Summer Brennan

Summer Brennan is the author of The Oyster War (2015), High Heel (2019), and the forthcoming The Parisian Sphinx: A True Tale of Art and Obsession, a new biography of Victorine Meurent. Her ongoing nonfiction series The Book of the Courtesans and her newsletter A Writer’s Notebook can be found on Substack. She lives in Paris.

Art & Art History

A Natural History of the Wedding Dress

The history of the wedding dress is shorter than the history of weddings, and even shorter still than the history of marriage.

Editors' Picks

Arts & Culture

Doing Math with Intellectual Humility

Math class is an opportunity to teach students both how to use conjecture to arrive at knowledge and how to learn from the logic of peers.

Arts & Culture

Willie Mae Thornton Deserves Your Full Attention

In a meditative new biography, DJ and scholar Lynnée Denise examines the mysteries and trials in the life of the legendary performer.

Politics & History

The Fourteenth Amendment: Annotated

Adopted in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution addresses citizenship rights, due process, and equal protection under the law.

Education & Society

Class Production

A collection of high school yearbooks from Cleveland captures the rise, fall, and uncertain future of the American middle class.

Education & Society

Intellectual Humility: Foundations and Key Concepts

Research about intellectual humility has exploded in the past decade. Psychologist Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso offers an annotated bibliography of key texts.

Summer Brennan

A Natural History of the Wedding Dress

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