SPOTLIGHT
Battle for the Ballot Box
How decades of legal attacks and court decisions have undermined the crown jewel of the civil rights movement
By Brandon Tensley Thursday, October 8, 2026
SPOTLIGHT
Battle for the Ballot Box
How decades of legal attacks and court decisions have undermined the crown jewel of the civil rights movement
By Brandon Tensley Thursday, October 8, 2026
“Everybody Who Is Dead” by Frank Stanford
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Who Is the Samurai, and Who Is the Prisoner?
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s films show that when it comes to history, some blanks aren’t meant to be filled
By Jessa Crispin Friday, August 28, 2026
Knot in my Back Yard
Not all non-native plants and animals need to be eradicated
By Sam Kean Thursday, August 27, 2026
“The Giver” by James Baldwin
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Karyn Olivier
The mutability of materials
By Noelani Kirschner Monday, August 24, 2026
Blades of Grass
Christopher Kondrich on his poems of climatic catastrophe
By Stephanie Bastek Friday, August 21, 2026
Fractured Odysseus
The psychiatrist Jonathan Shay’s books on Homer are the key to Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey
By Colin Dickey Thursday, August 20, 2026
“Mummy of a Lady Named Jemutesonekh” by Thomas James
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Dawn of the Brain-Dead
Carl Elliott on the ethical implications of going beyond organ transplantation
By Stephanie Bastek Friday, October 2, 2026
A Teacher and a Friend
The roots of Anthony Benezet’s campaign against slavery—and his belief in Black and white equality—can be traced to the remarkable school he ran out of his home
By David Chanoff Thursday, October 1, 2026
“Psalm 102” by Mary Sidney Herbert
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Shooting for the Camera
A portrait of the 20th century’s most infamous assassin
By Anne Matthews Monday, September 28, 2026
The Allure of Eden on Earth
Three books ponder the never-ending search for utopia
By Jessa Crispin Friday, September 25, 2026
current issue
Plus: The Phi Beta Kappa Society turns 250, Emily Bernard on her complicated obsession with Carl Van Vechten, Joshua Bodwell loses (part of) a tooth, and much more
Plus: The Phi Beta Kappa Society turns 250, Emily Bernard on her complicated obsession with Carl Van Vechten, Joshua Bodwell loses (part of) a tooth, and much more
My Two Front Teeth
Reflections on a lifetime of dental drama
By Joshua Bodwell Thursday, September 17, 2026
Welcome to the Bioemporium
Brain-dead bodies hold great promise for medical education and research, but how do we calculate the ethical cost?
By Carl Elliott Friday, September 11, 2026
The Revolutionary Scholar
Meditations on Phi Beta Kappa and the futures we imagine
By Esther L. Jones Tuesday, September 8, 2026
The Two Ladies of Vermont
In 1875, the debate over whether to induct women into Phi Beta Kappa exposed a crack in the foundation of Western education
By Augustine Sedgewick Tuesday, September 8, 2026
A Life in Stanzas
How Phi Beta Kappa shaped one poet’s beginnings
By Sandra Beasley Tuesday, September 8, 2026
My Two Front Teeth
Reflections on a lifetime of dental drama
By Joshua Bodwell Thursday, September 17, 2026
Welcome to the Bioemporium
Brain-dead bodies hold great promise for medical education and research, but how do we calculate the ethical cost?
By Carl Elliott Friday, September 11, 2026
The Revolutionary Scholar
Meditations on Phi Beta Kappa and the futures we imagine
By Esther L. Jones Tuesday, September 8, 2026
The Two Ladies of Vermont
In 1875, the debate over whether to induct women into Phi Beta Kappa exposed a crack in the foundation of Western education
By Augustine Sedgewick Tuesday, September 8, 2026
A Life in Stanzas
How Phi Beta Kappa shaped one poet’s beginnings