band's new album and Lamb's experience playing jazz across the country. The band also performs live in the studio with Peter Lamb on

The U.S. Department of Justice announced it will send election monitors to watch the polls in five North Carolina counties. This comes after the state chapter of the NAACP filed a lawsuit alleging local election boards acted illegally when they removed the names of thousands of people from voter registration rolls in three counties within 95 days of the election. Host Frank Stasio talks with WFAE reporter Michael Tomsic about voter issues in the state.

New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau paints a complex picture of the changing demographics in western North Carolina. Carolina Public Press managing editor Frank Taylor sifted through the data to find trends in poverty, education, and employment, as well as to undercover political implications of the area's demographic makeup. Host Frank Stasio talks with Taylor about the findings and their implications for Election Day.

Hundreds of thousands of American women terminate pregnancies each year. But in the past decade, state governments around the country have enacted a series of laws that reproductive justice advocates argue impede women's access to safe, legal abortion.

For Hank Willis Thomas, a good photograph is an image that sticks with somebody long after they first see it. As a photographer and conceptual artist, Thomas uses images to critique cultural perceptions about race, gender and class. His Unbranded series removes text from advertisements as way to examine generalizations about black identity and femininity, and his interactive installation Black Righteous Space pairs the colors of the Pan-African flag with the symbolism of the Confederate flag.

Death and spirits are part of conversations this week more than most other times of the year. On Monday, many donned costumes of ghosts and goblins to celebrate Halloween, and yesterday others around the world gathered for festivals and celebrations to mark the first day of El Dia de Los Muertos, a Mexican holiday that honors the dead. But talking about death and dying is usually more taboo. While everyone experiences grief, illness, and death, these experiences are often kept private, discussed

Does a smile help defend against potential police aggression? What is a mother’s role in protecting her child from a dangerous situation? A new collection of poems, “Resisting Arrest Poems to Stretch the Sky” (Jacar Press/2016), explores these questions through the work of more than 70 writers. The poems address the many ways people of color experience police interactions and questions what role artists have in speaking out about rising tension in their communities. Host Frank Stasio talks with

Beginning this week, hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians will again shop for health coverage through the Affordable Care Act exchange. Entering 2017, however, shoppers in this state will see fewer options than in previous years.