Katie Burk/NPR

Ask Me Another is one of NPR's exciting new shows, and its audience is growing with each weekly episode. That's why today we're featuring a listener letter that will solve a puzzle many an Ask Me Another fan has ruminated on since the show's inception: How can I be a contestant?

The note is from Katy, a Curious Listener who recently discovered the show, can't get enough of of puzzles, word games and trivia, and wants to be a contender on the Ask Me Another stage.

We love to hear from fans of our various shows. And — let's be honest — fans make the best contestants, right? So whether you're new to Ask Me Another like Katy or have been a devotee since the beginning, we want you to know how to be a part of one of NPR's newest programs.

For those of you in the New York area and anyone planning to swing through the city in mid-June, we've got the golden-egg of trivia opportunities (and this one's not for the feeble-kneed either folks). Ask Me Another is looking for contestants to join the team in their free SummerStage event on Friday, June 14. You'll be on stage at the Central Park Bandshell for the taping, which features VIPs including singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, puzzlemaster Will Shortz, Studio 360's Kurt Andersen and his wife, writer Anne Kreamer.

Think you've got the chops? Email askmeanother@npr.org to request a Contestant Quiz.

Katie Burk/NPR

Send your questions about the inner workings of NPR, something you heard during a program, or anything else NPR-related to NPR Listener Services. Your question and the answer might even end up on the This is NPR blog.

Who says people in public radio can't make some noise? On Wednesday, some members of the NPR staff showed their vocal chops by cheering on fellow teammates at the ACLI Capital Challenge, a three-mile run for charity held in Washington, D.C.'s Anacostia Park.

Joining forces with other staff in media and government for the annual race, NPR made sure its presence was both seen and heard with 50 NPR runners on 10 teams, the most from a single group. In honor of their extra gusto, the NPR runners were awarded 'Best Spirit'. Here's to three (very loud) cheers for Team NPR.

Some runners touted both spirit and speed: The NPR Science Desk clocked in the fastest male and female on-air journalists with Correspondent Jon Hamilton (19:12) and Producer Lulu Miller (22:56). Off-air, NPR Music's A Blog Supreme Host Patrick Jarenwattananon was the fastest runner on Team NPR, finishing at an impressive 18:48 minutes. NPR's efforts were also rewarded with a 2nd place finish in the Electronic Media category. Kudos to 'North Capitol Challengers': Jarenwattananon, Hamilton, Javaun Moradi, Shirish Date and Becky Hersher.

Flip through the slideshow below to see a few spirited moments from the race:

The NPR Creative Services and Branding team is making headlines again.

In March, the visionary trio of in-house designers – composed of Kathie Miller, Betsy Martin and Katie Burk (and bolstered by NPR Shop dynamo, Barbara Sopato) – was honored by the American Advertising Federation for the fourth consecutive year.

Nabbing one Gold and thee Silver ADDY Adwards for their work on the "pin-tellectual" NPR Election 2012 buttons; wholesome holiday cards; promotional posters for NPR Music; and the coveted 2013 NPR Wall Calendar. These most recent recognitions bring our gals to a total of 11 awards from the AAF's prestigious Washington, D.C., chapter since 2009.

We couldn't be more proud! Check out their award-winning work for 2012, here:

As part of NPR's series The Changing Lives Of Women, our fearless female journalists are answering tough questions about their careers and offering insight into what it means to "have it all." Nina Totenberg, Audie Cornish and others responded in online essays and some took their best mantras to social media as well.

The tips and tricks for working women are piling up at NPR's She Works: Note To Self, a sister site for the series where you can create, share and print a custom poster and check out one-liners, from the amusing to the serious, submitted by listeners.

Soon after the site launched last week, NPR staff were just as eager to share and solicit advice as our listeners. Colorful posters popped up around the NPR HQ. Our colleagues were blowing up the #sheworks hashtag, with both their own words and important advice they came across at She Works. Check out the slideshow to see what they had to say.

And a big hand to the team behind this project - The Picture Show's Claire O'Neill; Kitty Eisele and Selena Simmons-Duffin from Morning Edition; Brian Boyer, Jeremy Bowers, Danny DeBelius, Christopher Groskopf and Alyson Hurt from our News Apps team (@nprapps); and Social Media Product Manager Kate Myers.

