Immersive forest schools, in which students are instructed outside rather than in classrooms, have become a learning experience for many – and have added benefits in a time of pandemic. Source

When the pandemic shut down live concerts, pioneering hip hop producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland wanted to give people a show, and developed what became a viral online music battle series: Verzuz, in which noted musical artists (such as John Legend and Alicia Keys) perform head-to-head. Contributor Kelefa Sanneh talks with two musical legends, Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight, about their recent matchup. Source

When the pandemic shut down live concerts, a new online music battle series, with artists like Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle going head-to-head, went viral. Source

Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of toy company Melissa & Doug, seemed to have it all. The firm that she started in 1988 with her husband Doug grew into an iconic brand worth a billion dollars. But despite the trappings of success, Bernstein still experienced an existential depression. Now for the first time she’s opening up about her lifelong mental health battle in a new book, “LifeLines: An Inspirational Journey From Profound Darkness to Radiant Light.” Correspondent David Pogue sat down with Melissa and Doug to talk about her ongoing journey, and about the launch of their online mental health hub LifeLines, which she hopes will help others who struggle with self-acceptance. Source

Seventy-three-year-old Jimmy “Duck” Holmes is the last of the old Bentonia bluesmen – a brand of blues known for its haunting, hypnotic style. For decades, Holmes had played mostly at his own juke joint, the Blue Front café, But a couple years ago, his friend and manager brought him to Nashville for a secret purpose: to record a blues album with musician and producer Dan Auerbach. The result: “Cypress Grove,” a Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album. Steve Hartman reports. Source

British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka has won fans around the world with a sound that defies easy description – a mix of blues, rock, funk, R&B, jazz and soul. Correspondent Seth Doane talks with the musician who has been called “Britain’s Otis Redding” about how he struggled with self-confidence, and why his eponymous, Grammy-nominated album, “Kiwanuka,” is an appreciation of what sets him apart. Source

Despite the trappings of success, Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of the iconic toy company, still experienced a lifelong depression. Now she’s opening up about her inward journey in a new book, “LifeLines,” and with an online mental health hub she hopes will help others. Source

The new Netflix documentary, “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” tells the story of teenagers with disabilities who attended an upstate New York summer camp in 1971 would go on to become powerful leaders in the disability rights movement. Correspondent Rita Braver talks with Jim LeBrecht, who – 50 years after attending Camp Jened – collaborated with Emmy-winning filmmaker Nicole Newnham on their acclaimed documentary, now shortlisted for an Academy Award. Braver also talks with activist Judy Heumann about how the Camp Jened experience inspired her in advocating for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Source

This week’s bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who withdrew from official royal duties and resettled in America, shone a light on ways in which London’s tabloid newspapers have come to dominate public life in Britain. Correspondent Holly Williams talks with former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie and radio host James O’Brien about the relationship between the royal family and the press, and how fear of the tabloids’ power has colored a centuries-old institution. Source

This week’s bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shone a light on the ways London’s tabloid newspapers have come to box the royal family into “a trapping environment.” Source