Portside

John Carpenter’s movies provide visions of societies falling apart. No wonder his work is resonating now more than ever.

The danger of a fascist-like regime consolidating its power has been averted. For now. But make no mistake: The issue of whether we will move forward or be dragged into an abyss has been postponed, not decided. Please help - Portside's annual appeal.

Reviewers have couched their discussion of The Good Lord Bird by pointing out its portrayal of history against the backdrop of ongoing protests about persistent racism.

The prize-winning poet Carl Dennis offers an ironic thanksgiving greeting, one that reminds us of what blessings we North Americans have as well as the abuse we have made of those very blessings.

On the feisty congresswoman’s posthumous return to the spotlight. Abzug’s encounters with sexism pushed her toward feminism, and so did the support she received from female constituents and supporters after she was elected.

Rebecca VanDiver surveys Jones’s work from the 1920 to the ’90s and considers how definitions and conceptions around Black art have changed.

Ron Howard’s Netflix adaptation of Hillbilly Elegy continues a long tradition of seeing hillbillies as a symbol of pristine American whiteness. It’s the same nostalgia Trump has mobilized on the far right.

For many Native Americans, the Covid-19 toll and the struggle over racial inequity make this high time to re-examine the holiday, and a cruel history.

Avatar made no secret of its political edge, but the distribution of wealth may be the franchise's most consistent target of criticism.

Chicago poet Donna Pucciani speaks to the cruel conditions facing young refugees, the idea they are not even people.