SPOTLIGHT
Piles of Decadence
Where does power lie in art, if not in the skill required to create it?
By Jessa Crispin Friday, October 30, 2026
SPOTLIGHT
Piles of Decadence
Where does power lie in art, if not in the skill required to create it?
By Jessa Crispin Friday, October 30, 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
Women Are Evil
Eleanor Johnson on the 4,000-year-old trail of the demoness Lamashtu
By Stephanie Bastek Friday, October 30, 2026
“The Farmer’s Bride” by Charlotte Mew
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Unfriendly Exchange
The tale of a nuclear war that almost was
By Jeffrey Lewis Monday, October 26, 2026
The Spirit Seeker
Were it not for W. A. R. Goodwin, Williamsburg, Virginia, would look like a very different place today
By Andrew Reiner Friday, October 23, 2026
It’s All in Your Head
What a remarkable thing it is to remember what you read
By Bonnie Friedman Thursday, October 22, 2026
“Monet’s Waterlilies” by Robert Hayden
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, October 20, 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
Love the Blood
Exploring the complexity of a life with Carl Van Vechten, on the centennial of his most notorious work
By Emily Bernard Friday, October 9, 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
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
Love the Blood
Exploring the complexity of a life with Carl Van Vechten, on the centennial of his most notorious work
By Emily Bernard Friday, October 9, 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
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