After Abolition After Abolition
Prisons and cops survive only in tales for the young like twin Atlantises or two drowned boogeymen. A cop’s as harmless a Halloween getup as any monster, while a prisoner costume’s…
Oct 6, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Kyle Carrero Lopez
The Supreme Court’s War on Equality The Supreme Court’s War on Equality
In Supreme Inequality, Adam Cohen offers a damning indictment of Supreme Court jurisprudence, reminding us of just how political the country's highest court is.
Oct 5, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Randall Kennedy
The Perils of Creativity and Capitalism in ‘Tesla’ The Perils of Creativity and Capitalism in ‘Tesla’
Michael Almereyda’s biopic of the eccentric inventor is a portrait of the tensions that arise when art and commerce intersect.
Sep 23, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Will We Ever Get Rid of the Electoral College? Will We Ever Get Rid of the Electoral College?
The system that is nobody’s first choice.
Sep 22, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Michael Kazin
Tea Tea
I can’t get away from it. Felted-up reenactors shoving a great fake crate of it into the Harbor and jeering. After the tour group leaves, they fish it back out and towel it off, un…
Sep 22, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Natalie Shapero
Apocryphal Apocryphal
You made me crude because you were afraid and too easily in awe— but I also loved that about you, the sincerity of your love, the centrality of your worry. Had I intervened to priv…
Sep 22, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Christopher Phelps
Orlando Patterson and the Postcolonial Predicament Orlando Patterson and the Postcolonial Predicament
Out of the ruins of colonialism and empire, the sociologist insisted we could fashion a more egalitarian and liberated future.
Sep 21, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Adom Getachew
All 21 of Mississippi’s Beaches Are Closed Because of Toxic Algae (CNN headline) All 21 of Mississippi’s Beaches Are Closed Because of Toxic Algae (CNN headline)
It starts with the sweetest contaminant masks: hound’s-tooth, hummingbirds & hibiscus. The tagline: Breathe us in on Instagram. It starts with Instagram, the masks modeled near…
Sep 8, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Catherine Pierce
Duck & Groundcover Duck & Groundcover
Meadows petaled turquoise. They shiver like glacial lakes Even when the sun shines. A duck could be forgiven, Then, the lack of grace In a dry landing. The ooofff! We…
Sep 8, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jay Hopler
Can the American University Be Saved? Can the American University Be Saved?
Covid-19 has revealed the glaring inequalities of higher ed in the United States and may push the system to the point of crisis.
Sep 8, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Daniel Bessner