Mixed Media The Dallas Morning News

The Dallas Book Festival is Sat., April 30 at the Dallas Public Library. We discuss Lauren Smart's piece on the city's ongoing ambitions to become a literary city. Also, culture critic Chris Vognar and arts and culture editor Christopher Wynn chat with Lauren about a UT Arlington English class that uses analytics to study the work of Jay-Z.

'Mixed Media' listeners get an exclusive first listen to co-host Christopher Wynn's new pop-up podcast, 'Strange.' In this debut episode, four Texans tell their true stories of an encounter with the strange. Author Virginia Savage McAlester reveals for the first time her chilling brush with the Boston Strangler. Investigative journalist Jeff Guinn takes us “creepy-crawling” with Charles Manson’s deranged Family. Novelist Merritt Tierce meets a very personal threat on her own front porch. And Jeffrey Cranor, co-creator of the hit podcast and novel, 'Welcome to Night Vale,' reminds us why we fear the woods at night. Learn more and see exclusive photos at guidelive.com/podcasts or check out two of the featured authors in the new 'Dallas Morning News' #LiteraryDallas interactive: http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/literary-dallas/

We dive into Ben Ratliff's new book 'Every Song Ever,' a listening guide for the age of musical plenty.

Dallas Morning News pop music critic Hunter Hauk, DMN culture critic Chris Vognar and Dallas Observer arts & culture editor Lauren Smart talk shop with DMN arts and culture editor Christopher Wynn about the new music (and old acts) they loved or hated at South by Southwest 2016.

Dallas Morning News culture critic Chris Vognar talks with 'Bernie' screenwriter and 'Texas Monthly' executive editor Skip Hollandsworth about Hollandsworth' new book 'Midnight Assassin,' the story of Austin's infamous serial killer.

The so-called 'Cliburn curse' is being recalled after a virtuoso pianist's wife was charged with killing their 2 daughters in a Fort Worth suburb. ' Dallas Morning News' contributing classical music critic Scott Cantrell discusses the strange tragedy and the even stranger story of the curse. Three previous Van Cliburn International Piano Competition winners have met tragic ends. Download more episodes of the Mixed Media podcast on iTunes.