Sam Kriss, in a post he calls his “magnum opus” in The Outline, explores the age-old warning not to stare directly at the sun.
Arts & Culture
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
Searching for the Lost on Public Land
At Outside, the disappearance of a teenage runner in Colorado brings up the question: Who searches for the people who disappear on American public lands?
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
Don’t Fear the Painter, or the Tyranny of Whiteness
In Chromophobia, David Batchelor explores color theory and argues for the West’s historical fear of color.
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
How Jazz Singer Baby Esther Jones Became Betty Boop
Gabrielle Bellot explores the original inspiration for Betty Boop—a black jazz singer with an iconic style and voice.
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
Not Giving Up on the Dream
In the Los Angeles Times, Jeffrey Fleishman profiles two young Angelenos trying not to break down as they try to break into show business.
Posted inArts & Culture, Essays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quote Posts
The Roots of Cowboy Music: ‘This Is the Music We Made. This Is the Land We Made.’
Oakland writer Carvell Wallace travels to Elko, Nevada, for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and reflects on what it means to be black and American.
Posted inArts & Culture, Essays & Criticism, History
Godwin’s Law, Trump’s Era
“When we use Nazi imagery to describe Trump, nuance is lost.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
Living In These Curated Times
At The Baffler, Thomas Frank looks at the pros and cons and history of what we call “curation.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Quotes
The Mike and Carol Brady Art Collection
“One element that survived the entire duration of the show is the set of mixed media pieces covered with things you might find in a pair of pants.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Current Events, Nonfiction
R.E.M.’s Political Songs Still Resonate Today
The band was never afraid to push social activism through their music.