Culture
William Gass’s Brilliant and Maddening Magnum Opus William Gass’s Brilliant and Maddening Magnum Opus
Long out of print, The Tunnel returns with a timely exploration of the fascism of the heart.
“NAZA” and Israel’s History of Automated Warfare “NAZA” and Israel’s History of Automated Warfare
As violent technologies like spyware, predictive targeting algorithms, and 2,000-pound warheads become ordinary instruments of military rule, once-abhorred practices become routin…
The Bookstore Revolution in Taiwan’s Conservative Heartlands The Bookstore Revolution in Taiwan’s Conservative Heartlands
After Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, gender-themed bookstores are working to build the social acceptance that the law alone couldn’t deliver.
Books
William Gass’s Brilliant and Maddening Magnum Opus William Gass’s Brilliant and Maddening Magnum Opus
Long out of print, The Tunnel returns with a timely exploration of the fascism of the heart.
The Many Lives of Janet Malcolm The Many Lives of Janet Malcolm
A new biography tells the story of one of America’s great masters of reportage.
Film
“NAZA” and Israel’s History of Automated Warfare “NAZA” and Israel’s History of Automated Warfare
As violent technologies like spyware, predictive targeting algorithms, and 2,000-pound warheads become ordinary instruments of military rule, once-abhorred practices become routin…
The Clarion Call of “NAZA” The Clarion Call of “NAZA”
Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s new film not only documents the horrors of the present but gives us a glimpse of a possible future too.
How the Skydance Merger Will Remake Hollywood and the News Business How the Skydance Merger Will Remake Hollywood and the News Business
The Ellison family’s $110 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery means more top-down control, and less room for dissent.
The Misremembered ’90s of “The Backrooms” The Misremembered ’90s of “The Backrooms”
The Gen Z filmmaker presents the decade not as it was but as reproduced via nostalgic threads on Internet forums.
Television
How the Skydance Merger Will Remake Hollywood and the News Business How the Skydance Merger Will Remake Hollywood and the News Business
The Ellison family’s $110 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery means more top-down control, and less room for dissent.
Road Trip to Nowhere Road Trip to Nowhere
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s reality show is an ungainly mix of corporate corruption and MAGA agitprop.
Architecture
The Architectural Follies of Trump’s Washington, DC The Architectural Follies of Trump’s Washington, DC
The president plans to remake the capital in his own image, but is all he is doing destroying what’s already there?
Red Vienna Is Still Alive Red Vienna Is Still Alive
The Austrian capital chose not to privatize the commons, and it shows.
The Obama Center as a Tomb of Neoliberalism The Obama Center as a Tomb of Neoliberalism
Kate Wagner on architecture and public memory.
Music
The Genius of Charli XCX The Genius of Charli XCX
On her new album, Music, Fashion, Film, the musician embraces rock.
The First Amendment Applies to Concert Stages Too The First Amendment Applies to Concert Stages Too
Protests like that of Macklemore on Palestine should never be silenced by billionaire owners.
Treat Spotify Like a Public Utility Treat Spotify Like a Public Utility
Music streaming platforms have way too much control over musicians and music lovers. It’s time to rein them in.
Justice for Macklemore Justice for Macklemore
The rapper has been dumped from Ed Sheeran’s tour for saying “free Palestine.” That’s a disgrace.
Dolly Parton Understood That Working 9 to 5 Doesn’t Really Pay the Bills in Today’s America Dolly Parton Understood That Working 9 to 5 Doesn’t Really Pay the Bills in Today’s America
Social mobility has ground to a halt. Why that’s lousy for American music.
Publishing
John Edgar Wideman’s American Vernacular John Edgar Wideman’s American Vernacular
The master novelist offers a view of a United States defined by its cultures of improvisation.
Daniel Poppick’s Novel of White-Collar Work Daniel Poppick’s Novel of White-Collar Work
The first novel by the poet asks us what fantasies get us through the day.
Paying Tribute to Richard Lingeman—Longtime Executive Editor and a Quiet Force at “The Nation” for More Than Three Decades Paying Tribute to Richard Lingeman—Longtime Executive Editor and a Quiet Force at “The Nation” for More Than Three Decades
A man of few spoken words, on the page he was a marvel.
Latest in Culture
GOP Election Deniers Running for Governor— Plus John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” GOP Election Deniers Running for Governor— Plus John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing”
On this episode of Start Making Sense, Harold Meyerson analyzes Democrats’ key campaigns for governor, and John Powers comments on critic and writer John Berger.
Oct 14, 2026 / Jon Wiener
Yale’s Protest Tradition Is Back Yale’s Protest Tradition Is Back
For the first time in more than 50 years, Yale students gathered around an iconic sculpture to protest their university and their government.
Oct 7, 2026 / StudentNation / Zachary Clifton
Black Freedom in an Age of White Oligarchy Black Freedom in an Age of White Oligarchy
Justin Leroy’s The Lowest Freedom points toward the limits of liberty under racial capitalism.
Oct 1, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Ross Coleman
The Carnival of Venice Biennale The Carnival of Venice Biennale
That so much of the art of “In Minor Keys” is muted in effect is ironic, because so much of it is overproduced, aspirationally eye-catching, and so big.
Sep 30, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky
America Without the NFL America Without the NFL
Chuck Klosterman’s Football is a eulogy for the sport on the eve of its decline.
Sep 24, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Zito Madu
The Ed Sheeran Controversy The Ed Sheeran Controversy
In a society that claims to promote free speech, what crosses the line from controversial to unacceptable? Who gets to define where the line begins and ends?
Sep 21, 2026 / Peter Dreier
