Books and Ideas

Catherine Lacey’s Missed Connections

Catherine Lacey’s Missed Connections Catherine Lacey’s Missed Connections

In her most personal work, The Möbius Book, Lacey uses a devastating moment of heartbreak to ruminate on the messy intersections between life and writing.

Aug 13, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Alana Pockros

Nation Poetry

Imposter Ghazal for Forugh Imposter Ghazal for Forugh

Aug 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Mandana Chaffa

Nation Poetry

Die-off Off Vancouver Die-off Off Vancouver

Aug 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Sally Ball

Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn at a HUAC hearing.

Red Scares, Past and Present Red Scares, Past and Present

What are the parallels between the rise of McCarthyism in the 1950s and today? 

Aug 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / David Cole

What History Tells Us About the Rise of Fiorello La Guardia

What History Tells Us About the Rise of Fiorello La Guardia What History Tells Us About the Rise of Fiorello La Guardia

Zohran Mamdani’s favorite mayor was nobody's idea of a shoo-in—until he became inevitable.

Aug 12, 2025 / Richard Kreitner

Donald Trump and Melania Trump

Republicans Look to Rename the Kennedy Center Opera House After Melania Trump Republicans Look to Rename the Kennedy Center Opera House After Melania Trump

—Headline, The New York Times

Aug 12, 2025 / Column / Calvin Trillin

Mark Twain’s Many Lives

Mark Twain’s Many Lives Mark Twain’s Many Lives

A new biography depicts the different sides of the American author.

Aug 11, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Adam Hochschild

Homegrown

Homegrown Homegrown

Bon Appétit!

Aug 7, 2025 / OppArt / Stan Mack

The Cold and Forbidding Worlds of Cynthia Ozick

The Cold and Forbidding Worlds of Cynthia Ozick The Cold and Forbidding Worlds of Cynthia Ozick

In a new career-spanning collection of shorter fiction and nonfiction, the past often looms larger for Ozick than the present.

Aug 6, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Hannah Gold

A pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike sits near Judiciary Square on August 5, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Trump Wants to Make the Confederacy Great Again Trump Wants to Make the Confederacy Great Again

The president is making a big push to rewrite the past in favor of some of America's top historical traitors, racists, and scumbags.

Aug 6, 2025 / Chris Lehmann

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