Mark MacKinnon tells the story of Naief Abazid — who, at the urging of some older boys, graffitied a school wall on a lark in Daraa, Syria, at age 14. The “writing on the wall” enraged Syria’s Baathist dictatorship, and became the source of ignition in the Syrian war — a conflict now nearly six […]
politics
Posted inEditor's Pick
Writing Our America
“This is our America. It’s our America to write in, and our America to write.” Korb’s essay is adapted from a talk he presented at Pacific University’s MFA in Writing Program. It includes advice from writers of “YA fiction, writers for television and stage, of novels and essays, investigative journalism, and criticism” on how we […]
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction
Writing Our America
“Despite the headlines that came after the election calling this country ‘Trump’s America’—and there were many—I won’t call it that, or see it that way. And regardless of your politics I’ll ask you to join me. This is our America. It’s our America to write in, and our America to write.”
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story
Writing Our America
“Despite the headlines that came after the election calling this country ‘Trump’s America’—and there were many—I won’t call it that, or see it that way. And regardless of your politics I’ll ask you to join me. This is our America. It’s our America to write in, and our America to write.”
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Can the Rise of a New Left Deepen Our Definition of Democracy?
Duke University law professor Jedediah Purdy, writing in The New Republic, looks at the rise of the left in American politics.
Posted inBlog Post, Nonfiction, Reading List
Exxon, Rex, and Russia: A Deep Drilling
A journey down the borehole, a long walk off a short oil rig.
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘Fuck’-ing Around
The history of swearing is more than just an evolution of social mores — it’s also a politically charged narrative at the “intersection of anger and gaiety.”
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Finding the Limit of a Nation of Laws: Integrity, or the Lack Thereof
This David Frum piece in The Atlantic is a roadmap to Trump’s likeliest path to authoritarianism and self-enrichment — and therefore also a guide to what Americans of conscience need to do to protect democracy.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Life in a Post-Soviet Melting Pot
Journalist and illustrator Lomasko was first noticed in the West for her graphic reportage from the Pussy Riot trial. In Tbilisi, Georgia, she spoke with historians, artists, journalists, activists, squatters, and local clergy about the political and cultural climate in this former Soviet republic.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Trump Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself
A German magazine reports that a shadowy analytics company with a powerful new tool is swaying elections around the world in favor of hard-right nationalist candidates. The tool, which, according to one study, shows that marketers “can attract up to 63% more clicks and up to 1400% more conversions” on Facebook, works by micro-targeting individuals […]