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Whether competing on America's Next Top Model or acting in Lee Daniels' The Butler, Yaya Alafia has never shied away from issues of race and identity.

Ed Walker fell in love with radio as a kid in the 1930s. Today, as the host of WAMU 88.5's beloved Sunday night show, he introduces a new generation to classic programs from the golden age of radio.

In Detroit, a group of local and national foundations has pledged more than $330 million to keep the city from auctioning off assets from the Detroit Institute of Art. The purpose of the deal is twofold: to preserve the collection and to raise money for the city's underfunded pension plans.

What hath the Bard wrought? A legacy of words and idioms you'll recognize from pop culture and even your own speech. On the occasion of his 450th birthday, Ask Me Another presents this handy glossary.

Librarians have to get creative to reach out beyond their faithful fans and engage with more members of their communities. So some libraries have started lending out tools like fishing poles, and others offer "human books" — volunteers with special expertise or interesting experiences.

In the latest installment of our library series, NPR's Bob Mondello visits some notable libraries in popular culture: Jorge Luis Borges' Library of Babel; Lucien's Library in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman; and the stacks in Buffy, Hogwarts, Doctor Who and Fahrenheit 451.

The 1930s film star dropped out of sight for decades, only to return as the toast of 1970s Broadway.

In addition to the shuttered federal agencies affected by the government shutdown, cultural institutions including the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo have been closed indefinitely, disappointing tourists and D.C. locals alike.

French philosopher Denis Diderot was the driving force behind one of the first compendiums of human knowledge, but his contributions have been largely lost to history. Now, the anniversary of his birth has prompted calls to reinter his remains in Paris' Pantheon, alongside the likes of Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

The prodigious output of the great Western artist Harry Jackson is kept and exhibited by his son Matt in Cody, Wyo. But funds are running low, and unless donations come soon, the collection of Jackson's work will have to be separated and sold piecemeal.