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Black Francis, frontman of the Pixies, is trying his hand at literature. He's co-authored an illustrated novel based on the world's first pornographic film, a 1908 production called The Good Inn.

Baaba Maal is one of the most well-known Senegalese singers today. For over three decades, his music has won him fans all over the world. Music reviewer Banning Eyre says his first album in seven years, The Traveller, is different and surprising.

Jonathan Meiburg's new book "A Most Remarkable Creature" documents his quest to learn more about caracaras, the raptor birds.

NPR marks the 25th anniversary of a bouncing, purple T-Rex with oddly regular teeth, and a theme song that delighted toddlers, but to this day puts thousands of parents on edge.

Despite a threat from Alabama's attorney general, Jefferson Davis Avenue in Montgomery will be no more. The street once named for the Confederate figure will now honor civil rights attorney Fred Gray.

Amir ElSaffar put his New York City jazz club career on hold four years ago. ElSaffar, an Iraqi-American, put down the trumpet to learn the centuries-old singing style known as maqam. Having trained in the form, he has now released his own CD of the traditional music.

The summer of 2005 may not go down in history as another Summer of Love, but Woodstock's legacy includes a summertime routine of music festivals across the country. Weekend Edition Sunday music director Ned Wharton lists some of the best bets.

The compiler of Classic African American Gospel, a new collection from Smithsonian Folkways, talks about the roots of Motown in gospel music, its role in the Civil Rights movement, what new gospel sounds like and who's playing it.

For many years, the search for unknown or forgotten soul singers has dug deeply into music archives. But surprises still turn up. Music critic Milo Miles says this year's best discovery is a West African singer and bandleader named El Rego.

British singer-songwriter Teddy Thompson worked with David Kahne, who's helped acts ranging from The Strokes to Tony Bennett, to write and record his fifth album, Bella. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the result is a romantic album that spans a wide range of styles and moods.