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The Black Novelist History Forgot

Robert B. Stepto  The Washington Post
Himes was a pivotal and versatile post WW II-era American novelist whose work influenced several generations of African American and other writers. A new biography of the novelist is drawing national attention.

"Roman J. Israel, Esq." Review – Denzel Washington Captivates In Unusual Legal Drama

Benjamin Lee The Guardian
The film is a haunting and timeless American tragedy that feels ever prescient given the current administration’s foggy understanding of morality. It might prove to be a tough sell thanks to an awkward title and a strange plot trajectory, but Roman J. Israel, Esq. is a richly rewarding drama blessed with one of the best, most lived-in performances of the year. 

Shh! These Quiet Food Videos Will Get Your Senses Tingling

Clare Leschin-Hoar The Salt
A whole new genre of food videos, focusing on specific intense sounds like crinkling, chopping, sautéing and stirring, is becoming popular. These eating sounds trigger pleasing tingling sensations in the brains of viewers who experience ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

Not Our Tribe

Jed Myers Solstice
Seattle poet Jed Myers speaks of the fear of strangers, how our eyes assess and judge newcomers, searching for the glimmer that makes them one of us.

A Memoir of Life as Che Guevara’s Kid Brother

Peter Canby The New Yorker
Che’s youngest sibling, Juan Martin Guevara, remembers his revolutionary brother and the family's travails after his murder by the Bolivian military with the aid of the CIA.

When Mama Sang the Blues

Angela M. Franklin Cultural Weekly
"Whoever said a black woman/was always liberated/didn’t walk in my Mama’s heels," says southern California poet Angela Franklin, a poet active in the Social Justice movement.