April Update: I grew up in the Eugene, Oregon area and my brothers and I sometimes discuss our tree-clad upbringing on the Siuslaw River. I wish I'd been able to develop that story as it seemed to request, but no time. Still, this thing kept wanting to become a novella. I wrestled it ...

Read Linda's story for April: "Covered Bridge"

George Jones, who died today at 81, talked with Studio 360 about his song "He Stopped Loving Her Today." It was chosen for preservation in 2008 in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

April Update: It’s hard to believe I’m already four months into this project! I’m roughly one-quarter of the way through my illustrations — cranking away on the pages, but not at the pace I’d like, so I feel like I’m being haunted by this specter of “meeting quota” lately. If I want to get to my goal ...

Slideshow: Work in Progress

When authors, actors, musicians, and other artists come in to Studio 360, we find out about the great works of art that have powered their careers.  In that spirit, we've started a new tradition: asking guests about the art that's inspiring, even influencing their work right now. ...

Slideshow: 3 for 360

March Update: The process for this story is like the others. I live in a story (in my spare time) for a few weeks and then I don't live in it and I miss it. I write notes to myself at work and come home with little yellow pieces of paper in my pockets. With any luck I'll read them before I ...

Read Linda's story for March: "Dog Heavy"

A couple weeks ago, we gave you a challenge: we posted a dozen bird songs recorded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and asked you to use them to create an original musical composition on the theme of Spring. We received more than 100 compositions, ranging from classical to electronica ...

Playlist: Listen to all the entries

In densely packed cities, green space is often hard to come by. Apartment dwellers who yearn for a whiff of nature resort to potted plants on fire escapes or roof gardens. But what if you could create forest with trees that stack on top of each other? A forest that grew up instead of out? ...

Slideshow: Vertical Forests

Working with virologists and glassblowers, Luke Jerram creates striking and delicate representations of some of the most deadly pathogens known to man: HIV, swine flu, SARS.  Jerram says that he is “interested in exploring the edges of our senses … the borders and the ...

Slideshow: Glass Microbiology

February Update: I have so far found that working every day after work (or almost every day) is starting to seem normal. It helps me think about the story all the time, knowing I have to work on it when I get home. My friends are supportive (so far, so good). The big challenge is just ...

Read Linda's story for February: "Remedy"

February Update: So far my first project has been going about as planned, though a bit slower than I had expected. I've been making display bookshelves for my son Ezra's room. He's a little over one, and pulls all of the books off of his traditional bookshelf when he's looking for a particular ...

Slideshow: Work in Progress

At the Academy Awards, the Oscar statuette is as iconic as the gowns and the red carpet. But did you know Oscar’s name isn’t Oscar? Those broad shoulders belonged to Emilio Fernandez — a.k.a. “El Indio.” He was an actor, a screenwriter, and one of the great directors from the ...

In this Winter Pledge Special, Kurt Andersen talks with Wayne Coyne, the mastermind of the Flaming Lips, about a near-death experience. Rocky and Bullwinkle make the Cold War kid-friendly. And Whoopi Goldberg inspires a young woman to try stand-up.

February Update: The biggest challenge of the project so far has been building up the courage to put the first lines of ink on the paper, making the drawing essentially “permanent.”  I'll be incorporating digital tools into my process later so the ink isn't absolute, but I'm really focusing on making ...

Slideshow: Work in Progress 

Watching the Academy Awards Sunday night? Play interactive awards night bingo with Kurt! The awards shows have turned into parodies of themselves: celebrities thanking their lawyers, refusing to "wrap it up," trying to exit off the wrong side of the stage.  This year, we’re embracing the cliché ...

Get your bingo card

Each summer, the village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, swells with scientists. They come from all over the world to study the ocean and its marine life. One of those scientists, Whitney Bernstein, a PhD candidate in chemical oceanography at MIT, wanted to find new ways to help her colleagues reach ...

A saga with such color, such intrigue deserves a cocktail named after everyone in it, upstairs and downstairs: The Dowager Countess (crème de violette and lemon juice), O'Brien's Revenge (whiskey and bitters) ...

When Dwight Yoakam came into the studio recently, he didn’t just answer questions — he got into character, adopted regional accents, and proved he was a true student of American music history.  We’ll broadcast the segment this weekend.  But he told one story we just couldn’t wait to ...

A couple weeks ago, we asked you a question: Are we alone in the universe? We challenged you to send us the answer in the form of an illustration. We'll reveal the winner next week. Meantime, the Studio 360 staff couldn't help choosing our own, unofficial favorites. ...

Amanda Palmer knows how to use the internet. She was the first musician to raise over a million dollars on Kickstarter last year to record and release Theatre Is Evil, which debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard chart with no music industry backing.