A Jesuit’s Reluctant, Beautiful Confession

Roberto Bolaño is having a moment. Where better to start than "A Night in Chile," a slim, hypnotic, relentlessly compelling masterpiece.

The Guilty Pleasures of Emily in Paris

I tried to avoid this show. Then I succumbed.

Time to Rethink the Mississippi Watershed—and Design Itself

“Water is one of the most politicized things on Earth, if not the most,” Hoeferlin notes. “Yet it is apolitical. Water goes where it wants to go. It will find its way.”

Winnie the Pooh Would Have Loved This

If the bees' queen begins to falter, they induce her replacement, as political parties have been known to do. If she dies, the entire colony realizes it can no longer smell her scent, and a “queenless roar” goes up, an agitation that triggers the raising of the next queen.

Flowers Have Mastered the Art of Seduction

The wild and crazy things a flower will do to get laid

The Man Who Saw Missouri’s Beauty

A fresh look at the Katy and Rock Island trails—and the difference they make.

With Relentless Mischief, Life Surprises Us

No matter how tight your friendships, you cannot predict where you will find a burst of empathy and help.

The Curious Importance of the Big Toe

The big toe freed our hands to make art, use tools, carry babies, and write literature. Why do we mock it?

Our Hand-Wringing About the Planet Could Be Hubris

Robinson Jeffers thought even our angst was self-centered. “We must uncenter our minds from ourselves;/ We must unhumanize our views a little.”

Skip to content