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This week, harpist Elizabeth Hainen and the Philadelphia Orchestra will perform the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun's Nu-Shu: The Secret Songs of Women. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Tan and Hainen about the work, which was inspired by an ancient secret language spoken by women in Tan's home province.

In his graphic novel adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein, illustrator Gris Grimly says he wants to make the story more accessible. "The first time I tried to read Frankenstein, I didn't get through it," he says.

Author Simon Singh's new book teases out the mathematical references hidden in The Simpsons. Singh tells NPR's Scott Simon that the show's writing team includes several trained mathematicians — and that the logical bends and breaks of writing comedy can be very appealing to the mathematically minded.

Andy Ricker spent years eating in roadside restaurants, noodle stands and home kitchens across Thailand before opening his first restaurant, Pok Pok, in Portland, Ore. But he avoids using words like "traditional" and "authentic" when talking about this food. He'd rather call it "accurate."

At first glance, poet Tess Taylor was skeptical of Brenda Hillman's 17-year, four-book series of poems on the elements. But Taylor fell for the strange and spiraling verses in Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire, which was longlisted for the National Book Award. "I commend you to this lively, defiant, blazing book," she says.

The Orange Is The New Black author says that cooking behind bars allowed her to bond with fellow inmates, and points out where her experiences, and those depicted in the hit Netflix series, differ.