A sophomore social studies teacher in downstate Illinois has been suspended for six days and reassigned classrooms because he showed students scenes from "The Daily Show." more ›

Have a hankering to hear a reading from a popular This American Life contributor? Eager to get a book signed by a best-selling author? Consider this your reminder to head over to the Harold Washington Library tonight to hear Sarah Vowell read from her latest book, The Wordy Shipmates. And what better primer is there than our interview with her from earlier this week? more ›

Writer and This American Life contributor has been one of our favorites for a very long time. Mixing wit, history, and memoir into a smorgasbord of awesome, Vowell's writing has a thoughtful, if sometimes cynical, perspective that always keeps us laughing. Over the course of her previous books, she's examined the Love Canal, talked about firing a cannon with her father, toured Civil War battlefields, and took a road trip to visit the sites of presidential assassinations. Now she's back with The Wordy Shipmates, an exploration of John Winthrop and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Exploring their lives through original documents, speeches, and diaries, Vowell pieces together their existence and explores how the colony and its policies ultimately shaped our nation, all the while mixing in her trademark mix of humor and even pop-culture references. more ›