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Remembering Mr. Rogers
Anthony Breznican recalls an encounter with Mr. Rogers, who was as kind in real life as his cardigan-wearing, fish-feeding, television alter ego.
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It’s Not What You Think
“It’s possible that, along with grunge, Generation X’s other great gift to society is depression.” In his tribute to Chris Cornell, Rich Larsen reflects on despair, aging, and his generation’s struggles with mental health.
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Poets on Borders: Perspectives at Poetry International
Poets from around the world share their perspectives on borders.
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breaking the surface
Tenille Campbell recognized burnout and then did something about it: “But slowly, slowly, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t feel the joy. I couldn’t feel the passion. I felt… grey. Nothing. Absent.”
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On Descriptive Grammar and Banal Bigotry
In a provocative post, Dustin Atlas says everyone should join the grammar police: “Giving up on proper grammar is fine. Giving up on better grammar — which requires correcting each other — is not.”
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The Art of Jumping
Joseph Lyttleton describes New York City: “It’s impatient and unkind, expensive and exclusive, unimpressed by anything you’ve ever done. The city doesn’t need you or want you, thank you very much; although, it’ll gladly have another meal.”
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“We abuse time, make it our enemy. We try to contain and control it, or, at the very least, outrun it. Your new-model, even faster phone; your finger on the “Close” button in the elevator; your same-day delivery.”
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Cuba CounterpointsAt Cuba Counterpoints, writers and scholars look at the culture and politics of a rapidly changing, increasingly open Cuba.
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“The Backfire Effect” Is the Cognitive Concept of the Moment
Listen to the podcast that inspired a popular comic about changing one’s beliefs.
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Seriously, the Guy Has a Point
Greg Fallis writes about Fearless Girl and Charging Bull — the two sculptures staring each other down in Lower Manhattan — and about the difficulty of engaging others in nuanced arguments.
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The Elements of Bureaucratic Style
Colin Dickey examines the syntax and bureaucratic voice in an email from United CEO Oscar Munoz: “Munoz employs the passive voice at key moments to make it clear that there are no other actors in this drama other than Dao.”
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“Names have power.”
Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein, a writer and linguistic anthropologist, reflects on the power of names to shape our identity — and to highlight both privilege and discrimination.
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“We see this all the time in ‘allies’ in Indian Country — folks who may have entered into communities or organizing in a good way, but then take the label of ally as a check mark, rather than something they have to continually work at.”
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Barbara Jane Reyes“I believe when a Pinay writes, and she is the subject of her own narratives, then she is subverting those master narratives which have figured her as a voiceless and passive object.” Filipina author, poet, and professor Barbara Jane Reyes blogs about literature, poetry, politics, and more.
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