Do the Hustle: How Disco Was Marketed
Disco changed the way the music industry marketed music to the public. The genre innovated an industry and changed our interaction with popular music.
The History of the Poet Laureate
Juan Felipe Herrera is the new U.S. Poet Laureate. It is a position that has had a long life, dating back to the Greeks.
Syllables Without Vowels? Pfft, Inconceivable!
Is the syllable universal? Maybe. We look at how languages use (and don't use) syllables, and what this says about language itself.
Wordsworth and the Invention of Childhood
Prior to the 18th century, children were considered little adults. It was only during the Romantic Era that the concept of childhood emerged.
Salvage and Savior: Noah Purifoy’s Assemblage
Noah Purifoy transformed the wreckage from the 1965 Watts riots into art, and in doing so, he transformed much more.
Taylor Swift’s White Colonial Romance
Taylor Swift is a member of the Lion King generation, which means that, for her, African landscapes are nothing more than a rich tapestry of flora and fauna
Taylor Swift: 1989’s Confessional Poet
Since she first came to prominence, Taylor Swift's songs have been read autobiographically.
Archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, Enemy of ISIS
The noted archaeologist was targeted for his research and work on the ruins of Palmyra, an ancient semitic city dating back to the Neolithic age.
“Let the Traumatic Image Haunt Us”
When tragedies strike, it is through photographs, rather than think pieces and reportage that the reader can see the sheer scale of the problem.
Dune at 50
Frank Herbert's novel Dune, the best selling science-fiction novel of all time, celebrates it's 50th birthday and is still read in innovative ways.