Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic
Sahl diagnosed the disease of America in 1967 as “right-wing social democracy,” an ideology that is fine with war.
Nov 15, 2021 / Column / David Bromwich
How Protest Moves From the Streets Into the Statehouse How Protest Moves From the Streets Into the Statehouse
In The Loud Minority, Daniel Gillion examines the relationship between electoral politics and protest movements.
Nov 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Erin Pineda
Kurt Vonnegut’s Prescient Insight Into Veterans’ Trauma Kurt Vonnegut’s Prescient Insight Into Veterans’ Trauma
Well before PTSD became an official diagnosis, his classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five described the psychic wounds of war.
Nov 11, 2021 / Tom Roston
The Anatomy of a Dog Whistle The Anatomy of a Dog Whistle
Acting outside of our awareness, using frequencies we may not consciously hear, dog whistles evade our better angels on race.
Nov 9, 2021 / Drew Westen
Dave Chappelle’s Comedy of Bitterness Dave Chappelle’s Comedy of Bitterness
In his recent special The Closer, and his response to critics of it, he outlines a strange version of identity politics where comedians are always the victims.
Nov 9, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
Colin Kaepernick, the Virginia Elections, and the Canary in the Coal Mine Colin Kaepernick, the Virginia Elections, and the Canary in the Coal Mine
The recent controversy sparked by his Netflix special’s depiction of slavery and the NFL is a microcosm of the political battles defining our country.
Nov 3, 2021 / Dave Zirin
The Strange State of the Novel in the “Age of Amazon” The Strange State of the Novel in the “Age of Amazon”
A conversation with Mark McGurl about how the company changed the way books are written and the consequences of a service oriented reading culture.
Oct 28, 2021 / Q&A / Hannah Gold
John Keats’s Politics of Pain and Renewal John Keats’s Politics of Pain and Renewal
Anahid Nersessian offers a radical and unforgettable reading of the British writer’s odes—one that upends our sense of his poetic project.
Oct 21, 2021 / Books & the Arts / David B. Hobbs
Jonathan Franzen’s God Jonathan Franzen’s God
A multigenerational saga about a Midwestern family, Crossroads is like most of Franzen novels—with one exception: Every plotline leads to the big guy himself.
Oct 18, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rumaan Alam
The Unsure State of Asian America The Unsure State of Asian America
A conversation with Jay Caspian Kang about how the term “Asian American” became “mostly meaningless.”
Oct 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rosemarie Ho