![Violette Verdy in George Balanchine's Jewels, 1967.](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Harss-Verdy-emeralds_img.jpg)
Elements of Style Elements of Style
The legendary Balanchine dancer Violette Verdy embodies the alchemy that turns music into meaning.
Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Marina Harss
![Jon Stewart](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/jon_stewart_ap_img1.jpg)
Why I’m Going to Miss Jon Stewart Why I’m Going to Miss Jon Stewart
And how will we watch the GOP debates without him?
Jul 28, 2015 / Katrina vanden Heuvel
![July 17, 1955: Disneyland Opens in Southern California](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Disneyland_cc_img.jpg)
July 17, 1955: Disneyland Opens in Southern California July 17, 1955: Disneyland Opens in Southern California
“Life is bright-colored, clean, cute, titivating, safe, mediocre, inoffensive to the lowest common denominator, and somehow poignantly inhuman.”
Jul 17, 2015 / Richard Kreitner
![Tangerine Dream](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/trans_tangerine_dream_otu_img.jpg)
Trans Sex Workers Seek Comfort and Vengeance in Sean Baker’s ‘Tangerine’ Trans Sex Workers Seek Comfort and Vengeance in Sean Baker’s ‘Tangerine’
Sin-Dee and Alexandra find little solace on the LA streets except in each other.
Jul 16, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
![Serena Williams at Wimbledon](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Serena_Williams_Wimbledon_ap_img.jpg)
Serena Williams Is Today’s Muhammad Ali Serena Williams Is Today’s Muhammad Ali
As a political symbol and an athletic powerhouse, Serena Williams is “the greatest” in her sport.
Jul 14, 2015 / Dave Zirin
![Tony Judt](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/tony_judt_cc_img2.jpg)
The NYRB Is Rewriting Tony Judt’s Stance on Israel The NYRB Is Rewriting Tony Judt’s Stance on Israel
Judt called for a just resolution to the conflict, not the preservation of a “Jewish State.”
Jul 14, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Muhammad Idrees Ahmad
![Out in the Night](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/out_in_the_night_sg_img1.png)
Black Women Vilified as a ‘Lesbian Wolf Pack’ Speak for Themselves in a New Film Black Women Vilified as a ‘Lesbian Wolf Pack’ Speak for Themselves in a New Film
Out in the Night tells the story of the New Jersey Four, women who faced felony charges after defending themselves against an attacker.
Jul 2, 2015 / Dani McClain
![Three Figures](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Schwabsky_IslandMeaning_ba_img.jpg)
The 2015 Venice Biennale The 2015 Venice Biennale
Islands of meaning in a morass of incoherence.
Jul 2, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky
![The Fierce Urgency of Nina Simone Now](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/nina_simone_sg_img.png)
The Fierce Urgency of Nina Simone Now The Fierce Urgency of Nina Simone Now
Perhaps her real audience was not her contemporaries in the civil rights generation, but their grandchildren.
Jul 2, 2015 / Syreeta McFadden
![Patti Smith](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Patti_Smith_cc_img.jpg)
Patti Smith’s Summer of Rebellion Patti Smith’s Summer of Rebellion
The veteran rocker is giving Europe “a masterclass in focused protest rock that puts younger artists to shame.”
Jul 2, 2015 / John Nichols