The State of Things

Singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer exploded onto the country music scene in 2007 with a self-titled album. She sang alongside Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum, and her single "Country Girl" was the first song by an African-American woman artist to make the country Billboard charts in almost two decades. After some disagreements with her label, Palmer spent some time out of the spotlight working on other creative projects and starting a family. She released the EP "The Back Porch Sessions" last year

Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" is now more than 400 years old. And while many theatergoers are familiar with its plot lines about murder, death and betrayal, each new staging of the production has the opportunity to highlight a different theme or lesser-known aspect of the story. Host Frank Stasio previews two different interpretations today. He is joined first by 14-year-old Leo Egger, a student at Durham School of the Arts, whose passion for Shakespeare led him to direct and produce a community

For some, silence is defined as the absence of sound. But a new documentary film, "In Pursuit of Silence," explores the many facets of silence. From religious meditation to the natural world, silence is an integral part of existence. And the noise of modern life may be damaging in physical, mental and emotional ways. Host Frank Stasio talks with filmmakers Patrick Shen and Brandon Vedder about the film. "In Pursuit of Silence screens" Friday, July 15 at Full Frame Theater in Durham and Saturday,

​North Carolina's House Bill 2 and the state budget dominated the headlines during this year's legislative short session. But the bills that got less attention could also have a huge impact across the state. One of them places regulations on the footage caught by police body cameras, and declares those tapes are not public records. That same bill also establishes the first statewide needle exchange program.

The first rule about Fight Club is "you do not talk about Fight Club." But author Chuck Palahniuk is making an exception. As a sequel to the 1996 novel, Palahniuk is continuing the story with a new graphic novel "Fight Club 2" (Dark Horse Comics/2016). It's set ten years after the original story, and shows the main character Sebastian refueling his alter ego Tyler Durden and the group Project Mayhem.

It's easy to think of a "selfie" as a narcissistic way to accrue "likes" on social media and flaunt your latest traveling adventures. But every "selfie" tells a story about the photographer's world. Negar Mottahedeh, associate professor of literature at Duke University in Durham, says taking a selfie is a humanizing way to document history in the age of social media. In a recent speech at TEDxDurham, Mottahedeh illustrated the ways selfies can be used as tools for protest and citizen journalism

Contrary to popular belief, statistics show that North Carolina does not have a doctor shortage problem; it has a doctor distribution problem. Experts say the lack of funding for graduate medical education (GME) in rural areas is one reason that those communities have worse health outcomes.

‘Asperger’s Are Us’ is a four-member comedy troupe that is quickly gaining national traction. While all four men are on the autism spectrum, their comedy is not all about their condition. In fact, the group says it has no interest in poking fun at Asperger’s, and the men do not make light of their behavioral differences. They get on stage every night to enjoy one another’s company with the hope that their absurd and satirical sketches will make their audience laugh.

Lar Lubovitch is known in the performing art world as a breakthrough choreographer in modern, ballet and jazz dancing. One of his most heralded works is called "Concerto 622," which depicted two men in a loving relationship for the first time on the modern dance stage. It gave a face to the AIDS crisis in the mid-80s.

Five law enforcement officers were killed last night in Dallas. The murders happened at a protest in response to the killing of two black men this week by law enforcement officers. On Tuesday, police shot and killed Alton Sterling while they held him down at a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La.