Culture

Farewell to a Poor Bastard Farewell to a Poor Bastard

Joe Matt (1963–2023) made hilarious comedy of his own misery.

Jeet Heer

In the Country of the Blind In the Country of the Blind

A conversation with Andrew Leland about his provocative new book about vision loss, disability politics, and the ways in which blindness looms large in our cultural imagination.

Books & the Arts / Rachel Kolb

German Like Me German Like Me

How an Afro-German TV series about the GDR’s first Black police officer became an international hit.

Linda Mannheim

Film

Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town

The West Coast capital, once famous for hostility to organized labor, emerges as the epicenter of national strike action.

C.M. Lewis

Christian Petzold’s “Afire” Is the Summer’s Most Beguiling Film Christian Petzold’s “Afire” Is the Summer’s Most Beguiling Film

The German director’s latest is a sly comedy about writer’s block, a bad vacation, and the catastrophe of a warming world.

Books & the Arts / Phoebe Chen

The Jewishness of “Oppenheimer” The Jewishness of “Oppenheimer”

Jewish Currents writers and editors Mari Cohen, David Klion, and Raphael Magarik on a surprising movie about the American left.

The Time of Monsters / Jeet Heer

It’s a Barbie World—but Is That a Good Thing? It’s a Barbie World—but Is That a Good Thing?

On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Tarpley Hitt on the mixed messages of Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster.

The Time of Monsters / Jeet Heer

Television

Malick Bauer in Sam - A Saxon

German Like Me German Like Me

How an Afro-German TV series about the GDR’s first Black police officer became an international hit.

Linda Mannheim

wga picketers hold signs

Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town

The West Coast capital, once famous for hostility to organized labor, emerges as the epicenter of national strike action.

C.M. Lewis

The Secret Origins of Marvel

The Secret Origins of Marvel The Secret Origins of Marvel

On this episode of The Time of Monsters, Elana Levin discusses Disney’s dishonest documentary and the greatness of Jack Kirby.

The Time of Monsters / Jeet Heer

Architecture

Image ID in caption.

The Future of Design Is Designing for Disability The Future of Design Is Designing for Disability

Accessibility should not be a grudging afterthought. With planning, it can lead to elegant, beautiful, and engaging art.

s.e. smith

Renowned architect David Adjaye

Architecture’s Labor Problem Architecture’s Labor Problem

The field tolerates misogyny, racism, and worker exploitation. No wonder it produced David Adjaye.

Kate Wagner

“The Nation” Names Kate Wagner Architecture Correspondent

“The Nation” Names Kate Wagner Architecture Correspondent “The Nation” Names Kate Wagner Architecture Correspondent

From homes to offices, parks to parking lots, Wagner will cover the politics of built space under late-stage capitalism.

Press Room

Music

Top 10 Labor Day Songs Top 10 Labor Day Songs

In honor of Labor Day, here’s a stab at the impossible task of naming the best songs ever written about working people.

Peter Rothberg

If the Left Doesn’t Channel Populist Resentment, We Know Who Will If the Left Doesn’t Channel Populist Resentment, We Know Who Will

What tone-deaf liberals can’t hear in Rich Men North of Richmond.

Erica Etelson

The New Bard of the Right The New Bard of the Right

When a video of his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral, Oliver Anthony claimed he was politically “dead center.” His lyrics say otherwise.

Chris Lehmann for The Nation

The Return of Noname The Return of Noname

In her new album, Sundial, the rapper melds her activism and artistry seamlessly.

Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Publishing

Georgia Knecht, 4, browses a bookshelf at Riverside, California, Main Library.

A Book Is a Book Is a Book—Except When It’s an e-Book A Book Is a Book Is a Book—Except When It’s an e-Book

But corporate mega-publishers want purchasing a book to be like renting a movie or streaming an album.

Maria Bustillos

Remembering Marvin Kitman

Remembering Marvin Kitman Remembering Marvin Kitman

He ran for president of the United States in 1964—as the candidate of Monocle magazine. 

Richard Lingeman

Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat, Pray, Cringe Eat, Pray, Cringe

Elizabeth Gilbert’s next novel faced outcry for its setting in Russia. So, before she could get canceled, she canceled herself.

Katha Pollitt

Latest in Culture

Lauren Boebert points toward the crowd onstage

Lauren Boebert Is Not the Only Republican Ruining Musicals Lauren Boebert Is Not the Only Republican Ruining Musicals

How failed theater kids are destroying a great art form—and American politics.

Sep 18, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Senator Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney’s Lonely Exit Mitt Romney’s Lonely Exit

The former GOP presidential nominee is now a pariah in his own party.

Sep 15, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Nation Poetry

Xenotransplantation Xenotransplantation

Sep 5, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Sam Sax

The Worlds of Balanchine

The Worlds of Balanchine The Worlds of Balanchine

In the ephemeral realm of dance, the longevity of his influence is unique and shows no signs of waning.

Aug 30, 2023 / James Steichen

Pupil Slicer lead vocalist Katie Davies during a performance at the Bloodstock Open Air Festival in 2022.

How the UK’s Metal Scene Became a Haven for Trans People How the UK’s Metal Scene Became a Haven for Trans People

Amid Britain’s relentless transphobia, the metal community is creating an ever-growing number of trans icons.

Aug 17, 2023 / William Elisabeth Cuthbert

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