Totalitarianism and the New Negro Vision of the Modern World

The most extraordinary thing about Amiable is that it was ever rescued from hiding. As the novel’s scrupulous and publicity-savvy editors suggest, “the discovery of an unpublished and previously unknown manuscript by a major modern writer is a rare occurrence.”

What is Provided, What is Taken

Communities provide and take away, two forms of power that reinforce and balance each other until they do not.

Bigger communities, such as cities, states, or nations, provide opportunities to earn a living; infrastructure such as roads to get to work and the store; and mutual aid—firefighters save our homes…

Culture Writes the Cookbook, Not the Victor

“For too long, cookbooks were considered merely utilitarian and deeply gendered, written mostly by women to teach mostly female readers how to keep house, feed their family, and perhaps even nourish their marriage. But as we look back, especially at books that have stood the test of time

Why Spoken Words Matter

Most scholarly professionals, linguists and non-linguists alike, suffer from the occasional (or not so occasional) feeling that what they do is meaningless, having no direct, positive impact on their fellow man. The overall message of Baugh’s book will inspire them otherwise.

Last Notes on Unfunny Humor

Groucho Marx visited the wreckage of the Führerbunker, in East Berlin, in 1958 with his young daughter. The remains of the structure were broken and jagged but still 20-feet tall, as if the war was just over. Groucho climbed up and began to do “a frenetic Charleston,…

Delivery Culture and the Normalization of Marijuana

Fifteen years ago a drunk and high driver smashed into the car that Charles and his wife were traveling in. Charles was badly hurt, had reconstructive surgeries, and continues to have crippling headaches several days a week. Because he has been prescribed many drugs, which often fail over time, he…

Serena Williams’ Anger is Not the Problem

“Every woman has a well-stocked arsenal of anger potentially useful against those oppressions, personal and institutional, which brought that anger into being.”

Audre Lord, keynote speech to the National Women’s Studies Association in 1981

 

Earlier this month, tennis star Serena Williams’ loss at the U.S.…

“One Rotten Tooth”

He calls himself “One Rotten Tooth,” and is part of a new age punk movement known as “The Krusties,” modern-day nomads who travel state-to-state by railways.

Learning From Loss: The Value and Legacy of Natural History Museums

In the dwindling hours of September 2nd, a fire broke out in Brazil’s Museu Nacional, one of the largest natural history museums in the world. The disaster was international news; 90 percent of the museum’s collection (some 20 million items) was lost in the blaze. This included many anthropological items…

Early Adopter: On Quitting Facebook Eight Years Ago

In mid-September, I turn 40. There are plenty of memes about turning 40 that are pretty terrific, not to mention I have contracted pneumonia in my final days of 39. A dear friend offered to bring “birthday soup.” Nothing quite signals old age as much as birthday…

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