kathryn fink

audio journalist & writer based in washington, dc

radio highlights

NPR •

Cineplexity: the best and worst of wedding movies

In this week's Cineplexity, where we examine life's complexities by talking about cinema, we're taking on the best and worst of the beloved trope of "weddings in the movies."EMILY FENG, HOST: The warm weather and my Instagram feed tell me we are entering wedding season. That means the flowers, the music, passionate declarations of love and the occasional embarrassing moment.(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "RACHEL GETTING MARRIED")ANNE HATHAWAY: (As Kym) I would like to thank you all for coming and welcome...
NPR •

Kneecap is used to controversy. On new album 'Fenian,' they're leaning further in

The Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap got their start rapping about drugs and their ire toward the British government. They're still doing that. But according to member Mo Chara, their new album, Fenian, is a bid to be taken more seriously as musicians, to "not just be seen as a parody act." Given the album's subject matter, it's easy to imagine Kneecap has made progress on that front. The song "Palestine," featuring Palestinian rapper Fawzi, is a message of Irish solidarity amid Israel's war in Gaza...
NPR •

Intimacy coordinators' next chapter

Almost a decade after the height of the #MeToo movement, intimacy coordinators are a fixture on film sets. As of this year, the job is now covered by SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents actors.AILSA CHANG, HOST: I'm watching an R-rated scene unfold. Two people are writhing on a mattress, having fake sex.YEHUDA DUENYAS: Take one.(SOUNDBITE OF CLAPPERBOARD CLACKING)UNIDENTIFIED DIRECTOR: Action.CHANG: All right, we've got two actors on the bed. One's on all fours. The other is coming up fr...
NPR •

Changing depictions of women at work in film

NPR's Kathryn Fink and Jordan Marie Smith talk about why Broadcast News still resonates in conversations about women and ambition.TAMARA KEITH, HOST: Many people have role models growing up. One of mine was Holly Hunter's character in the 1987 classic "Broadcast News."(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BROADCAST NEWS")HOLLY HUNTER: (As Jane Craig) What? No. You missed them. We only have 10 minutes left. How can you talk to me about parking problems? No, not you'll try - you'll do it. Do it.KEITH: Hunter play...
NPR •

What film has become your family's holiday ritual?

NPR's Stephen Thompson and Kathryn Fink talk about the movies their families return to every holiday season and why those traditions stick.SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST: Some movies are laser-focused on the family market, like the "Toy Story" films...(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TOY STORY")TIM ALLEN: (As Buzz Lightyear) To infinity and beyond.PFEIFFER: ...Or the Steve Martin/John Candy comedy classic "Planes, Trains And Automobiles" about two men trying to get home in time for Thanksgiving.(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "...
NPR •

Is GB News the Fox News of the U.K.?

While President Trump was at Windsor Castel for his second state visit to the United Kingdom on Wednesday, an hour's drive away hundreds of anti-Trump protesters marched down Regent Street in London. Organized by the Stop Trump Coalition, the street was full of signs and chants rejecting his rhetoric towards migrants, and alleged ties to dead financier Jeffrey Epstein. "I'm not happy about the fact that he's been allowed to come to this country," Chris Porteus, who traveled from Devon, told...
NPR •

Joe Hickerson didn't just document American folk music. He shaped it

Library of Congress archivist Joe Hickerson has died at 89. For decades, he worked to preserve America's collection of folk music and served as director of the library's American Folklife Center.AILSA CHANG, HOST: Joe Hickerson, a beloved archivist at the Library of Congress, died last week in Portland, Oregon. He was 89. For more than three decades, he worked to preserve America's collection of folk music. NPR's Kathryn Fink has this remembrance.KATHRYN FINK, BYLINE: In the tight-knit folk com...
NPR •

"Bending the Bars" album highlights incarcerated artists

A new hip-hop album takes us inside the Florida prison system – featuring fifteen artists in correctional facilities across the state.: [POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Gary Field is serving a 15-year sentence in the Broward County jail system. He is currently serving his sentence in a facility run by the Florida Department of Corrections.]MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: A new hip-hop album takes us inside the Florida prison system and features 15 artists i...
NPR •

D.C. opens its first LGBTQ senior home

Mary's House for Older Adults in Washington, D.C., is a new affordable housing project that is trying to ease the barriers LGBTQ seniors face when looking for safe, affordable housing.MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Finding affordable housing is challenging for nearly any American. It can be harder for senior citizens and even harder for seniors who are part of the LGBTQ community. A new affordable housing project here in Washington is trying to address that. NPR's Kathryn Fink visited Mary's House fo...
NPR •

One story of finding love in the height of the pandemic

It's been five years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. This week, we're bringing stories of people who found an unexpected dose of joy amid so much devastation.MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: This week marks five years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. There was so much loss and devastation but also, occasionally, moments of hope. We are sharing some of those moments this week, starting with Sharla Riddle (ph), a 63-year-old...
NPR •

Actor Josh Gad on three performances that shaped his career

Actor Josh Gad, best known for his roles in Frozen and Book of Mormon, is out with a new memoir about his life and career.SCOTT DETROW, HOST: From an endearing Mormon missionary to a goofy animated snowman who likes warm hugs, Josh Gad has made a name for himself through offbeat characters. He's out with a new memoir called "In Gad We Trust." And recently, we asked him to tell us about three performances that have shaped him as an actor. The first one takes us all the way back to 1998. And that...
NPR •

The next generation of firefighters learned how to fight fires while in prison

California has long relied on its prison population to help fight wildfires. It is one of at least 14 states that operates fire camps for incarcerated people to train to fight fires. It's an alternative sentencing option — an opportunity to serve the public as wildfires become increasingly urgent. For some who attend fire camp, it becomes a pathway to a life calling. “I didn't really know, like, you know, what a wildland firefighter was. But once I got there, as time went on, I actually em...
NPR •

The representation of climate change on-screen is scant, but growing

The representation of climate change on-screen is scant, but growing

Researchers says the movies of the last decade are a missed opportunity, as very few of them address the urgency of climate change. They surveyed 250 of the most popular movies between 2013 and 2022.

Movies can be powerful cultural messengers for ideas, behaviors and values. But a team of researchers says the movies of the last decade or so have missed an opportunity because very few of them address the urgency of climate cha
NPR •

This airport has never lost a bag. For one chief handler, it's all about respect

This airport has never lost a bag. For one chief handler, it's all about respect

As the summer travel season begins, thousands of bags will go missing at airports all over the world. It's a given at this point. But not at one particular airport in Japan that makes a stunning claim: it has never lost a piece of luggage.

Kansai International Airport opened in September 1994, on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, and its records state it has maintained a perfect baggage streak since.

That's a lo
NPR •

From tweet to three-book deal, this author wants to transform the fantasy genre

From tweet to three-book deal, this author wants to transform the fantasy genre

A new young adult novel called Blood at the Root follows a Black teen learning to harness his ancestral magic. Before it was a novel, it was a failed TV pilot. Before that, it was a tweet.

The new young adult novel "Blood At The Root" follows a Black teen learning to harness his ancestral magic. But before it was a novel, it was a failed TV pilot. And before it was a failed TV pilot, it was a tweet. NPR's Kathryn F