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The State Department has collected essays of 15 top authors on what it means to be an American writer. The anthology, aimed at promoting American values abroad, will be distributed free at U.S. embassies worldwide. An anti-propaganda law makes it illegal to disseminate the works in the United States, but they are available on a government Web site aimed at foreign audiences. NPR's Susan Stamberg interviews novelists Bharati Mukherjee and Charles Johnson about their participation in the project.

Ever since he took second place in a junior-division Pillsbury Bake-Off, Greg Patent has loved baking. Now he's collected recipes and lore from two centuries of American bakers in a new cookbook, Baking in America.

Mechanical engineer Don Gilmore has the key to a persistent musical problem: how to keep a piano perpetually in tune. The top-selling line of Story-Clark grand pianos will soon be outfitted with Gilmore's self-tuning device. Hear from Gilmore and NPR's John Ydstie.

Bluesy Blind Pig Records has now been around 25 years -- a long life span for an independent. It grew from a basement operation in Michigan to one of music's top specialty labels. Hear from NPR's John Ydstie, Blind Pig co-founder Edward Chmelewski and singer Deborah Coleman.

David Callahan's book Kindred Spirits chronicles the achievements of Harvard Business School's class of l949. The year produced leaders of many top American enterprises, including Xerox, Bloomingdale's, Capital City-ABC and the Sequoia Fund. Callahan speaks with NPR's John Ydstie and Joe Nocera of Fortune magazine.

A new off-Broadway play is all about hats -- sort of. Based on a book of photos by photographer Michael Cunningham and journalist Craig Marberry, Crowns tells the story of six African-American women through the hats they wear to church. On Weekend Edition Saturday, Jeff Lunden reports. Online, view a photo gallery of costume sketches for the play.

President Bush meets with Brazil's leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the White House. Market reform talks are on the table with the key South American trading partner. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and top White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey resign as a jump in unemployment figures and United Airlines' financial woes stir more concern about the U.S. economy. Hear more from NPR's Scott Simon and Joe Nocera of Fortune magazine.

The notions of freedom, democracy and free speech are sometimes difficult for adults to comprehend and express. NPR's Neva Grant visits a group of eighth-graders trying to make sense of the First Amendment. It's part of Morning Edition "Citizen Student" series on civics education.

Karl Rove, President Bush's top political adviser, plays a pivotal role in both policy and politics. He has gotten credit for the Republican victories in the midterm elections and for the president's high popularity ratings. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.