Not Betsy Rosses Not Betsy Rosses
For a while I thought about designing a flag. Something bigger, blurrier than "nation." I imagined a hovering planet on a field of blue, and "United We Stand" could be written un...
Feb 21, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Eileen Myles
Denmark Vesey: A New Verdict Denmark Vesey: A New Verdict
A historian questions whether he led a slave revolt, but his heroism still stands.
Feb 21, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Jon Wiener
The Base Camp of Christendom The Base Camp of Christendom
Pat Buchanan surely holds the record for the greatest impact on a presidential election with the fewest votes. With less than 0.43 percent of the tally nationally, he still manag...
Feb 21, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Philip A. Klinkner
Protesting Black Hawk Down Protesting Black Hawk Down
It's one thing to have Somali groups protesting Black Hawk Down for what they say is an inaccurate and racist portrayal of Somalis.
Feb 21, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Adrian Brune
Lost in America Lost in America
"When I write, I bid farewell to myself," Jimmy Santiago Baca said in 1992. "I leave most of what I know behind and wander through the landscape of language." This is a memorable...
Feb 14, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Ilan Stavans
Ellison Unbound Ellison Unbound
"I remind myself that much of television is now comic strip," Ralph Ellison told TV Guide in 1988. It is not surprising that the author of Invisible Man would be uncomfortable wi...
Feb 14, 2002 / Books & the Arts / David Yaffe
A Crowbar to the Face A Crowbar to the Face
Frederick Wiseman has spent a lifetime piecing together sounds and images captured from the daily flow.
Feb 14, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
Black Mischief Black Mischief
On East Capitol Street a few years ago, I was in a taxi when a car pulled suddenly and dangerously across our bow. My driver was white, with a hunter's cap and earmuffs and an inde...
Feb 14, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Christopher Hitchens
Following Doctors’ Orders Following Doctors’ Orders
It's the largest profession in healthcare. It's the largest female profession in America. But despite its tremendous importance and impact, most people know very little about con...
Feb 14, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Suzanne Gordon
Yuri Gagarin Rides Again Yuri Gagarin Rides Again
London Despite an initial drop in attendance in the uncertain aftermath of September 11, and the changing of the guard at three major institutions, the London theater scen...
Feb 7, 2002 / Books & the Arts / Carol Rocamora