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Read an exclusive excerpt of David Rakoff's last novel, Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish, a set of humane, witty interlocking vignettes in verse that illustrate the scope of the 20th century, from 1920s Chicago meatpackers to dissatisfied 1980s yuppies.

British author Robert Aickman was considered the father of the "strange stories" genre: not exactly ghost stories, but haunted tales of inner fears and unspoken desires. Now, his work is being republished, and inspiring a new generation of writers.

Birmingham Barons infielder Tyler Saladino is still in AA, but his maturity, ball skills and intellect keep his major league aspirations alive. Coaches believe he'll eventually make it to the MLB.

Andrew Hudgins is a prominent poet, but what he'd really rather be doing is telling jokes — the more daring, the better. His new memoir, The Joker, explores the way uncomfortable and taboo jokes create learning and communication, and the important role they've played in his life.

Airs Monday, May 20, 2013 at 9 p.m. & Friday, May 24 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

Historian Rick Atkinson's new book completes his trilogy on the second world war. He tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that the events of the war may be 70 years in the past, but they're still very much a part of American culture.

William Dodd served for four years as the ambassador to Germany before resigning — after repeated clashes with both Nazi Party officials and the State Department. Erik Larson chronicles Dodd's time in Berlin in his new book, In the Garden of Beasts.

Blues, jazz and gospel; a civil rights movement that began with the Emmett Till case; modern glass and steel buildings that dared the sky. In Third Coast, Thomas Dyja writes that "the most profound aspects of American Modernity grew up out of the flat, prairie land next to Lake Michigan."

The Divine Miss M has had a colorful career, but even she's not as outsize a personality as larger-than-life Hollywood superagent Sue Mengers, whom she portrays in the new solo show I'll Eat You Last. Midler spoke with NPR's Rachel Martin about the role, her career and her love of classic Hollywood.

Airs Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 3:30 p.m. on KPBS TV