Books & the Arts

The Fragmented Lives of Nate Lippen

The Fragmented Lives of Nate Lippen The Fragmented Lives of Nate Lippen

His bracing novels represent an honest reckoning with the post-AIDS era and its effect on life and imagination.

Jul 15, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Joshua Gutterman Tranen

The exterior of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, 2025.

The Damage Being Done to the Museums in the Nation’s Capital The Damage Being Done to the Museums in the Nation’s Capital

Our art critic visits the Smithsonian American Art Museum to get a closer look at the Trump administration’s attack on DC arts institutions.

Jul 14, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

James Schuyler in New York City, 1988.

The Miracles of James Schuyler The Miracles of James Schuyler

Nathan Kernan’s biography of the New York School poet tracks the development of his serene and joyful work alongside the chaos of his life.

Jul 7, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Evan Kindley

Jürgen Habermas in Berlin, Germany, 2018.

Jürgen Habermas Still Believes in Modernity Jürgen Habermas Still Believes in Modernity

A conversation with the German theorist about the history of Western philosophy and more.

Jul 7, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

A police officer cordons the entrance to the criminal courts building in New York, where demonstrators protested the acquittal of six transit police officers in the death of graffiti artist Michael Stewart, 1985.

Michael Stewart’s Death Still Haunts New York Michael Stewart’s Death Still Haunts New York

In 1985, police were acquitted in the killing of a graffiti artist and painter, a grisly act that galvanized the city’s art underground. Why has he been forgotten?

Jul 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Michael Shorris

Joan Didion, 2007.

Joan Didion Undone Joan Didion Undone

Notes to John, posthumously published journal entries chronicling Didion’s therapy sessions, is a peek into the myths and fears that animated her writing life.

Jul 2, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Emma Hager

Seth Rogen’s Toothless Hollywood Satire

Seth Rogen’s Toothless Hollywood Satire Seth Rogen’s Toothless Hollywood Satire

The Studio is pitched as a send-up of the idiocy of the entertainment industry, but its potshots are harmless, even friendly.

Jun 25, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi

Exterior of The Bitter End coffee house, a venue specializing in live acoustic folk music, Greenwich Village, New York City, 1960s.

J. Hoberman’s Lost New York J. Hoberman’s Lost New York

In Everything Is Now, the veteran film critic looks back at the downtown art scene of the 1960s.

Jun 24, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Andrew Marzoni

Excerpted from the book “Spent,” provided courtesy of Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2025 by Alison Bechdel. Reprinted by permission.

Alison Bechdel’s Next Step Alison Bechdel’s Next Step

In Spent, the graphic novelist confronts aging, politics, sex, and what it means to succeed under capitalism.

Jun 23, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jillian Steinhauer

Wolfgang Streeck, 2024.

The World Wolfgang Streeck Wants The World Wolfgang Streeck Wants

A conversation with the German sociologist about the challenges that face Europe and his polarizing views on how to roll back the excesses of globalization.

Jun 18, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins

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