Elizabeth Blair
Elizabeth Blair is a Peabody Award-winning senior producer/reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR News.
Blair produces, edits, and reports arts and cultural segments for NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. In this position, she has reported on a range of topics from arts funding to the MeToo movement. She has profiled renowned artists such as Yayoi Kusama and Mikhail Baryshnikov, explored how old women are represented in fairy tales, and reported the origins of the children's classic Curious George. Among her all-time favorite interviews are actors Octavia Spencer and Andy Serkis, comedians Bill Burr and Hari Kondabolu, the rapper K'Naan, and Cookie Monster (in character).
Blair has overseen several, large-scale series including The NPR 100, which explored landmark musical works of the 20th Century, and In Character, which probed the origins of iconic American fictional characters. Along with her colleagues on the Arts Desk and at NPR Music, Blair curated American Anthem, a major series exploring the origins of songs that uplift, rouse, and unite people around a common theme.
Blair's work has received several honors, including two Peabody Awards and a Gracie. She previously lived in Paris, France, where she co-produced Le Jazz Club From Paris with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the monthly magazine Postcard From Paris.
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George O'Connor spent 12 years turning the Greek gods into best-selling graphic novels for kids. They're faithful to the ancient myths - which often include gender fluidity. -
Francisco González, a founding member of Los Lobos, has died at 68. González left the band in 1976 to continue playing acoustic Mexican folk music, and became a master of Veracruz harp. -
Berklee College of Music is celebrating CODA's wins for best picture, best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor. Students and alumni worked on the film, along with other award-winning films. -
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, paving the way for it to become the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It was roaring along...until it wasn't. -
A major ballet competition set to happen in Kyiv was canceled when Russia attacked. Young Ukrainian dancers are being helped out of the country and placed in schools worldwide for safe haven.
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Young Ukrainian dancers are finding safe haven at ballet schools in Europe and the U.S. Many of them planned to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix competition in Kyiv which was canceled. -
Disney CEO Bob Chapek says the company will pledge five million dollars to groups "working to protect" LGBTQ+ rights. The Human Rights Campaign says it won't take Disney's money.
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The colors of the Ukrainian flag illuminated buildings across the U.S. and the rest of the world. In Washington, D.C., the Kennedy Center and in New York, Lincoln Center were awash in yellow and gold. -
Reading Rainbow Live streams Sunday on the digital platform Looped. But Burton, who hosted the original series for more than two decades, won't be there. A cast of 20-somethings will host. -
Some U.S.-based institutions have publicly denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine to show they don't represent the Russian government.
