Culture
Nostalgia for the American Logger? Nostalgia for the American Logger?
Reflections on Gentlemen of the Woods: Manhood, Myth, and the American Lumberjack.
Christopher Hill’s Revolutions Christopher Hill’s Revolutions
The radical life and work of the historian.
The Invention of Close Reading The Invention of Close Reading
By transforming quotations into evidence, close reading served as way to turn postwar criticism into a specialized knowledge. But what if we treated it more as an art form?
Books
The Invention of Close Reading The Invention of Close Reading
By transforming quotations into evidence, close reading served as way to turn postwar criticism into a specialized knowledge. But what if we treated it more as an art form?
Sigrid Nunez On and Off the Big Screen Sigrid Nunez On and Off the Big Screen
Two new films—Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door and Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s The Friend—attempt to adapt her work. Do they succeed?
Zora Neale Hurston’s Lost Roman Epic Zora Neale Hurston’s Lost Roman Epic
In The Life of Herod the Great, we get a novel full of intrigue, betrayal, and revolution.
Film
The Culture-War Furies Behind Trump’s Film-Tariff Plan The Culture-War Furies Behind Trump’s Film-Tariff Plan
The president doesn’t have the authority to impose tariffs on movies produced abroad, but he still wants to be the right’s designated culture commissar.
The Bloody Blues of “Sinners” The Bloody Blues of “Sinners”
Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster horror period piece sets out to reinvent the creature feature—for better and for worse.
Culture Therapy Culture Therapy
Films to remember for pre-Trumpian times and inspiration.
This President Has Many Puppet Masters This President Has Many Puppet Masters
Trump’s Weekend at Bernie’s White House is inherently chaotic.
Television
Culture Therapy Culture Therapy
Films to remember for pre-Trumpian times and inspiration.
The Creator of “Adolescence” Backs a Social Media Ban for Kids—but It’s the Wrong Move The Creator of “Adolescence” Backs a Social Media Ban for Kids—but It’s the Wrong Move
Although the dangers young people face online are all too clear, the solution is pragmatism, not prohibition.
We Must Save Public Media to Change It We Must Save Public Media to Change It
We need public media more than ever—it’s too precious to let Trump defund it. But to live up to its democratic promise, we must support public media to serve our needs.
Architecture
Real Estate Is the Key to Trump’s Worldview Real Estate Is the Key to Trump’s Worldview
His policies and behavior may often baffle, but he is a developer at heart.
How Atlanta Became a Walkable City How Atlanta Became a Walkable City
The Beltline and Georgia’s experiment in pedestrian spaces.
Parts of LA Are Not Going to Be Habitable Parts of LA Are Not Going to Be Habitable
Insurers have figured out that risk is too high in parts of California. We need to re-conceive how people are housed, and fast.
Music
Can Spotify Be Stopped? Can Spotify Be Stopped?
The streaming service has completely changed what it means to make and listen to music. What can be done to reverse its enormous influence?
MAGA Followers Think They’re Punk Rock—but Then Why Are They All Such Cowards? MAGA Followers Think They’re Punk Rock—but Then Why Are They All Such Cowards?
Trump supporters may think they’re hardcore, but they seem to be afraid of op-eds, books, and history they can’t even bear to read.
In Fred Moten’s Music, Theory Is Put Into Practice In Fred Moten’s Music, Theory Is Put Into Practice
In the poet’s recent musical projects, he has pushed the sonic potential of verse to its limits.
Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy
Our last best hope for sharing, shaping, and wrangling over independent ideas may turn out to be America’s scrappy and disparate arts spaces—if they can hang on financially.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Voice From the Past Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Voice From the Past
The Pakistani qawwali icon sang words written centuries ago and died decades ago. He’s got a new album out.
Publishing
Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy Trump Took Over the Kennedy Center, but Silencing the Arts Will Not Be So Easy
Our last best hope for sharing, shaping, and wrangling over independent ideas may turn out to be America’s scrappy and disparate arts spaces—if they can hang on financially.
Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024 Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024
A speed demon at the typewriter, Malzberg wrote quickly and brilliantly in a variety of genres including mystery, thrillers, and erotica, but his core work was in science fiction….
The Impossible Story of Communism The Impossible Story of Communism
How do you tell the history of a global movement in all its hope and contradiction?
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The Wandering Souls of Caspar David Friedrich The Wandering Souls of Caspar David Friedrich
The German artist’s landscape paintings tried to capture the sublimity of a world that has vanished.
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David Cronenberg, Transformed David Cronenberg, Transformed
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Because the danger to cultural preservation has never been greater.
Apr 11, 2025 / Maria Bustillos
Palestine Reveals the Empty Promises of US Democracy Palestine Reveals the Empty Promises of US Democracy
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Disney’s box-office bomb has spawned a series of Gaza-and-Trump-themed recriminations.
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