The American Political Sestina
Rattle
Poet Alexandra Umlas uses the subtle form, a sestina, to convey the tenuous substance of American political poetry.
tv
What the Hasan Minhaj Controversy Says About the Trouble With Storytelling
Vox
The New Yorker tried to pin the comedian down with facts. It didn’t work.
film
‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’ - Lost in a Dream City
The New York Times
In “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” the desire for home is at once existential and literal, a matter of self and safety, being and belonging. This is, of course, part of the story of being black in the United States.
books
Colum McCann Gives Voice to Grieving Fathers, One Israeli and One Palestinian
The New York Times
This "brilliant act of novel-making," writes reviewer Orringer, "builds a wholly believable and infinitely faceted reality around" the experiences of two fathers that each lost a child to war, and the friendship that developed between them.
film
‘Four Daughters’ Review: The Role Family Plays
The New York Times
Director Kaouther Ben Hania restages pivotal moments from a family’s life telling the story of a Tunisian woman who has four daughters, two of whom disappeared in 2015 to join ISIS in Libya.
food
Farmers Are Tentatively Embracing AI
Ambrook Research
A growing number of farmers are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, to tackle daily tasks. One farmer said “I’ve been blown away by the information it can kick out in a host of different areas."
poetry
Parade Rest
Slipstream
California poet Joseph Zaccardi reminds us that war veterans carry their burdens through their lifetimes.
tv
Gen v Was Always Much More Than a Boys Spinoff. Its Season Finale Proved That.
Vox
Gen V’s season-long satire of college sports, superheroes, and capitalism comes to a wicked end. Even with their amazing powers, superhumans are still humans; corporations have the real power.
books
One Person’s Terrorist? Reflections on Zohra Drif’s Memoir of the Algerian Revolution
The Nation
Written nearly six years ago about the brutal French colonial suppression of the Algerian population. Is the civilian population of a colonial-settler regime ever a legitimate military target?
books
A Nation of Guns
Monthly Review
This book, says reviewer Dunbar-Ortiz, "contains a passionate narrative" by Paul Auster, a poet and novelist, alongside "stark and somber black-and-white photographs of sites of mass shootings" by Spencer Ostrander.
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