All Culture
- First LookNo need to stream classics. Old movies are dominating at the box office.
Theaters have cracked the code on getting visitors back into their reclining seats: re-released movies. In the past two weeks, the cherished stop-motion Laika Studios film “Coraline” first released in 2009 has grossed more than $25 million.
- The lighthouses of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are beacons of history
The lighthouses of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula might be artifacts of history, but from their catwalks the same sight remains centuries later: a seemingly endless blue horizon.
- Politicians are embracing ‘Lord of the Rings.’ Tolkien had something different in mind.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” has become entangled in culture war sparring. Yet some say the text has universal qualities that transcend politics.
- Politicians are embracing ‘Lord of the Rings.’ Tolkien had something different in mind.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” has become entangled in culture war sparring. Yet some say the text has universal qualities that transcend politics.
- In fair Boston, where we lay our scene: Free Shakespeare comes to the Common
A free summer show on Boston Common of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” is magical for the actors – and for audience members, who arrive up to six hours early.
- Georgia unveiled a statue of John Lewis. It stands on symbolic ground.
A statue of civil rights icon John Lewis now stands in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Georgia, on the site of a former Confederate monument.
- Food forests rise in Boston. Edible lots create green space – and community.
Boston Food Forest Coalition hopes to create 30 sites across the city by 2030. The tiny forests collectively provide climate resiliency and spaces to forge connections between neighbors.
- Hot crabs and cold lemonade: A window into my Cajun childhood
Family dinners are a powerful means of connection, anchoring, and belonging. For our writer, Cajun country crab nights brought a sense of kinship.
- How a juicy Dixon watermelon helped me conjure carefree childhood summers
Proust had his madeleine. I had a juicy red watermelon to transport me to beloved summers past.
- The great garden glut of 2024: How I survived the summer of 10,000 beans.
In the garden, there’s only one thing that multiplies faster than rabbits. Read on – I’m spilling the beans.
- People turn to ‘CircleSinging’ to raise their voices – and joy
Belting out a tune in front of strangers is a big ask for most people. CircleSinging participants regularly take that risk, and among their rewards are friendship and acceptance.
- A landscape lost, a community found: First Nation members rebuild after wildfire
Thirty-four homes were lost when a wildfire tore through Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl’ecw First Nation in British Columbia last August. The community held a homecoming ceremony in April.
- This wall has 122,000 names on it. It’s a testament to people who survived.
How do you capture both the atrocities of slavery – and the dignity of the people who survived it? Our columnist visited the offerings at the new Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery, Alabama. He calls it “an overwhelming experience.”
- Age tech is exploding. The ‘modern grandma’ market wants more than health aids.
Age tech startups are recognizing that many older people have the means – and the tech savvy – to do everything younger generations do with digital devices.
- Indigenous children were abused in Canada. A film seeks answers.
“Sugarcane” casts a woeful, compassionate eye on the sordid history of compulsory education of Indigenous Canadian children, the Monitor’s film critic writes. In this powerful documentary, the survivors of atrocities want to move beyond their rage.
- Willie Mays, a dugout, and the ‘best’ baseball museum
The Negro Southern League Museum, in Birmingham, Alabama, showcases the perseverance and preservation of Black American baseball – and of its host city.
- How surfing helped me conquer corporate burnout
Used to playing the expert, a corporate strategist trades her pantsuit for a wetsuit, starts surfing, and learns that being a novice is exhilarating.
- How to save a church? Add housing, groceries, and gas.
Shrinking church congregations are repurposing their buildings and land for community services like affordable housing and grocery stores.
- And this little piggy went to yoga class
Yoga is the ultimate anti-stress activity. For these students, it’s even better with farm animals.
- He invented a midcentury modern chair that defies space – and time
Industrial designer and entrepreneur David Rowland spent decades refining what became an icon of midcentury modern: the 40/4 chair.