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Angie Hamilton-Lowe/NPR

Pat Sajak has been hosting Wheel of Fortune for 30 years, the entire time it's been in syndication. Sajak says he was "fortunate enough to wander onto the set" after the show's creator, Merv Griffin, called him up to explain that the original host Chuck Woolery was leaving and the job was Sajak's if he wanted it.

In an interview for Weekend Edition Sunday, Sajak told Host Rachel Martin about his three decades hosting "Wheel," as its fans call it, and how he wound up at the helm of one of TV's longest-running game shows.

Sajak didn't aspire to be "behind the wheel," as Martin said. In fact, he explained, "If I were to make a list of the 50 things I thought I'd end up doing in broadcasting, game show host would be 47." And indeed, he's had a roundabout career to get there. Sajak worked the overnight shift as a newscaster for a Spanish-language radio station, despite speaking no Spanish. After leaving college, Sajak joined the Army, got sent to Vietnam, and later got himself transferred to Saigon, where he became the Good Morning, Vietnam guy. Eventually he landed as a weatherman at a local Los Angeles television station, where he caught Griffin's attention.

Of course we can't talk about Wheel of Fortune without talking about Vanna White. She joined the show a year after Sajak, who says they're lucky to have her, and that they work well together.

"We share a certain sensibility. And that is, we take our jobs seriously but we don't take ourselves too seriously," Sajak said.

I didn't actually get to talk to Pat Sajak myself; I was busy trying to impress a room full of art school students. Luckily, they all perked up and excited murmurs went around the group when Sajak walked by the room.

On his way out, he held up a sign. It read "I <3 N_R." Would you like to solve the puzzle?

You've heard her reporting from Jerusalem or Libya, and perhaps you remember her news updates from Baghdad or Mexico City before that. Now NPR International Correspondent Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is on the move again, this time unpacking her mic in São Paulo, Brazil. Her new role as South American correspondent is part of NPR's expanded coverage of Latin America and the Carribbean, and coincides with a new collaboration between NPR and WLRN in Miami. With the region's growing global role, we expect you'll be hearing a lot from her. And now, the fun facts you won't hear on air... for example, we've got a Game of Thrones fan on our hands.

Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian, courtesy of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

My name... Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
NPR employee... since November 2004
Public radio listener since... November 2004 (I lived overseas).
My job at NPR is... the best job in the world, South America correspondent.

The Newscast headline reporting the last year in my life would be... 'In a shocking move, Johnny Depp gives his private island retreat to NPR radio personality for no reason.' One can dream!

I use social media to... check up on ex-boyfriends. Kidding. To connect with friends and see what's going on in the world.

When I go into the studio, I always have... A blanket. I don't have a studio and I cant tell you the amount of times I've had to huddle underneath a towel or something to stop that echoey sound. Not fun.

I wanted to be... exactly this ...when I grew up.

I make it a point to never miss... Game of Thrones. "Winter is coming". Enough said.

I listen best when... people tell me to shut up and listen.

On Sunday morning, you'll find me... with my daughter, asleep.

My next gadget will be... my own Virgin Galactic space rocket.

In my suitcase, you'll find... a scale. Embarrassing but true. I even dragged it to the western mountains in Libya. I consider it a good luck charm now.

The North Carolina Press Association (NCPA) recently honored Carl Kasell as the 2013 North Carolinian of the Year recognizing his years of journalism in the Tar Heel State and throughout the country.

As part of the festivities, the NCPA composed this video tribute with highlights from his distinguished career. In the video, Kasell himself explains how he came to be a broadcaster, the true pronunciation of his last name (which you've probably never heard!) and why, in his mind, he's never actually worked a day in his life. Kasell's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! partner-in-crime Peter Sagal and his former intern, Katie Couric, offer some sweet words for our guy too.

Congratulations, Carl, on an honor well deserved!

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Melissa Kuypers/NPR

Tina Gordon Chism started off as an intern in the writers room of The Cosby Show. Then she wrote two movies: Drumline and ATL. And tomorrow her directorial debut Peeples opens in theaters, so she came in to talk with Tell Me More Host Michel Martin about the film's real-life familiar premise: meeting your significant other's family for the first time.

Additional Information:

Hear the Interview

Movies

Tina Gordon Chism On Directing Her Star-Studded 'Peeples'

The movie stars several popular and accomplished actors (Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson as the couple, David Alan Grier as Washington's father, and Diahann Carroll as her grandmother), something that Chism thought would be intimidating for a first-time director. But on the first day, Carroll made a speech about how excited she was to be working on this movie with this cast. It set a great tone for the entire shoot.

