Culture

Khawla Ibraheem in “A Knock on the Roof.”

A Snapshot of a Mother’s Life in Gaza Under Occupation A Snapshot of a Mother’s Life in Gaza Under Occupation

Khawla Ibraheem’s play A Knock on the Roof examines how the Israeli military terrorizes Palestinians in their most intimate and private spaces: their homes.

Feb 6, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Ahmed Moor

Elon Musk Straight-Arms the World

Elon Musk Straight-Arms the World Elon Musk Straight-Arms the World

From X to rallies, Musk’s fascist messages are clear.

Feb 5, 2025 / OppArt / Giulio Bonasera

A woman with a ponytail walks through a door.

Trump’s Phony Trade Wars Are Evidence of American Imperial Decline Trump’s Phony Trade Wars Are Evidence of American Imperial Decline

President’s bullying of allies yields symbolic results—but betrays substantive weakness.

Feb 5, 2025 / Jeet Heer

“Summer Interior” by Edward Hopper, 1909. Located at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Vigdis Hjorth and the Novel of Ugly Love Vigdis Hjorth and the Novel of Ugly Love

In If Only, the Norwegian novelist distills a story of romance into all its private discomfort and claustrophobia. Its intense ambivalence in regards to love feels truer to life. ...

Feb 4, 2025 / Books & the Arts / David Schurman Wallace

Robert Lipsyte On How YA Novels Can Save The World

Robert Lipsyte On How YA Novels Can Save The World Robert Lipsyte On How YA Novels Can Save The World

Legendary sports writer Robert Lipsyte joins the show to discuss his new YA novel, Rhino’s Run.

Feb 3, 2025 / Podcast / Dave Zirin

The Elion-Hitchings Building in 2020 before its demolition.

The Dubious Return of the Brutalists The Dubious Return of the Brutalists

Why the stark 20th-century architectural style is back in vogue.

Feb 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Brook

Declaration: Who Gets Redacted ?

Declaration: Who Gets Redacted ? Declaration: Who Gets Redacted ?

A revolutionary document and evidence of many contradictions in the history of the United States.

Jan 31, 2025 / OppArt / Reginald Dwayne Betts and Titis Kaphar

Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Monday, January 20, 2025.

The Social Critic Who Predicted Big Tech’s Dark Turn The Social Critic Who Predicted Big Tech’s Dark Turn

Theodore Roszak and the perils of technocracy.

Jan 31, 2025 / Peter Richardson and Michael J. Kramer

A comic by Jules Feiffer

Devastating Empathy: Jules Feiffer, 1929–2025 Devastating Empathy: Jules Feiffer, 1929–2025

The cartoonist and writer proved that the deadliest skewering is informed by understanding.

Jan 30, 2025 / Obituary / Jeet Heer

The Art of Reading Like a Translator

The Art of Reading Like a Translator The Art of Reading Like a Translator

In The Philosophy of Translation, Damion Searls investigates the essential differences—and similarities—between the task of the translator and of the writer.

Jan 30, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lily Meyer

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