“I Have A Dream”: Annotated
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s iconic speech, annotated with relevant scholarship on the literary, political, and religious roots of his words.
The Anatomical Machines of Naples’ Alchemist Prince
Rumor had it that these machines were once the Prince’s servants, whom he murdered and transformed into anatomical displays. Scholars showed otherwise.
James Baldwin and the FBI
The author was monitored for his political activities, but also for being gay. The surveillance took a toll on him.
How the Rothko Chapel Creates Spiritual Space
Fourteen colossal black paintings by the modern artist Mark Rothko are installed in an octagonal room in Texas. Visitors say the chapel brings them peace.
Eleven Poems for Fall
Cozy up to autumn with verse from Dylan Thomas, Rainer Maria Rilke, Robert Frost, Rita Dove, and more.
Marguerite Duras on Her Remarkable Mother
Noted novelist and screenwriter Marguerite Duras on how her fictional mothers are all really her own (complicated, difficult, inimitable) mother.
Norman Rockwell: Provocative Artist or Predictable Hack?
While Norman Rockwell's paintings struck a chord with the mass American public, that was not always not the case with art critics.
John Berger, 1926-2017
John Berger has died at the age of 90. Famous for his television series and book Ways of Seeing, he was a critic, artist, novelist, poet, and radical.