During the interview, Chism told Martin about the inspiration for the premise of the movie and a few of the characters too: her own life. Chism recalls anticipating meeting her boyfriend's family for the first time. She had seen pictures, and thought they seemed perfect, describing them as the "Chocolate Kennedys." But then, during a weekend with them, she realized there were cracks in the façade along with unconditional love. Grier's character in the movie is inspired by a family friend: an accomplished, powerful, African-American family man, who spent an entire dinner whispering to Chism that her boyfriend wasn't a suitable match.

If that's not enough, in the interview you also get to hear a clip that Chism refers to as the "sweat-off" scene, which takes place during a shoot she calls "Moby Dick Day." You'll just have to listen to find out why.

And on her way out, Chism took a minute to show some love for NPR. No, I mean she REALLY loves NPR.

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Melissa Kuypers/NPR

First off, a warning: If you're like us, you'll find yourself singing Burt Bacharach tunes for the rest of the day after you listen to his interview with Weekend Edition Saturday. But it's pretty hard to be in a bad mood while singing about raindrops falling on your head, so listen away.

Additional Information:

Hear The Interview & More

Author Interviews

Burt Bacharach: 'Never Be Afraid Of Something That You Can Whistle'

Books

Anyone Who Had a Heart

In an interview with NPR Host Scott Simon, Bacharach (excuse me, Burt, as he insisted Simon call him) talked about his prolific music career, which is captured in a new autobiography Anyone Who Had a Heart. By the numbers, the songwriter has 73 hits on the Top 40 chart, and has won multiple Oscars in addition to the Gershwin Prize. To be fair, he also told NPR about the 80 songs he wrote over two years that weren't hits.

"You want to forget about those. Not every one is a gem," he said.

This songwriter's career is more than the sum of his awards and chart-toppers. Listen to the interview to hear Burt talk about the advice he's never forgotten: Never be afraid of something that you can whistle; and how he wrote a song about rain for a rainless scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

If that's not enough, you'll also hear snippets of many of his songs, including "That's What Friends Are For" and the process of writing it with his then-wife Carole Bayer Sager. On his way out, rather than just "Walk On By," (sorry, couldn't resist), Burt showed NPR a little of "What the World Needs Now."

Love. Sweet love.

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NPR

The next time you browse the web on your phone, be sure to visit the NPR homepage. We've got a new experience there for smartphone users, and NPR Digital is launching it today.

On your phone, just point your browser to NPR.org. We have optimized the new homepage for web browsers on iOS and Android phones. Highlights of the new page include:

Infinite headlines: The new mobile homepage features the moment's top news, arts and music stories, followed by an unlimited list of links to all of NPR's recent best.

Smartphone-friendly stories: For the first time, each mobile homepage headline links to the full version of that story, including all photos, audio and video. You won't find any more abridged articles. In the past year, we've redesigned our stories to work well on phones and other devices.

Easy access to audio: At the top of the new mobile homepage, you'll find quick ways to listen to NPR. Play the "24-hour program stream" to hear a continuous lineup of our recently aired shows. Or tap "hear news & programs" to play hourly news updates or browse all of our shows.

More at your fingertips: Visitors entering our site through the mobile homepage will now have access to story comments, advanced searching and extended NPR listening opportunities, such as NPR Music's First Listen series.

What's next: This new homepage for phone-size screens is the first step in creating a fully responsive NPR front page that will work for people using a wide range of devices, from phones to tablets to desktops. Stay tuned.

We're continuing to develop features, so expect more to come. When you have a moment, visit the new homepage on your phone and let us know what you think. We welcome your feedback.

Patrick Cooper is the senior product manager for NPR.org and storytelling tools.

On May 2, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! beamed our beloved news-quiz show live into movie theaters across the country, from Seattle to Miami.

Fans gathered to experience Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! like never before. Just like the radio version, this big-screen debut created a communal experience that was big fun.

The standard movie-going etiquette was tossed aside as audiences happily broke into bursts of applause and cheering throughout the two-hour show: when the public radio stars were introduced (especially Carl Kasell), after Steve Martin and the panelists gave a correct answer or when Peter Sagal delivered a particularly hilarious quip. In some theaters, audiences weren't even shy about blurting out the answers.

