All Culture
To learn to skate, you must learn to get up again – even 10 years laterInspired by Olympians, our essayist first learned to skate at 8 years old. Years later, she’s learning anew how to get back up after a fall.
In a Word‘Stereotype’ and other words from printers’ lingoThe printing press not only transformed the business of the written word, but gave English new words altogether, our language columnist writes.
Oscar hopeful ‘Lunana’: A yak, a classroom, and a transformative journeyIn the Oscar-nominated international film “Lunana,” from Bhutan, a teacher’s unexpected assignment offers him life-changing vistas.
In a WordPrinters needed ‘clichés’ to ease their workloadsThe word "cliché" gets its origins from the cheap, repetitive processes of producing books brought about by the printing press.
The nuts and bolts of writing, but not nuts and bolts"I won’t even attempt to put together furniture from Ikea," Sue Wunder writes in an essay. Even handling a can opener produces eye rolls from her son.
Through their own eyes: How cameras empower the unhousedWhen disadvantaged individuals document their own reality, the resulting images can widen the perspectives of both photographer and viewer.
‘The Automat’ is a valentine to pie and nickel coffeeThe documentary “The Automat,” about the Horn & Hardart chain, is an ode to a bygone restaurant and the community (and pie) it offered.
In a WordWord people love to play with ‘snowclones’They are often written out in almost mathematical form: “To X, or not to X.” “Make X Y again.” “Keep X and Y on.”
From Colorado with love: One town’s heartfelt missionLoveland, Colorado, is known around the world for its valentine re-mailing program. For years now, volunteers have made sweetheart missives even sweeter.
Rising book bans: Grounds for moral panic?Books in schools and libraries increasingly have targets on their spines. The more partisan the battle has become, the more it manifests as a power struggle, rather than an effort to best serve children.
How a Canadian Twitter feed is kindling national art prideA Twitter feed in Canada featuring national art is showing that sometimes the easiest way to engage people is to show them what they are missing.
First LookHow a new exhibit grapples with Dutch colonialism in IndonesiaAs countries begin to confront their darker history, the Netherlands may have a model. An exhibit at the Dutch national museum addresses Indonesia’s independence struggle, long told from the colonizer’s perspective, through the Indonesian experience.
First LookOscar nominees for 2021 show staying power of streaming servicesNetflix’s “The Power of the Dog” has the most Academy Award nominations with 12 nods, including best picture, best director, and recognition for all of its top actors. Director Jane Campion is the first woman to be nominated twice for best director.
After Rwandan genocide, Hutu and Tutsi women unite behind the drumIngoma Nshya is a rarity as an all-women drumming group. It also aims for something greater: to show Tutsi-Hutu tolerance.
How ’bout them apples? My winter work ensures a bountiful fall.Apple trees are pruned when they’re dormant – which means I have to make a frigid climb into the canopy.
In a WordGetting to the heart of words made with ‘-core’Cottagecore’s mix of wooded solitude, homegrown veggies, and crafting was especially appealing early in the pandemic.
Wisdom, chaos, kindness, and pigletsActs of unselfish kindness can change a person from grumpy to gentle, or at least that’s what happened to my friend Mr. Fletcher.
The ExplainerAthletes go, Biden stays: Will the Olympics boycott carry weight?This “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Olympics allows countries to confront China’s behavior without a more controversial athlete boycott.
A school sitcom, now? ‘Abbott Elementary’ makes its case.“Abbott Elementary” has caught the attention of viewers and educators, many of whom are drawn to the sitcom’s underlying messages of connection.
First LookRockin' in the Spotify world: Inside Neil Young’s boycottNeil Young pulled his music off the popular streaming service Spotify last week over podcaster Joe Rogan’s controversial discussions of COVID-19. Other artists followed suit. Could the squabble put a dent in Spotify’s rise to the top of the music industry?
