Books & the Arts

Jazz Fest and the Ghosts of New Orleans

Jazz Fest and the Ghosts of New Orleans Jazz Fest and the Ghosts of New Orleans

In a city divided by extremes, the festival brings together all kinds of people to cook up something marvelous.

May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Eric Alterman

Grand Flattery: The Yale Grand Strategy Seminar Grand Flattery: The Yale Grand Strategy Seminar

Why are Yale and other top universities teaching a Grand Strategy seminar if the conditions that seemed to call for grand strategizing no longer exist?

May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Thomas Meaney and Stephen Wertheim

An Enduring Condition: On War Time

An Enduring Condition: On War Time An Enduring Condition: On War Time

For Mary Dudziak, we are now experiencing a time of permanent war, one that does not bother everyday Americans.

May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Peter Maass

funeral coffee tea funeral coffee tea

my stepmother called regarding the arrangement for my dad’s funeral she is actually my second stepmother and she wanted to do things informally in a manner that my dad would’ve liked you should understand that this stepmother is two years younger than I am and that she is very very cute well this was it the funeral banquet will be in the church hall but it won’t just be coffee tea and cookies it would be coffee tea and my dad’s favorite sandwich peanut butter and bananas what could I say? it’s true I said that that was his favorite sandwich but his favorite meal was steak and lobster and it was a dead silence on the other end of the phone

May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Michael Casey

Pieces of a Man: On Gil Scott Heron Pieces of a Man: On Gil Scott Heron

The musician’s posthumous memoir, The Last Holiday, is as rich and ambiguous as his declaration that “The Revolution Will Not be Televised.”

May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Franklin Bruno

Maurice Sendak’s Cultural Influence Maurice Sendak’s Cultural Influence

Generally considered the leading children's book writer of the past century, his books were touchstones of youth for the generation born after 1960.

May 8, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Peter Rothberg

MCA’s Feminist Legacy MCA’s Feminist Legacy

How the Beastie Boys brought hope to female hip hop fans.

May 8, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Jessica Valenti

Goodbye MCA Goodbye MCA

For me, losing a Beastie Boy is like what losing a Beatle was to my father's generation.

May 4, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Peter Rothberg

Marine Le Pen and the False Specter of European Fascism

Marine Le Pen and the False Specter of European Fascism Marine Le Pen and the False Specter of European Fascism

Americans who worry about dangerous trends overseas should take a look at warning signs much closer to home.

May 2, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Alexander Cockburn

Empty and Full: On Stanley Whitney and Jacqueline Humphries

Empty and Full: On Stanley Whitney and Jacqueline Humphries Empty and Full: On Stanley Whitney and Jacqueline Humphries

When is a little more than enough in a painting?

May 2, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

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