Power, Resistance, and Katy Perry’s Hair
It's not just Katy Perry's "breakup haircut." A woman's hair is always symbolic of something, whether it's an attitude towards femininity or a power play.
Elizabeth Bishop
Exploring the text and subtext of Elizabeth Bishop’s poems, inspired by a new biography called Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for Breakfast.
Mary Shelley
Someone discovered a handful of previously unpublished letters written by Mary Shelley, stashed in private house in a small English village.
Humor and Race in Dear White People and White Chicks
Black producers and entertainers use the concept of physically appropriating another race to discuss racism in "Dear White People" and "White Chicks."
Why People Once Loved Linoleum
Linoleum, which was created by pressing cotton scrim with oxidized linseed oil and adding cork dust and coloring, became instantly popular.
The Language Wars
As a society becomes increasingly unstable, linguistic innovation happens more rapidly.
A George Saunders Outtake
George Saunders' trademark dark humor is especially on display in this "deleted scene" from the novella Pastoralia, available for free here.
Retelling the American West in the Museum
In a time filled with “alternative truths,” historian Marsha Weisiger argues for more sophisticated approaches to telling the history of the American West.
Unpacking the Racially-Charged Term “Superpredators”
In the ‘90s, racialized terms like “wilding” and “superpredators” conjured moral panic, which justified the Crime Bill and other similar propositions.
Melville’s Confidence Man Today
Does Herman Melville's 1857 novel The Confidence-Man have anything to tell us about our present day? Philip Roth thinks so.