Books & the Arts

Carl Craig, 1995.

The Rave According to Carl Craig The Rave According to Carl Craig

After the pandemic brought club life to a halt, the Detroit techno artist kept the party going in the unlikeliest of spaces.

Jul 22, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Zack Graham

London Underground

Jeremy Cooper’s Art of Ambiguities Jeremy Cooper’s Art of Ambiguities

His epistolary novel Bolt From the Blue is a sort of Künstlerroman about artistic inspiration, parenthood, and the frustrations of interpretation.

Jul 20, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Sophie Haigney

Beatriz Bracher’s Family Histories

Beatriz Bracher’s Family Histories Beatriz Bracher’s Family Histories

In Antonio, the novelist shows how the story of one family can help tell the larger story of inequality and violence in Brazilian life.

Jul 20, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Kyle Paoletta

Bruegel Dath

Where Do Wars Come From? Where Do Wars Come From?

Two new books, Margaret MacMillan’s War and Martin Sherwin’s Gambling with Armageddon, offer close studies of how we end up, or almost end up, marching into war.

Jul 19, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Michael T. Klare

Gay Liberation Front

Can a Novel Capture the Tensions of Recent Queer History? Can a Novel Capture the Tensions of Recent Queer History?

An assimilationist and a liberationist play cat-and-mouse in Zak Salih’s debut novel Let’s Get Back to the Party.

Jul 15, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jake Nevins

The Collective Trauma in ‘Mare of Easttown’

The Collective Trauma in ‘Mare of Easttown’ The Collective Trauma in ‘Mare of Easttown’

Unlike a standard true crime show, the HBO series focuses less on the mystery at its center and more on the community that must bear its consequences.

Jul 14, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

Nation Poetry

What Counts What Counts

First breath, best breath. I don’t mean anything by that. Shale over shale. I concentrate on acts to keep from repeating words in my head. I sit up and copy them in bed. “So, so gl…

Jul 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rae Armantrout

Nation Poetry

Cortés Burning the Aviaries Cortés Burning the Aviaries

Last night, I let in all the birds. I told my grandmother to stay awhile. I said, stop disguising yourself as wind. You are not the only one who can fly. I told my grandmother to s…

Jul 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Monica Rico

Brandon Taylor’s Potlucks and Parties

Brandon Taylor’s Potlucks and Parties Brandon Taylor’s Potlucks and Parties

In his new collection of short stories, the Booker-Prize nominated novelist explores the desires and discontents of people living in small university towns. 

Jul 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Jennifer Wilson

The Movement President

The Movement President The Movement President

Did Ronald Reagan help launch a movement—or did a set of movements help launch him? 

Jul 12, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Thomas Meaney

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