A Belief in Ghosts: Poetry and the Shared Imagination
An essay from poet Dorothea Lasky on poetry, ghosts, and the shared imagination.
The Psychological Origins of Procrastination—and How We Can Stop Putting Things Off
The psychology behind procrastination involves how we perceive of value,
How to Read the Bones Like a Scapulimancer
In Shang Dynasty China, fortune-telling with oracle bones was the key to political power.
Fast Fashion Fills Our Landfills
Americans dispose of about 12.8 million tons of textiles annually. Fashion has a major impact on the environment. So what is the industry doing about it?
Stage Death: From Offstage to in Your Face
Death on stage has a long, gory history. From Ancient Greece to 19th century Paris to The Walking Dead. Why does theatre like death so much?
Dancing with the Amateur Stars
Amateur ballroom dance enthusiasts value dance not just as a hobby, but as an indelible component of their identity.
John Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls,” After 9/11
How to memorialize a national tragedy in music?
A Bag of Old Songs from Elsewhere
Sidney Robertson Cowell might be starting to get the attention her rich life, first-rate writing, and broad work as an ethnomusicologist deserve.
Viral Black Death: Why We Must Watch Citizen Videos of Police Violence
We should acknowledge and absorb the pain captured in videos of police violence, just as antiracist activists bore witness in the past to lynchings.
The Politics of Kindness in 2016
Kindness matters. It’s just that our politicians have their own reasons for their own kind behavior.