Neda Ulaby
Neda Ulaby reports on arts, entertainment, and cultural trends for NPR's Arts Desk.
Scouring the various and often overlapping worlds of art, music, television, film, new media and literature, Ulaby's stories reflect political and economic realities, cultural issues, obsessions and transitions.
A twenty-year veteran of NPR, Ulaby started as a temporary production assistant on the cultural desk, opening mail, booking interviews and cutting tape with razor blades. Over the years, she's also worked as a producer and editor and won a Gracie award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for hosting a podcast of NPR's best arts stories.
Ulaby also hosted the Emmy-award winning public television series Arab American Stories in 2012 and earned a 2019 Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan. She's also been chosen for fellowships at the Getty Arts Journalism Program at USC Annenberg and the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism.
Before coming to NPR, Ulaby worked as managing editor of Chicago's Windy City Times and co-hosted a local radio program, What's Coming Out at the Movies. A former doctoral student in English literature, Ulaby has contributed to academic journals and taught classes in the humanities at the University of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University and at high schools serving at-risk students.
Ulaby worked as an intern for the features desk of the Topeka Capital-Journal after graduating from Bryn Mawr College. But her first appearance in print was when she was only four days old. She was pictured on the front page of the New York Times, as a refugee, when she and her parents were evacuated from Amman, Jordan, during the conflict known as Black September.
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Dilip Kumar was one of the most iconic leading men of what is considered the 'golden age' of Indian cinema in the 1950s and 60s. On Wednesday, Kumar passed away in Mumbai at 98.
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The beloved entertainer is often credited with having sparked a sexual revolution in Italy with her spangled midriff-baring costumes and frank lyrics about initiating sex — and falling for gay men.
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Born in Flames was made by pioneering underground filmmaker Lizzie Borden. She vanished from screens for decades, and now her work is being rediscovered.
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A lot has been said about the joy of cooking, but what about the fury? A host of new cookbooks right now aim to help cooks pound, grate and shred their feelings about the state of the world.
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A stamp called British Guiana 1c magenta is expected to fetch around $15 million. The so-called Mona Lisa of the stamp world will be auctioned at Sotheby's on Tuesday.
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The report from the American Alliance of Museums sheds light on losses suffered during the pandemic; three-quarters of the country's museums reported an average of 40% slump in operating income.
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Paul Rucker's multimedia work tackles mass incarceration, lynching, police brutality and the ways America has been shaped by slavery. His latest marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
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The beloved author and illustrator drew more than 70 books for kids — often about friendly bugs like that famous caterpillar. He said he got his inspiration from nature walks with his father.
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Lloyd performed with the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s and appeared in Trainwreck at age 100. He acted with Charlie Chaplin, was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and appeared in dozens of TV shows.
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The insects' appearances stretch back 4,000 years, to a time when ancient settlers carved cicadas from jade and put them on tongues of the dead before burial, evoking transcendence and eternal life.
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Amid the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, Sampson Levingston decided to bring people together by offering tours of African American neighborhoods. He's turned it into a thriving business.
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"He always made people feel like they belonged," says a former Bourdain producer. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide is based on the TV chef's writings and an interview conducted just before his death.