Doylestown native and national pundit and author Michael Smerconish staked his career on a middle ground in an increasingly polarized world. 'Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right' c…
As states reopen before the coronavirus is contained, Kyle V. Hiller considers how a stressful Sunday stroll served as a preview of what life will be like post-quarantine.
Film critic Stephen Silver has been arguing for years that Philadelphia's movie theaters are insufficient. What he wouldn't give to get back to them.
The 7th-grade besties of Hulu's 'PEN15,' played by real-life adult friends looking back on their teen years, help us see the past with compassion and humor"and recognize racism. Christina An…
For anyone who's longing to get back to the museum, PMA curator of European art Jennifer Thompson talks to Camille Bacon-Smith about shaking up the collection.
Turning off or turning on the TV is one way to get through. Rob Walker suggests something else. Gail Obenreder reviews 'The Art of Noticing.'
'Transitional Times Transitional Body,' a Philly-based collection of speculative fiction, lifts traditional boundaries on bodies, relationships, and the choices we make to survive. Corey Qur…
How should we make the world a better place? Elvia Wilk's novel 'Oval' explores the pitfalls of philanthropy in present-day Berlin. Elisa Shoenberger reviews.
Our #FlattenTheCurve quarantine was hard enough when solidarity abounded and we stayed home together. But how does it feel when others decide to start venturing out? Alaina Johns is anxious.
Kenya Barris, the writer and producer behind ABC's 'black-ish,' makes his Netflix debut with 'blackAF,' a meta mocumentary. Kyle V. Hiller reviews.
Mikki Kendall's 'Hood Feminism' argues that feminism is a movement that forgot Black women. Reviewer Lindsay Gary wonders whom the book is truly addressing, and why it ignores long-establish…
Virtual galleries and digital museum tours have met a whole new era in the pandemic. Helen Walsh takes a look at Drexel's Fox Historic Costume Collection, which you can find on Google Arts &…
Josh Hitchens examines 'The Lighthouse' and 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire,' two acclaimed recent films with similar premises of island isolation, but vastly different methods of telling queer …
Suzanne Cloud was getting more messages than usual"and the contents were worrying. Instead of inhaling vinegar, she's talking with her friends about some critical thinking in the age of COVI…
'Synthesizer Pioneer' from Centaur Records offers a survey of the quirky music for Moog Synthesizer from veteran Philadelphia composer Andrew Rudin. Peter Burwasser reviews.
When you push by Roz Warren without a mask on during your workout, she's tempted to trip you. But she's decided on something a little safer.
In the face of a proposal to kill Philly's office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Kyle V. Hiller says positive pessimism will help the arts bounce back.
What were you doing in mid-March, when the realization that this pandemic was going to derail the world hit you? Was it like other moments before disaster struck? Anndee Hochman considers.
Let's be honest about one of the toughest things in lockdown: unless you live with a partner, your sex life is on hold. Marta Rusek talks to Philly experts on keeping things spicy anyway.
It touches us from birth to death, but how much do we really think about fabric? Kassia St. Clair's 'The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History' unspools an exciting world, from mummies t…
Local author Christina Rosso-Schneider's debut is a collection of feminist fairy tales in which women fight against the "beasts" of the patriarchy"even by becoming beasts themselves. The co-…
Readers respond about defunding the arts, AIDS activism and COVID-19, Beethoven and the amateurs, and anxiety in isolation.
How do the past and present influence the lives of three generations of a Black family? Jacqueline Woodson's novel, 'Red at the Bone,' looks at a mother-daughter relationship from a unique p…
How do we balance anything during life in lockdown? We don't. But here's how writer and mother Cass Slattery is learning to cope.
Last week Mayor Jim Kenney released a proposed 2021 budget, revised for life during and after the pandemic. It would eliminate the city's arts office.