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
Thanatos Rising
A 1930s correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud laid out each man’s views on war and peace
By George Makari Wednesday, July 22, 2026
“The Idea of Order at Key West” by Wallace Stevens
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Beckett the Prophet
We are all, it seems, still waiting for Godot
By Robert Zaretsky Monday, July 20, 2026
My Teacher
Through periods both fallow and rich, Lore Segal knew only one way to spend her days—by writing
By Jane Bernstein Friday, July 17, 2026
Bending Toward Justice
Rejecting the “race riot” myth means facing the ugly truth
By Sally Greene Thursday, July 16, 2026
“The Bean-Stalk” by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Poems read aloud, beautifully
By Amanda Holmes Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Jesse Lee Kercheval
Our inner mythologies
By Noelani Kirschner Monday, July 13, 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





























