The Age of Klaus mäkelä
A feature on conductor Klaus Mäkelä and his leadership of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Magazine
An Ojibwe Writer Refuses to let her Mother’s Trauma be in vain
A profile of Mary Annette Pember for the release of her book, Medicine River
The New York Times
The New York Times Magazine
Sage Advice
An essay on food documentaries and why we eat the way we do
Solidarity and the Future of American Politics
A profile of Astra Taylor and Leah Hunt-Hendrix for the release of their book, Solidarity
The Washington Post
That Place Right Before You Dream
An essay on Lewis Carroll, waking, and dreaming
Slate
The New York Times Magazine
Open City
An essay on Chicago and its depiction on the TV show, The Bear
The Washington Post
What Happens When We Die? Not Even Ken Jennings Has the Answer
A profile of Ken Jennings for the release of his book, 100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife
The New York Times Magazine
Lucky Star
An essay on what it means to travel, and what it feels like on TV
THE NEW YORK TIMES
RALPH MACCHIO IS FIGURING IT OUT
A profile of Ralph Macchio for the release of his memoir, Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me
The New York Times
From Black Holes to Buddhism to Climate Change
A profile of physicist and author Carlo Rovelli
The Believer
Reconsidering the Weird American Suburb
An essay on the legacy and hidden potential of American suburban life
The Believer
Richard Wagner and His Influence
A conversation with Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, on Wagner, literature, and the cultural reach of music
Slate
What a History of Book-Burning Can Teach Us About Preserving Knowledge Today
A piece on Bodleian Librarian Richard Ovenden's book on the history of the destruction of knowledge
SLATE
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Gift to her Son
A feature on Jim Ginsburg, his record label, and his mother’s influence on his life
NPR
What is Meat?
A review of Chase Purdy’s Billion Dollar Burger
The New York Times Magazine
Common Birds
An essay on how birdwatching has changed the way I see the world
The Hedgehog Review
The Soul In Itself
An essay on Gustav Fechner’s unconventional ideas about the soul and immortality
Guernica
The Impertinence of Counterculture
A review of Curtis White’s Living in a World That Can’t Be Fixed
Harvard Review
On Beauty and Being Just
A conversation with Elaine Scarry on art and beauty and their relationship to justice
Slate
Food TV has gone too far
An essay on David Chang and the decadence of contemporary food TV
Vice
'Socialist Realism' Is a Compelling Story About Finding Home
A piece on Trisha Low’s book-length essay, Socialist Realism
NPR
'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' Examines What Led To Ferguson And Baltimore Protests
A review of Jennifer Cobbina’s Hands Up, Don’t Shoot
Vice
Eve L. Ewing’s New Book Explores the Ways Violence and Time Affect Black Lives
A piece on the occasion of Eve Ewing’s poetry collection, 1919
NPR
'A War For Kindness' Favors The Practical Over Polemical
A review of Jamil Zaki’s A War for Kindness
The Washington Post
Our devices steal our attention. We need to take it back.
A review of Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing
NPR
'The Man They Wanted Me To Be' Puts An Individual Experience In Broader Context
A review of Jared Yates Sexton’s The Man They Wanted Me To Be
NPR
'Tragedy, The Greeks, And Us' Examines How Classical Philosophers Saw Early Dramas
A review of Simon Critchley’s Tragedy, The Greeks, and Us
NPR
'Our History Is The Future' Puts Standing Rock In Broader Native American Story
A review of Nick Estes’ Our History is the Future
NPR
In 'Why We Fight,' One Man Searches For Self-Knowledge Through Mixed Martial Arts
A review of Josh Rosenblatt’s Why We Fight
The Atlantic
The Language the Poet Knows
An essay on Craig Morgan Teicher’s We Begin in Gladness: How Poets Progress
The Atlantic
The Writer Who Makes Perfect Sense of Classical Music
An essay on the pianist Alfred Brendel’s writings on music and performance
Vice
I Was Tortured into Giving a False Confession to Chicago Police
A piece on Ronald Kitchen’s My Midnight Years
Los Angeles Review of Books
THINKING ABOUT BELIEVING
A review essay on Marilynne Robinson’s essay collection, What Are We Doing Here?
Los Angeles Review of Books
A Spark Neglected Burns the House
A review essay on M Gessen’s The Future is History
The Smart Set
The Blind Owl and the Underground Man
An essay on Dostoevsky, Hedayat, and the rise of irrational politics
The Smart Set
You, Me, and Everyone Else
An essay on Bruno Bettelheim and his book, The Informed Heart
The Awl
The Teacher Dichotomy
An essay on the good teacher/bad teacher dichotomy in movies and on TV
The Millions
Why We Read and Why We Write
An essay on the quiet heroism of the reader