‘I Was There’: On Kurt Vonnegut ‘I Was There’: On Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut sought to fool us with his eyes wide open.
May 16, 2012 / Books & the Arts / William Deresiewicz
Why the Friendship Segregation on HBO’s ‘Girls’ Speaks to a Bigger Problem Why the Friendship Segregation on HBO’s ‘Girls’ Speaks to a Bigger Problem
For all our talk about the multiracialism of the millennial generation, the lack of interracial social connections is more than a coincidence.
May 10, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Salamishah Tillet
Jazz Fest and the Ghosts of New Orleans Jazz Fest and the Ghosts of New Orleans
In a city divided by extremes, the festival brings together all kinds of people to cook up something marvelous.
May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Eric Alterman
Grand Flattery: The Yale Grand Strategy Seminar Grand Flattery: The Yale Grand Strategy Seminar
Why are Yale and other top universities teaching a Grand Strategy seminar if the conditions that seemed to call for grand strategizing no longer exist?
May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Thomas Meaney and Stephen Wertheim
An Enduring Condition: On War Time An Enduring Condition: On War Time
For Mary Dudziak, we are now experiencing a time of permanent war, one that does not bother everyday Americans.
May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Peter Maass
funeral coffee tea funeral coffee tea
my stepmother called regarding the arrangement for my dad’s funeral she is actually my second stepmother and she wanted to do things informally in a manner that my dad would’ve liked you should understand that this stepmother is two years younger than I am and that she is very very cute well this was it the funeral banquet will be in the church hall but it won’t just be coffee tea and cookies it would be coffee tea and my dad’s favorite sandwich peanut butter and bananas what could I say? it’s true I said that that was his favorite sandwich but his favorite meal was steak and lobster and it was a dead silence on the other end of the phone
May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Michael Casey
Pieces of a Man: On Gil Scott Heron Pieces of a Man: On Gil Scott Heron
The musician’s posthumous memoir, The Last Holiday, is as rich and ambiguous as his declaration that “The Revolution Will Not be Televised.”
May 9, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Franklin Bruno
Maurice Sendak’s Cultural Influence Maurice Sendak’s Cultural Influence
Generally considered the leading children's book writer of the past century, his books were touchstones of youth for the generation born after 1960.
May 8, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Peter Rothberg
MCA’s Feminist Legacy MCA’s Feminist Legacy
How the Beastie Boys brought hope to female hip hop fans.
May 8, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Jessica Valenti
Goodbye MCA Goodbye MCA
For me, losing a Beastie Boy is like what losing a Beatle was to my father's generation.
May 4, 2012 / Books & the Arts / Peter Rothberg