Chicago poet reinterprets life and legacy of Alexander McQueen
By the time he took his own life at the age of 40 at his home in London in 2010, the British fashion designer Alexander McQueen had established himself as...
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Nick Drnaso’s ‘Sabrina’ dives deep into conspiracy theory and digital-era isolation
Political scientist and extremism expert Michael Barkun asserts that conspiracy theories can be defined by three key principles: First, that nothing happens by accident; second, that nothing is as it...
‘You Think It,’ We’ll Say It: Curtis Sittenfeld knows how to write a juicy tale
As its title "You Think It, I'll Say It" suggests, Curtis Sittenfeld's debut short story collection has a dishy feel, and that's a compliment. Good fiction needs to be at...
‘Basic Black With Pearls’ by Helen Weinzweig: A classic to revisit in this new feminist era
From its first few pages, Canadian writer Helen Weinzweig's arresting and unforgettable "Basic Black With Pearls" seems as though it's going to be an exotic, erotic spy thriller. Shirley, our...
Nicole Hollander’s origin story leaps off the page in ‘We Ate Wonder Bread’
Ever wondered of Nicole Hollander, creator of the shrewd and radical, tough and hilarious internationally syndicated comic strip "Sylvia": Where on earth did this sharp, outspoken feminist, leftist cartooning genius...
‘What Are We Doing Here?’ Marilynne Robinson considers our political moment through the lens of faith
What does a set of theological essays — essays that aim plainly to consider the nature of God and religious belief in the context of both politics and individual consciousness...
‘All the Things I Lost in the Flood’: Swept up in Laurie Anderson’s retrospective
A truism about live performance of any kind is that it is ephemeral. Laurie Anderson’s hybrid, high-spirited and highly engaging “All the Things I Lost in the Flood: Essays on...
Review: ‘Heart Berries’ — Terese Marie Mailhot’s searing memoir of Native American experience
Sherman Alexie’s introduction to Terese Marie Mailhot’s debut memoir, “Heart Berries,” is incandescent with glowing praise, all of it deserved. “I was aware,” he writes, “within maybe three sentences that...
‘Red Clocks’ by Leni Zumas imagines future where women have it even harder
Sir Thomas More coined the term “utopia,” meaning “a place of ideal perfection,” in his book of the same title in 1516. More than 300 years passed before John Stuart...
‘Avedon: Something Personal’ brings iconic photographer’s life into focus
When he was still only in his 30s, the influential and iconic photographer Richard Avedon provided the inspiration for Fred Astaire’s character, Dick Avery, in the 1957 movie “Funny Face.”...