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The Return of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Masterpiece, “The Brothers Size”
At the beginning of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s poetic drama “The Brothers Size,” now at the Shed, one of the play’s three actors pours white sand—or is it salt?—in a...
Mark Hamill’s All-Time Favorite Books by Stephen King
In the past year, the actor Mark Hamill—best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the original “Star Wars” trilogy—has starred in not one but two adaptations of works by...
One of Chantal Akerman’s Best Films Is in Legal Limbo
Much of direction is production: the material conditions under which a movie is made plays a major role in the creative process. Movie lovers tend to think of producers...
Social Media Is Navigating Its Sectarian Phase
On September 1st, the author and statistician Nate Silver wrote a post on X diagnosing a new condition: “Blueskyism,” so named for the decentralized social network that has emerged...
Does Society Have Too Many Rules?
I live in a three-generation household. My wife and I, our son and daughter, and my in-laws share a single house in the Long Island suburbs. Our place is...
The 2025 National Book Awards Longlist
This week, The New Yorker is announcing the longlists for the 2025 National Book Awards, including Young People’s Literature, Translated Literature, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction. Check back through Friday...
Why Christopher Marlowe Is Still Making Trouble
Do you know the one about the Jewish guy and the Muslim Turk? They gang up on this Christian friar and strangle him. Then they take him into the...
Nostalgic Cravings at the Minnesota State Fair
In the lead-up to the Minnesota State Fair, a twelve-day fête of starch and fat which marks the end of every summer, the event’s organizers release a highly anticipated...
Why I Don’t Promise Marketing Miracles (And Neither Should You)
Let me be straight with you. If I claimed I could look at your business and guarantee a 10x return without breaking a sweat, you should be skeptical. Very...
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The Mystery of the Cat Mystery
Mid-pandemic, I was speaking with a semi-stranger at a playground where our children were playing semi-together. Her son, maybe six or seven years old, could effortlessly hitch himself up...
