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Actress Lynne Thigpen dies at her Los Angeles home this week. The cause of death is not immediately known. She was 54. Born and raised in Joliet, Ill., she distinguished herself on the stage -- winning a Tony for An American Daughter -- and in film and television appearances. Most recently she was a co-star of the CBS drama The District.

Devotees of Irish novelist James Joyce celebrate today as Bloomsday by reading from his 1922 novel Ulysses. Actress Fionnula Flanagan shares a short excerpt from the closing pages of the book.

The ancient culture of the land that is now called Iraq is the subject of a "draw in" at the Assyrian Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. Artists make new sketches interpreting some of civilized man's earliest creative efforts. NPR's Jacki Lyden reports.

What Tiger Woods is to Golf, Torums Scarf Michael is to being a dog. The Kerry blue terrier known as "Mick" for short, wins Best In Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with David Frei, the show's commentator.

Pacifica Radio's audio archives, a collection featuring recordings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Lenny Bruce and other artists and political figures, are in danger of fading away. NPR's Bob Edwards discusses the network's effort to preserve 50 years of historic recordings with archive director Brian DeShazor.

Actor Christopher Walken talks about starring in a Broadway musical adaptation of The Dead, which is based on the James Joyce story. The actor also talks about portraying one disturbing character after another.

The economic downturn forces state officials to slash budgets for many government-funded services. New Jersey, one of 40 states in which funding for the arts is expected to plummet, become the third state to propose eliminating arts spending entirely. Joel Rose of member station WHYY reports.

On the eve of President's Day, a new work of historical fiction looks at former President Abraham Lincoln from a variety of perspectives, ranging from his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, to his assassin, John Wilkes Booth. NPR's Linda Wertheimer speaks with Adam Braver, author of Mr. Lincoln's Wars.

Country music's Rose Maddox, who at age 11 embarked on a decades-long singing career, has died. Maddox became a big hit after World War II, touring with her four brothers. Their band was called, Maddox Brothers and Rose. She won a Grammy in 1996 for her CD, $35 And A Dream. Maddox died yesterday of kidney failure. She was 71 years old. NPR's Linda Wertheimer has this remembrance.

Author Richard Conniff has written about the natural world for National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines.