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Andrew Bird ruminates on a line from Joan Didion's 1968 essay collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

Writer William Loiseaux faints -- frequently. He has done quite a bit of scientific, linguistic, cultural and historical research on the act of fainting, and has come to feel proud of his "gift." He's written a treatise of sorts on the topic. It's called In Defense of Fainting. William Loizeaux's essay was originally published, in a much longer version, in The American Scholar.

NPR's Jacki Lyden asks listeners to help launch a new regular segment on All Things Considered Weekends by sending us brief stories about favorite photos they have taken. Listeners should e-mail their essays of 150 words or less to: watc@npr.org.

Modern dance icon Merce Cunningham is now the published artist. His book of sketches, Other Animals: Drawing and Journals, shows Cunningham at his most whimsical. The combined effect of the essays, drawings and photos of some of his best-known dance numbers reveal much about both his creative spirit and how he approaches choreography.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Jeff Sharlet about his new book This Brilliant Darkness, a collection of mostly short essays and snapshots about strangers living with isolation or suffering.

At the center of the book is the battle between obligation to one's community and the obligation to one's individual interests and needs. It's that tension that produces guilt — and it's the springboard for a collection of delightful essays.

We remember former All Things Considered commentator John McIlwraith, whose essays aired between 1990 and 2001. His deep Scottish accent and wit charmed listeners with essays that spanned from his childhood bout with TB to his lack of appreciation for the bagpipe.

Twelve Breaths a Minute: End-of-Life Essays captures the experiences of family members, doctors, caregivers and others who have learned valuable lessons from witnessing life's final moments.

Greats including Winston Churchill and Graham Greene weigh in on the legendary comic actor Charlie Chaplin in a new essay collection. Editor Richard Shickel talks about The Essential Chaplin.