All Culture
Singer Laura Veirs finds creativity everywhere – bikes, skates, power sawsFor some artists, inspiration comes when ideas flow naturally, rather than being demanded. With the release of her latest album, songwriter Laura Veirs reflects on how creativity manifests itself.
In Kentucky, the oldest Black independent library is still making historyWestern Library is the oldest Black library still independently run in the U.S. Its current librarian has made it her mission to share its history with her community.
First LookBreaking a 92-year barrier, Choctaw artist brings native brilliance to Venice BiennaleA Mississippi Choctaw with Cherokee descent, Jeffrey Gibson is the first Native American to represent the U.S. solo at the Venice Biennale, a celebration of the arts in Italy. He uses color and craft to respond to historical traumas and pursue healing.
‘We Grown Now’ review: Amid gritty Chicago reality, two friends embrace childhoodFor the Monitor’s reviewer, the young boys in “We Grown Now” exude something that is often difficult to find believable amid tough surroundings: innocence. The new film, he says, honors “just being a kid.”
OK, she’s worth $1 billion, but can Taylor Swift write poetry? We ask the experts.Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” will be released on April 19. In advance, we asked poets what they think of the pop star’s wordsmithing.
‘Stay gold, Ponyboy’ ... set to music? ‘The Outsiders’ comes to Broadway.“The Outsiders” offers a timely – and tuneful – reminder that differences that seem so intractable might not be impossible to overcome after all. Adam “not a musical theater person” Rapp talks about how he came to write the book.
André 3000 trades hip-hop for the flute – and still resonates with listenersOur commentator says that even if the artist, one-half of the hit duo Outkast, doesn’t say a word in his new music, he’s still able to impact culture in a way that invokes creativity and healing.
Bird migration to Kashmir Valley brings a wonderland of wingsMore than 1 million migratory birds flocked to a wetland reserve in the Kashmir Valley, bringing cheer to gray skies – and to wetland officials.
Bryan Stevenson Q&A: Alabama park confronts difficult history in sculptureIn Montgomery, Alabama, a new sculpture park has joined two memorials created by the Equal Justice Initiative started by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer perhaps best known for his memoir, “Just Mercy.”
Not ‘country enough’? Beyoncé proudly proclaims her Texas roots in ‘Cowboy Carter.’Houston native Beyoncé offers her takes on everybody from the Beatles to Dolly Parton in a clarion call of an album, “Cowboy Carter.”
‘Steve! (Martin)’ review: The wild and crazy (and private) guy shares his storySteve Martin is known for turning high-style goofiness into an art form, the Monitor’s film critic writes. A new documentary offers the notoriously private entertainer an opportunity to consider what it takes for a funnyman to find happiness.
- ‘Steve! (Martin)’ review: The wild and crazy (and private) guy shares his story
Steve Martin is known for turning high-style goofiness into an art form, the Monitor’s film critic writes. A new documentary offers the notoriously private entertainer an opportunity to consider what it takes for a funnyman to find happiness.
First LookHe survived Hiroshima. What did he think of ‘Oppenheimer’?“Oppenheimer,” the film about the American scientist who invented the nuclear weapons that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 79 years ago, opened in Japanese theaters March 29, to mixed reactions and strong emotions.
‘If you want to be happy for the rest of your life,’ keep a bottomless bucket listAs we searched for elusive flora and fauna, I learned that joy isn’t in the discovery – it’s in the quest.
The Taiwanese family keeping the noodle-making art aliveThe Lin family is one of the last families in Taiwan to prepare misua – a wheat vermicelli – mostly by hand.
‘X-Men ’97’ is nostalgic and compelling, but its superpower is its inclusivityUltimately, “X-Men ’97” is a blast from the past that resonates in this time, while retaining its ability to present difference in a humane way.
This Vermont ice swimming festival is only for the brrr-aveThe Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival lured 175 brave souls, who gladly jumped into 31-degree water.
What my adopted sons from Russia and Ukraine taught me about trustIn journeying with a stranger to a new life in a new land, my boys showed immense trust – and taught me that it flows both ways.
Welcome to Luna Luna, the carnival that time forgotLuna Luna, on display in Los Angeles, resurrects whimsical works by the likes of Salvador Dalí and Keith Haring. Just don’t climb on the rides.
Where the ribbit meets the road: My adventures in frog shuttlingHelping others – even amphibians – helps us. Our writer learns, it’s impossible to fixate on your own concerns while focusing on alleviating those of others.
