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Author Chris Offutt will read "A Good Pine," a short story set in his native Kentucky. In it, an old man raising his granddaughter alone is determined to get her a Christmas tree from the woods. But he has a problem — his axe is broken.

Anthropologist Kaori O'Connor, author of The English Breakfast: The Biography of a National Meal with Recipes, joins Jacki Lyden for a discussion about the delights of the English breakfast.

Shortly after the Civil War, blacks and whites came together in Covert, Mich., building a town that defied most of the social conventions of the next 100 years. Historian Anna-Lisa Cox and descendants of the town's pioneers help tell its story.

Even as Ireland benefits from a booming high-tech economy, many are taking time to keep the past alive. The rural tradition of "rambling houses," where people gather for entertainment and fellowship, has been revived in County Kerry and elsewhere.

A new biography suggests that the legendary escape artist known as Harry Houdini also served as a spy for the U.S. and British governments before World War I.

Author Lillian Ross talks to Steve Inskeep about her techniques and the subjects she has profiled for her work at The New Yorker, where she has been writing since 1945.

In light of Miss USA getting to keep her crown after a run of under-age binge drinking, commentator and fellow naughty girl Elizabeth Wurtzel says that going into rehab after you've seriously screwed up is the only way to show contrition in the public eye. A simple apology is not enough anymore.

India and Pakistan are warily inching towards peace, after three wars and nearly 60 years of hostility. But it's far from peaceful on the border. Each night tourists gather on either side for a competitive shouting match, complete with a choreographed military ceremony.

For some families, the holiday season is a time for compromise. Chrismukkah, a blend of Hanukkah and Christmas customs, is one of them. Ron Gompertz, author of Chrismukkah: Everything You Need to Know to Celebrate the Hybrid Holiday, talks about mixed traditions with Madeleine Brand.

Famous writers and their drinks are inseparable, despite the price some paid for the vice. Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide delves into the drinking habits of America's top writers to reveal their favorite cocktails. Steve Inskeep talks with author Mark Bailey and illustrator Edward Hemingway, the great writer's grandson.