Video: Akira Kurosawa’s 80-minute Master Class on making beautiful movies
Often called “the greatest filmmaker who ever lived,” Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) is the auteur behind such masterpieces as Rashomon, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and Ran. This 2000 documentary about the life and … Continue reading
Video: What is Neorealism in Film? (a five minute answer)
In this fascinating experiment, a film by Vittorio de Sica and a contemporary recut by David O. Selznick are examined side-by-side in order to understand the difference between Sica’s neorealistic … Continue reading
Video: How bad architecture has ruined American life
In James Howard Kunstler’s view, public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America … Continue reading
Djelloul Marbrook: “Wolf Hall” and the Grandeur of Anonymity
. Silence plays a greater role in poetry and music than sound, its grandeur being its anonymity. Let me introduce living proof. He is the prince of silence and his … Continue reading
Doug Anderson: What is Poetry For?
I’ve been thinking about all the conversations about whether or not poetry “matters” in this culture and thinking maybe it’s a silly question. We have a country on the verge … Continue reading
Sharon Doubiago: I Am My Brother’s Keeper
[ed. note: This is the preface to The Visit by Sharon Doubiago, published by Wild Ocean Press] Jack Retasket is a Native American/Canadian Shuswap-Lillooet (Statlmx) survivor of Kamloops Indian Residential … Continue reading
George Yancy and Molefi Kete Asante: Why Afrocentricity?
. Molefi Kete Asante, a professor of African-American studies at Temple University, is known for his pioneering work in the area of Afrocentricity. He is the author of more than … Continue reading
David R. Loy: Why We Love War
War is hell, and today more than ever. Although high-tech weapons make it a videogame for some, those same weapons make it unbelievably destructive for many more. Whatever valor was … Continue reading
Video: Marina Abramovic — The Artist is an Explorer
Performance exhibition in 2014 at Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland, curated by Marina Abramovic. With the artists Anna Berndtson, Abraham Brody, Rebecca Davis, Yingmei Duan, Paula Garcia, Kira O’Reilly, Lyndsey Peisinger, … Continue reading
Video: Vanessa German performs two poems for TedxCambridge
true grit; found dovetail wood box, found vintage metal horse, found kitchen stainer, vintage matchbook covers, beads, old broken German doll heads, Jim Beam whiskey stirrers, buttons, beads, keys, hardware, … Continue reading
Marc Jampole: Should Progressives Support Hillary Clinton?
Hillary Clinton’s stand on issues makes her a centrist looking left Hillary Clinton has herself to blame at least in part for the news media covering extraneous issues in the … Continue reading
John Samuel Tieman: Bernie Sanders 2016
Last week, I invested $3.75 in my first “Sanders 2016” button. Like Senator Sanders, I usually caucus with the Democrats. I am also like the senator in that I am … Continue reading
Barbara Elovic: Hillary Isn’t My Candidate
Hillary Clinton is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, a development which many progressives are cheering. Believe me, I would love to see a female president, but Clinton’s history raises … Continue reading
Paul Christensen: The Dark Side of Prose
I’ve been thinking about newspapers lately, and their most recent avatar, TV news, both the network and the cable kind. What intrigues me most about this use of prose is … Continue reading →