Language Arts

Joe Matt

Farewell to a Poor Bastard Farewell to a Poor Bastard

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

Sep 21, 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

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.

Aug 30, 2023 / Maria Bustillos

Still from campaign ad made by an anonymous Ron DeSantis supporter.

Ron DeSantis, American Psycho Ron DeSantis, American Psycho

The Florida governor’s irony-poisoned ad uses far-right memes to sanction homophobic and transphobic violence.

Jul 10, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Emmett Louis Till, 14, with his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, at home in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune file photo/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

He Called for His Mother He Called for His Mother

Mamie Till-Mobley was one of the first in a far-too-long line of Black mothers to seek justice for their sons.

May 14, 2023 / Lottie Joiner

Sean McElwee

Sean McElwee’s Betting Against Democracy Sean McElwee’s Betting Against Democracy

The Data for Progress founder’s gambling isn’t just a bad habit. It’s a symptom of the decay of solidarity.

May 1, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Bob Frese

Arresting Criticism: When Complaining About a Public Official Can Land You in Jail Arresting Criticism: When Complaining About a Public Official Can Land You in Jail

Criminal defamation laws are relics of a bygone age.

May 1, 2023 / David Cole and Brian Hauss

A group of people protested in front of the British Embassy, in Paris, to demand the release of Ernest Moret, on April 18, 2023 in Paris, France. The french publisher was taken into custody when he arrived in London to attended to a book fair. (Photo by Telmo Pinto/NurPhoto via AP)

What the UK’s Arrest of a French Publisher Means for Public Intellectuals the World Over What the UK’s Arrest of a French Publisher Means for Public Intellectuals the World Over

The detention of Ernest Moret raises urgent questions about British authorities’ targeting public intellectuals at the request of other nations.

Apr 24, 2023 / Natasha Hakimi Zapata

An Arkansas girl in migrant camp near Greenfield, Salinas Valley, Calif., 1939

How Reading “The Economist” Helped Me to Stop Worrying About White Supremacy How Reading “The Economist” Helped Me to Stop Worrying About White Supremacy

A recent viral sensation identifies the migration of poor whites as the cause of the problem—letting the rest of us off the hook!

Apr 21, 2023 / Sarah Taber

Signage for Hachette Book Group

When You Buy a Book, You Can Loan It to Anyone. This Judge Says Libraries Can’t. Why Not? When You Buy a Book, You Can Loan It to Anyone. This Judge Says Libraries Can’t. Why Not?

The lawsuit against Controlled Digital Lending is about giving corporations—rather than readers, buyers, borrowers, or authors—control over content.

Apr 20, 2023 / Michelle M. Wu

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