The ultimate summer camp for artists. For a century New Hampshire’s MacDowell Colony has given artists studio space in the woods, no interruptions, and a picnic basket delivered to the cabin door. We’ll hear from MacDowell alums Mike Daisey, a monologist, and Tara Geer, a visual artist. The writer Henry Alford gets inspired to start his own artist colony, and delivers lunch by subway to a hand-picked group of artists. Plus, novelist Porochista Khakpour and an in-studio performance from gospel legends, The Blind Boys of Alabama.

Kyle Baker turns Nat Turner’s 1831 slave rebellion into a 21st century graphic novel. “Little House on the Prairie” hits Minneapolis in the form of a big splashy musical. Kurt talks music and politics with songwriter Randy Newman. And we see how a hippie architect became the Yoda of computer programming.

China’s global spotlight didn’t start with the Olympics; its openness to cultural expression has been making waves worldwide. Hear about China’s strategy for remaking its public image in time for the Games. Meet a musician who sings of the woes of 100 million migrant workers who have left rural homes for China's booming cities. And Kurt Andersen talks with Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee, who negotiates the divide between Shanghai and Hollywood.