Glen Weldon
Glen Weldon is a host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. He reviews books, movies, comics and more for the NPR Arts Desk.
Over the course of his career, he has spent time as a theater critic, a science writer, an oral historian, a writing teacher, a bookstore clerk, a PR flack, a completely inept marine biologist and a slightly better-ept competitive swimmer.
Weldon is the author of two cultural histories: Superman: The Unauthorized Biography and The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Atlantic, Slate, McSweeney's and more; his fiction has appeared in several anthologies and other publications. He is the recipient of an NEA Arts Journalism Fellowship, an Amtrak Writers' Residency, a Ragdale Writing Fellowship and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for Fiction.
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Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The Open Ears Project, R.F Kuang's The Poppy War trilogy and a Dungeons & Dragons show called DesiQuest. -
They range in themes, languages and political urgency, but this year's stellar five nominees for the Best International Feature Film Oscar are each deserving of your time for their distinct pleasures. -
The movie "Madame Web" got terrible reviews, but some still found it deliciously good. So what makes a bad movie ... good?
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Oddsmakers say Barbie will win this year's Oscar for production design. Our critic makes the case for Poor Things, which methodically builds a unique world for its main character to thrive within. -
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: the movie Sniper: G.R.I.T., the book Get the Picture, and the shows The Traitors: UK and Blue Eye Samurai. -
After months of delays due to Hollywood strikes, the 2023 Emmys will be held in Los Angeles on Jan. 15. We look at the confusing eligibility rules and the strikes' impact on TV's biggest awards night.
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The 81st Golden Globes were held Sunday night. Was it a comeback after a scandal, or a ho hum awards ceremony? We discuss the highs and lows.
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Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: the Fad Camp podcast, the novel Silver Nitrate, and America Ferrera's much-discussed monologue in Barbie. -
We have five biography and memoir suggestions from NPR's Books We Love: "Spare," "Congratulations! The Best is Over," "Sunshine," "Thicker Than Water," and "Sure, I'll Join Your Cult."
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Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: 5-Second Films, an eye-opening Melrose Place article, the song "Ça plane pour moi" and rewatching 30 Rock.
