Culture
The Poetic Life of the Online Shopper The Poetic Life of the Online Shopper
Kevin Killian’s Selected Amazon Reviews is a tender-hearted look at the art and pathos of consumerism.
Culture Therapy Culture Therapy
Films to remember for pre-Trumpian times and inspiration.
Pope Francis Upheld the Spirit of Liberation Theology Pope Francis Upheld the Spirit of Liberation Theology
In his criticisms of the church and defiance of traditionalists, Pope Francis continued the legacy of a movement the Vatican itself tried to silence.
This President Has Many Puppet Masters This President Has Many Puppet Masters
Trump’s Weekend at Bernie’s White House is inherently chaotic.
Books
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.
What Caused the Irish Famine? What Caused the Irish Famine?
A new book offers a comprehensive and heartbreaking account of the most terrible catastrophe to befall Ireland in the modern era.
Film
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.
David Cronenberg, Transformed David Cronenberg, Transformed
Two works—a new film, The Shrouds, and a career-spanning monograph by the film critic Violet Lucca—present a more sanguine image of the master of body horror.
9 Ways You Can Save the Internet Right Now 9 Ways You Can Save the Internet Right Now
Because the danger to cultural preservation has never been greater.
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?
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
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.
Yto Barrada’s Rules of the Game Yto Barrada’s Rules of the Game
The artist’s installation at MOMA PS1 is not just a public work of art in the form of a playground but also a comment on postcolonial architecture and experimental pedagogy.
Music
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.
How the “Subversive Genius” of Kendrick Lamar Sent Trump Home a Loser How the “Subversive Genius” of Kendrick Lamar Sent Trump Home a Loser
The Philadelphia Eagles and Kendrick Lamar’s collective of geniuses made this the Super Bowl we needed.
How Spotify Remade the Music Industry How Spotify Remade the Music Industry
On this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us, Liz Pelly on the music streaming service.
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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Palestine Reveals the Empty Promises of US Democracy Palestine Reveals the Empty Promises of US Democracy
Kei Pritsker, a codirector of “The Encampments,” a documentary film that follows the pro-Palestine movement at Columbia, says the student protesters will be remembered as heroes.
Apr 8, 2025 / Q&A / Alyssa Oursler
How “Snow White” Got Caught Up in Hollywood’s Culture Wars How “Snow White” Got Caught Up in Hollywood’s Culture Wars
Disney’s box-office bomb has spawned a series of Gaza-and-Trump-themed recriminations.
Apr 8, 2025 / Ben Schwartz
Larissa FastHorse’s Comedy “Fake It Until You Make It” Highlights the Absurdities of Ambition and Authenticity Larissa FastHorse’s Comedy “Fake It Until You Make It” Highlights the Absurdities of Ambition and Authenticity
It’s a whirlwind of competition, chaos, and comedic discovery.
Apr 4, 2025 / Michele Willens
The Excesses of “Mickey 17” The Excesses of “Mickey 17”
Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi blockbuster is both the director’s simplest and most unwieldy feature yet.
Apr 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Phoebe Chen
The Life and Death of Conspiracy Cinema The Life and Death of Conspiracy Cinema
Why did Hollywood lose interest in making paranoid thrillers like The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor? Was it a change in the culture? Or a change in the marketplace?
Mar 31, 2025 / Books & the Arts / T. M. Brown
Must a Palestinian Win an Oscar for the World to Care When He’s Attacked? Must a Palestinian Win an Oscar for the World to Care When He’s Attacked?
The assault and arrest of Ballal Hamdan is horrendous, but the framing of the incident reproduces the idea that some lives are more worthy of defense than others.
Mar 27, 2025 / Sleman Altehe