It was 10 AM in Los Angeles when I arrived at the screening for Under the Sky of Damascus, a documentary directed by Heba Khaled, Talal Derki, and Ali Wajeeh. I went into the theater not knowing what to expect, and came out feeling like I just watched a very familiar glimpse of life in the Middle East post-Arab Spring.… read more.
On this day in 2020, Emma. was released in theaters. A period romantic comedy based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name, this film was instantly beloved for its dreamy, pleasant atmosphere and charming comedy. The mood of a film is set by its score, and for Emma, the elegant yet playful music certainly did so.… read more.
2 years ago today, Lorraine O’Grady’s Both/And exhibition opened at the Brooklyn Museum. A retrospective of twelve major projects from Lorraine’s career, the exhibition highlighted the incredible achievements of Lorraine’s lifetime and celebrated her radical both/and philosophy.
Lorraine’s artistic career began with a persona: Mlle Bourgeoise Noire (translated to “Miss Black Middle Class”).… read more.
On the cusp of Black History Month “ending” on a calendar and Women’s History Month “beginning,” there comes a threshold in which stories must stop being told and defined by time and instead, by the urgency of their lessons.
Black women, who stand firmly between the definitive start and stop dates of what February and March are meant to honor, and who are misunderstood continuously in the retelling and passing down of personal and collective histories, must be listened to with care. … read more.
The first time I read We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman – all in one day after a gloomy, rainy week of reading Russian literature for no real reason – I cried so hard I gave myself a migraine. “I’m sorry,” said a friend when I told them this. “No,” I had to correct them, “that’s a good thing.”
The book wasn’t what I expected after many months of admiring it on my nightstand.… read more.
One year ago today, the poetry collection frank: sonnets won the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Widely recognized as one of the biggest honors in the arts world, the prize could not have gone to a more worthy poet: Diane Seuss.
Diane Seuss is a highly-acclaimed American poet whose work has been published in Poetry, The New Yorker, and Literary Hub, among other places.… read more.
