Tea Tea
I can’t get away from it. Felted-up reenactors shoving a great fake crate of it into the Harbor and jeering. After the tour group leaves, they fish it back out and towel it off, un…
Sep 22, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Natalie Shapero
Apocryphal Apocryphal
You made me crude because you were afraid and too easily in awe— but I also loved that about you, the sincerity of your love, the centrality of your worry. Had I intervened to priv…
Sep 22, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Christopher Phelps
The Political Use and Misuse of ‘Mulan’ The Political Use and Misuse of ‘Mulan’
Each new adaptation says more about its own time and place than the story’s ancient setting.
Sep 17, 2020 / Han Zhang
‘We Are Civilization’s Anchor. We Are the Compass for Humanity and Conscience.’ ‘We Are Civilization’s Anchor. We Are the Compass for Humanity and Conscience.’
In the midst of death, thinking about life, art, the water’s edge, and Paul Robeson.
Sep 16, 2020 / Aja Beech
The Incantatory Power of Ayad Akhtar and Shahzia Sikander The Incantatory Power of Ayad Akhtar and Shahzia Sikander
The two artistic geniuses—a novelist and a visual artist—discuss US politics, Islamophobia, and their recent work.
Sep 15, 2020 / Q&A / Ayad Akhtar and Shahzia Sikander
Éric Rohmer’s Most Underrated Masterpiece Éric Rohmer’s Most Underrated Masterpiece
His 1987 film Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle receives a restoration—and hopefully a newfound reputation as classic in the canon of female friendship.
Sep 14, 2020 / Kristen Yoonsoo Kim
Freakish, Horrifying, and Sometimes Wondrous Alternative Histories Freakish, Horrifying, and Sometimes Wondrous Alternative Histories
On Lovecraft Country and Tesla.
Sep 11, 2020 / Stuart Klawans
All 21 of Mississippi’s Beaches Are Closed Because of Toxic Algae (CNN headline) All 21 of Mississippi’s Beaches Are Closed Because of Toxic Algae (CNN headline)
It starts with the sweetest contaminant masks: hound’s-tooth, hummingbirds & hibiscus. The tagline: Breathe us in on Instagram. It starts with Instagram, the masks modeled near…
Sep 8, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Catherine Pierce
Duck & Groundcover Duck & Groundcover
Meadows petaled turquoise. They shiver like glacial lakes Even when the sun shines. A duck could be forgiven, Then, the lack of grace In a dry landing. The ooofff! We…
Sep 8, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jay Hopler
The Culture Is Still Catching Up With Georgia Anne Muldrow The Culture Is Still Catching Up With Georgia Anne Muldrow
Whether in jazz, rap, or R&B, she has made music out of liberation.
Aug 31, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Marcus J. Moore