‘Filhos do Carnaval’ and Rio’s Abandoned Sons
Brazilian miniseries Filhos do Carnaval (Sons of Carnaval) deserves more attention for its portrayal of the bitterness that marks the country's race relations and the beauty that exists alongside it.
Luiza Lodder
Luiza Lodder is a native Brazilian who graduated from Penn State's Schreyer Honors College. Her transcript says she studies English literature, but she dabbles in everything from Arabic language classes to geoscience courses about gemstones. Her serious interests (besides consuming a variety of books, albums, films, and TV shows) include analyzing social perceptions and portrayals of mental illness; assuaging cultural identity struggles; and learning all the Romance languages. Her non-serious interests include reading food blogs, mastering the art of winged eyeliner, and editing friends' papers. Between dreams of writing the next great novel and revolutionizing literary scholarship at an as-of-yet unknown graduate school, Luiza reviews music for No Ripcord and writes bad poetry on post-it notes.
Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ Gives Us Insight Into Our 20th Century Sins
For reasons as much aesthetic as intellectual, The Crown can proudly take its place among the highlights of TV's current golden age.
‘The Gang’s All Queer’ Challenges Simplistic Assumptions About Gang Members
Vanessa Panfil seeks to complicate the popular narratives surrounding gang members and the hypermasculine, hyper-heterosexual lives they lead.
Goran Therborn’s Scholary Study, ‘Cities of Power’ and the Global Moment
"Capital cities are by definition sites of political power... they are open also sites of resistance, of political counter-power, of protest rallies and headquarters of opposition movements, parties and trade unions."
Junot Díaz’s Favorite Short Stories: the Future of American Literature Shines Bright
After finishing this compilation, I knew I preferred the puncture wounds of a lethal short story to the blunt force trauma of a novel.
Fun Fact: Jane Austen Wasn’t the Only Female Author of Note During Her Time
Shelley DeWees' sardonic humor buoys the reader through infuriating examples of the misogyny, double standards, and injustice British women authors had to contend with.
Teddy Wayne Gives Readers a Disturbing Glimpse Into the Predatory Side of a Social Outcast
Thrilling, engrossing, and infuriating, Loner harks back -- in a completely contemporary timbre -- to literary classics that create compelling portraits of repellant characters.
‘The Road Not Taken’ Travels the Blurred Boundary Between Sincerity and Performance
David Orr's exploration of Robert Frost's famous (and famously misinterpreted) poem will have you questioning Frost's intentions -- and your illusions of self-agency.
London Calling: Kari Kallionemi Dissects Englishness and Pop Music
Cultural historian Kari Kallioniemi examines the relationship between pop music and national identity, but only diehard academics will want to wade through his convoluted writing style.
Former OED Chief Editor’s ‘Word Detective’ Makes for Compelling Reading
Dictionaries: "They are the nasty medicine which you are handed when you display even the slightest ignorance about the meaning of a word." Or so we thought.
Rethinking the Closure of the Asylums in the Age of Community Care
Barbara Taylor's "bin memoir", as she terms it, tells a story of neglect, dysfunction, and failed expectations. She recovered; the mental health care system didn't.
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