Buffeted by fear, contagion, civic rage, and a crumbling democracy, I am beginning to feel a little crazy to still be happy, to still find absurd delight in small wonders. It could be denial. My husband recounts the latest dire news; I tell him about a cute thing the dog did. […]
Diaspora. Such a pretty word. Ripping people from their homeland and scattering them around grudging or reluctant countries is too rough an exodus to merit such softness. The right word would make a harsh, guttural sound, harder to disguise or ignore. And oh, we would rather ignore it. Home is supposed […]
For most of Christian Okeke’s childhood, life in Lagos is day-to-day, the future remote and unconsidered. He plays, he studies, he goes to church— He goes to church. And there, at Holy Cross Cathedral, he discovers music, and his first story begins. This story is universal: a tale of a boy […]
Artists reckon with history every day—but seldom does their government share their concerns. Germany is different. There, the state supports and even sponsors controversial art. Public places deliberately preserve even the darkest shame. History is not allowed to be forgotten. And artists—even those who come from other places to be part of […]
“Dressing up was a ritual that put her in a serious mood: the cloth was no longer a mere fabric, it was becoming the matter of the thing and it was this material to which with her body she gave body—how could a simple rag gain such movement?” —Clarice Lispector in […]
One leaf was as orange as flame, undoused by the burgundy at its edges. Another was brighter and purer than yellow gold. A third could have inspired Jackson Pollock, its spatters of yellow, green, and red were so bright and random. Would Pollock snap that his art was not random? The universe could […]
“Shame!” I hiss, lost for any other word as strong. The dog has loped two neighbors’ yards away and looped back just before hitting the alley, where he could have gotten hit. “Shame on you.” I do not deal in shame, as a rule. Was not reared with it, do not […]
Venice’s Bridge of Sighs is enclosed by heavily ornamented limestone, its view of the picturesque canal seen through small, latticed windows. Prisoners walked past these windows as they crossed from the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s palace to their cells. If they had any aesthetic sensitivity at all, they sighed, because […]
On one episode of Big Bang Theory, Sheldon announces, “From here on in, I’ve decided to make all trivial decisions with a throw of the dice, thus freeing up my mind to do what it does best: enlighten and amaze.” He winds up eating a side of corn succotash for dinner. […]
A sweet, strong little film, “A Matter of Respect,” has been preserved and digitized by the Washington University Libraries with a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation. Made in 1980, the film features two high school kids, Angela and Tommy, who fall in love. Their fun and tender courtship is intercut […]
