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New Yorker staff writer John Cassidy looks at whether Islam is responsible for the lagging economies of many Arab countries. His article “Prophet Motive” appears in the February 28 issue of The New Yorker.

Actors Geraldine Hughes and Ciaran O’Reilly and director Charlotte Moore discuss the first Off-Broadway revival of Brian Friel's “Molly Sweeney:” the story of a blind woman who undergoes an operation to try to restore her sight. “Molly Sweeney” is playing at the Irish Repertory Theater, and its run has been extended to April 10.

Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya talks about his novel, The Storyteller of Marrakesh: the first in an ambitious cycle of novels set in the Islamic world. The storyteller, Hassan, gathers listeners each year to the city square to share their recollections of a young, foreign couple who mysteriously disappeared years earlier, and their tales overlap, confirm, and contradict each other. Hassan hopes the tales will discover the truth, and absolve his brother, who is in prison for their disappearance.

The first silk textiles were created some 5000 years ago. This week's Please Explain is all about silk, and how fibers made by worms create versatile fabrics and have helped shape the culture of much of the world. Mark Norell, Chair of the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, who is currently finishing a book on the Silk Road, talks about the history of silk; Ingrid Johnson, professor of Textile Development and Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology; and Rebecca Robertson, Decorating and Home Editor for Martha Stewart Living join us to discuss how silk is produced, processed, used, and how it should be cared for.

Charlotte Moore stopped by The Leonard Lopate Show to share some of her favorite things with us.

Geraldine Hughes tells us some of her favorite picks after her recent appearance on The Leonard Lopate Show.

Read more to find out what Ciaran O'Reilly has been listening to and watching lately!