And what would our quasi-Hollywood event be like without paparazzi? We kept the flashes popping all night long so you could see more of the fun from the stage in the slideshow below. And if you weren't able to make it, buy tickets for the encore showing in select theaters tonight, May 7 at 7:30 PM (local time).

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Melissa Kuypers/NPR

Natalie Maines launched her music career with the Dixie Chicks; her powerful vocals leading the all-female trio in their rise to fame. The group took some time off after they faced backlash from the country music community following their expression of disapproval for President George W. Bush. Now, Maines is back with a solo album called Mother, and she came to NPR to talk about it with All Things Considered Host Melissa Block.

Additional Information:

Hear the Interview & 'Mother'

First Listen

First Listen: Natalie Maines, 'Mother'

Music Interviews

Natalie Maines On Motherhood, Eddie Vedder And Leaving Country Music

To start, Mother is not a country album. While she loves what the Dixie Chicks did and her bandmates Emily Robinson and Martie McGuire, Maines tells NPR that country music was never where she saw herself. Her new record isn't so much a reinvention as it is a representation of who she really is as a solo artist. After 15 years performing with Robinson and McGuire, however, this new project has its challenges.

"On stage, it can feel a little naked to not have them on either side," she says.

Hear Maines talk about the Dixie Chicks, touring and more in her All Things Considered interview. Listen to songs from the album, including a cover of Eddie Vedder's song "Without You" and Roger Waters' "Mother" from the Pink Floyd album The Wall over at NPR Music. And see her here, showing a little love for NPR.

As co-host of Planet Money, Alex Blumberg is making a t-shirt (well, about one thousand of them) – and bringing listeners on the complicated global odyssey behind the production of the basic cotton tee. In a series of reports airing on All Things Considered and Morning Edition throughout the summer, Alex and Planet Money, a joint project of NPR and This American Life, are threading together the entire process: from finding funding; to visiting garment factories in Bangladesh and Colombia; to navigating cargo ships and the "crazy tangle" of international regulations.

Check out here how you can get your hands on a #PlanetTee and follow its production around the globe.

Planet Money co-host Alex Blumberg.

Lam Vo/NPR

My name is... Alex Blumberg
Public Radio employee since... 1999
Public radio listener since... I first begged my parents to turn off Garrison Keillor in the back seat of our Honda Civic when I was a kid. Soon my kids will beg me to do the same thing.
My job at NPR is... editor/reporter/co-host of Planet Money, and t-shirt maker.

I use social media to... see baby pictures and find things to read. Doesn't everybody?

When I tell people I work for NPR, they often say... where do you get your stories.

The Newscast headline reporting the last year in my life would be... "Man Makes Business and Economics Fun."

Ask Me Another question about... the causes of financial crisis.

The one word I always stumble over on air is... "particularly."

I've learned the most about radio from... Ira Glass.

"How to Do Everything" ...is a breath of Fresh Air.

If I could share a coffee with anyone, it would be... [former NBS player] Kenny "the Jet" Smith.

Listening is most important... when other people aren't doing it.

Beth Donovan/NPR

Actress Sophia Bush hung out with NPR at the "table for kids with peanut allergies" this past weekend, as our guest for the White House Correspondents' Dinner. (Clearly she doesn't carry the same attitudes as her popular, captain-of-the-cheerleading-squad character on One Tree Hill).

In addition to social events around the Saturday dinner, our hosts Peter Sagal and David Greene, joined Bush and author Khaled Hosseini (who was also an NPR guest at the dinner) for a tour of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The group spent time with wounded soldiers and veterans at the facility. Afterwards, Bush shared a picture from the visit on Instagram, saying,

"I had the most inspiring morning visiting with the #WoundedWarriors at Walter Reed in DC. Seeing these young men who have lost limbs & suffered unimaginable pain, yet are in high spirits, is incredible. What resilience. What passion, I am so humbled and so grateful for their service."

Before leaving town, the Hatfields & McCoys star wanted to show some NPR love too. See her here, cheering us on inside the new NPR headquarters.

NPR's Planet Money co-host Adam Davidson appeared on The Colbert Report last week to explain Bitcoin and what people do with this digital currency. To wrap up the segment, Host Stephen Colbert added some context to the issue:

"[Does NPR] take bitcoin in exchange for, like, tote bags?... If Bitcoin gets there, we know Bitcoin's made it." Watch more from their conversation here: