“More than anything, ‘Renaissance’ is a testament that Beyoncé is a brand that stands for absolutely nothing beyond its own greatness.”
Criticism
Posted inEssays & Criticism
Poets in the Machine
Why does the literary world still hold online writing at arm’s length?
Posted inFeature
A Hand From One Page, A Bomb From Another: Rethinking “Spy vs. Spy”
The iconic comic strip may seem simple, but its central metaphor has proven impossible to replicate.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Seeing Beyond the Beauty of a Vermeer
“The violence of his era can be found in his serene masterpieces — if you know where to look.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
What Was Twitter, Anyway?
“Whether the platform is dying or not, it’s time to reckon with how exactly it broke our brains.”
Posted inArts & Culture
Reading List: Who’s Your Susan Sontag?
Five longreads about the iconoclastic American writer, director, and activist.
Posted inNonfiction
When the Dishes Are Done, I Wonder About Progress
In “Coventry,” Rachel Cusk draws a connection between politeness and narrative death, rudeness and tragedy, storytelling and war.
Posted inStory
‘I Surprise Myself With This Refusal To Let Go’: Kate Zambreno on the ‘Ghostly Correspondence’
“I thought for sure, I’ll never write about Rilke again. I’m done with Rilke! I’m sick of Rilke! Rilke — no more. But then the other day … I just started researching something about Rilke.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Science & Nature, Story
Critics: Endgame
If there’s no earth, there’s no art. How do you engage in cultural criticism at the end of the world?
Posted inArts & Culture, Books, Story
The Last of the Live Reviewers: An Interview with Nate Chinen
Nate Chinen may have been the last full-time jazz reviewer at any American newspaper. He says jazz hasn’t been in a better place since the ’60s — but the commercial infrastructure is broken.