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Laurie Simmons is a New York artist whose photographs frequently feature dolls in domestic scenes. As a retrospective exhibit of her work opens in Texas, she reflects on her art and what it means to her. Listen to this interview with the artist to learn more about what is behind her fascination with photographing dolls.

There has been increasing interest recently in teaching students about consent and sexual assault prevention as part of sex education in public schools. A series of workshops for teens aims to build awareness and change social norms in order to reduce sexual violence. Listen to hear students’ reflections on the workshops and then debate: Should schools teach sexual violence prevention?

A former illustrator who now owns an ink company finds ingredients for his ink in unlikely places, including city streets. Jason Logan has written a book that explains how he searches the environment for interesting sources of color that he uses to create a wide variety of inks. Listen to this story and follow the artist and his interviewer as they turn city trash into colorful ink.

The Smithsonian has selected a design for its National Native American Veterans Memorial to be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artist is Harvey Pratt, a Native American veteran from Oklahoma, and his design is called “Warriors’ Circle of Honor.” It aims to engage all Americans in appreciating and learning about the tradition of Native American service. Listen to hear the artist’s reflections on the meaning of his design, how he hopes people will experience it, and why honoring veterans is an important part of his heritage.

After 130 years in business, the department store Sears has filed for bankruptcy. Sears began as a catalog company and was an historically important innovation in shopping that offered many people opportunities to buy products that were not available to them locally. Sears department stores made one-stop shopping a common practice in many communities around the country. However, recent shopping trends have had a negative impact on Sears. Listen to this story to learn what made Sears a dominant influence in shaping American shopping habits and what changes have contributed to its downfall.

Additional hearings were added to the Senate confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh to address allegations made by a woman who testified that he assaulted her when they were in high school in 1982. A current high school senior wrote and published an opinion piece describing her experience of the hearings. Listen to hear an interview with the student author about her reflections on the testimony and its implications.

A teen theater company has developed a play about gun violence, and they have designed a set that also functions as a public art installation. The room-sized exhibit includes thousands of shoes representing people affected by gun violence this year, with a shoe added for each new victim through the run of the show. Listen to learn about what inspired the design of this play and art exhibit.

There have been several recent high profile cases of employees secretly recording conversations with colleagues at work and then sharing those recordings. This practice is controversial. Some say that it is the only way that they will be believed when reporting that a colleague has behaved inappropriately. Others say that it interferes with trust and damages workplace culture. Listen to hear arguments on both sides and debate: Should secret recordings be allowed at work?

Nike has launched a new sportswear advertising campaign featuring former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, known for protesting racial injustice on the football field by kneeling during the national anthem. Reactions to both Kaepernick’s protests and Nike’s new “Just Do It” ad campaign have been mixed. Listen to hear about Nike’s controversial choice of spokesman, as well as reactions from both supporters and opponents of that choice.

Shooting the cover of the September issue of Vogue magazine is often considered the grand prize of fashion photography. Twenty-three-year-old Tyler Mitchell is the first African American photographer, and one of the youngest ever, to win that prize. Listen to this interview with Mitchell, who discusses what led to this important moment in his career, how he feels about it, and his thoughts about being the first black photographer to receive this honor.

President Trump has recently established new trade policies, causing conflict with some of America’s most important global trade partners, such as Canada, Mexico, and China. As children go back to school, one reporter wanted to find out how these changing trade relationships could affect the costs of common school supplies. Listen to learn how global trade wars influence the price of colored pencils, erasers, and backpacks.

A city in California is experimenting with a new program in which it will give certain poor citizens $500 a month. Unlike other types of assistance, this money won’t come with any requirements or conditions. It’s what’s called a “guaranteed basic income,” a system other countries like Finland and Kenya have tried. Listen to hear the city’s mayor describe his vision for the program.

Facebook is only 14 years old, but it’s the dominant social network used by two-thirds of American adults. With news about it sharing private information or spreading fake news, some are calling on users to boycott Facebook and turn to other social networks. But which ones? Listen to this story to learn why Facebook is so dominant and how it would be very difficult for any new social network to overtake Facebook’s popularity.