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Gary Gladstone has been to Mars, Purgatory and Hell, and he has the photographs to prove it. In a new book, Passing Gas: And Other Towns Along the American Highway, the award-winning photographer offers photos of more than 75 small towns across the United States with unusual names. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Gladstone about his journey through small-town America.

Over the past five years, Indonesia has weathered terrorism, political upheaval and economic crisis. At the same time, the world’s largest Muslim nation has gone through a kind of artistic Renaissance. NPR's Rick Karr reports on the dynamic art scene in the island nation. View a photo gallery of Indonesian art.

We dig into the NPR audio archives for another installment of a our feature "First Mention" to hear the initial use on air of the term "Wikipedia."

The United States and Britain failed to exercise "critical judgment" in going to war against Iraq a year ago despite the lack of hard evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, says Hans Blix, the former chief United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq. Blix discusses his new book, Disarming Iraq, in an extended interview with NPR's Bob Edwards.

Those final minutes of the day, when parents everywhere are trying to get restless kids to settle down and go to bed, are what Wynton Marsalis calls "the magic hour." It's also the title of the acclaimed trumpeter's new CD, which he says celebrates the childishness in all of us.

A sign in Springfield, Mass. warns young Latinos: "No Hangear" -- don't hang out on this corner. Spanglish -- a cross between Spanish and English -- it seems, is everywhere. NPR's Bob Edwards talks with Ilan Stavans, author of a new book, Spanglish: The Making of a New American Language. Hear a Spanglish translation of Don Quixote.

Jazz singer Stacey Kent's story would make a good Hollywood movie -- born in New Jersey, studied in Europe, hit the jazz club circuit in London and found love and success. She's back with a new CD that pays tribute to the American singers and songwriters she calls her childhood heroes. Listen to samples from the CD.

When Douglas Adams died in 2001 at the age of 49, he left behind a rich body of work including the hugely popular The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The science fiction humor series, which began in 1978 on BBC radio, spawned several books and was later televised. Adams was also working to bring the story to the big screen. NPR's Liane Hansen discusses Adams and The Hitchhikers' Guide with the author's biographer.

Critics have rarely embraced Stephen King as a serious writer. But the prolific novelist, best known for his horror stories, is about to enter some serious company. The National Book Foundation is honoring the best-selling author with a lifetime achievement award whose previous recipients have included Arthur Miller, Eudora Welty and John Updike. King discusses the award and his writing with NPR's Susan Stamberg.

Women's health advocates say birth control prescriptions should be included in the free preventive care new health plans must offer.