Culture
Blues singer Bessie Smith shines in a new novel in memoir form
January 7, 2022If Bessie Smith’s story itself is an American phenomenon worthy of recapitulating in any number of artistic forms, it’s as a writer that Crittendon shines.
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Anti-fascist lessons from a blacklisted Jewish Communist
January 6, 2022With hate crimes on the rise and democracy in crisis, the literature we study in schools has new purpose.
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‘Drive My Car’: It’s the journey
December 28, 2021Writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi has fashioned a brilliant study of relationships and love, need and understanding.
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‘The Red Raven’: A quartet of crime fiction novels ends in AIDS-era L.A.
December 27, 2021The literary world has lost an important voice that spoke not just to the LGBTQ community but to any reader who loves a good crime story with a redemptive ending. Steve Johnson’s work survives him.
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The year in global streaming: Welcome to the Om(n)i(cron)verse
December 22, 2021The need to produce constant weekly product to match streaming competitors reached a level of frenzy this year.
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