There Comes a Time for Boycotts
An Irish National Land League rally, January, 1881 On Sunday, September 19, 1880, in the town of Ennis, County Clare, the Irish politician Charles Stewart...
Tears Amid the Alien Corn
Today is the start of Memorial Day weekend for America, a time of cookouts and car sales and patriotic flag-waving. But at the moment, in the nation-within-...
Poetic Mixtape
Artist’s book from the Orphist movement, art by Sonia Delaunay and poem by Blaise Cendrars, 1913 Every once in awhile—especially after writing too much—I...
The Ultimate Guide to Back Issues
Welcome back to Culture Club, a feature where David and I talk about what we’ve been reading, watching, playing, and listening to, for paid subscribers....
Notable Sandwiches #63: Egg
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, a weekly feature in which my editor David Swanson and I nibble our way through the bonkers document that is Wikipedia’s...
On the Naked State of Madness
there’s been a kind of fug of bloodthirst in the air lately—you can feel it—the way people are lined up behind a subway strangler, calling him a superhero,...
Open World
Welcome back to Culture Club, a feature where David and I talk about what we’ve been reading, writing, and (once again) playing, for paid subscribers. Please...
Notable Sandwiches #62: The Elvis
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, a weekly feature in which my editor David Swanson and I nibble our way through the bonkers document that is Wikipedia’s...
A Country Devouring its Children
This past weekend, a gun-man opened fire at a mall in Allen, Texas, killing eight, including three children. Due to Talia dealing with illness—and rather...
Battle Dad
Welcome to Culture Club, a weekly feature where David and I discuss what we’ve been reading, watching, or—in this case—playing, for paying subscribers. Enjoy...
Notable Sandwich #61: Dyrlægens Natmad
Welcome to Notable Sandwiches, the feature where Talia and I trip merrily through the ever-evolving document that is Wikipedia’s List of Notable Sandwiches...
Strike! Strike! Writer's Strike!
The Writer’s Guild of America is on strike. Author’s note: Hello ladies, gents and gentlethems! After the past week’s much-needed breather I am back on the...
Stray thoughts/hiatus
Hi all, Just a notice to say we’re off til next Tuesday, at which point we’ll surge back, cresting a wave of no doubt brilliant newsletters emerging from my...
Brain Storms: The Best Books on Madness
Edinburgh, 1920 “In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself in a dark wood, For I had lost the right path.”— Dante From time immemorial, man’s...
Notable Sandwiches #60: Doughnut
Welcome to Notable Sandwiches, the feature where I, alongside my editor David Swanson, trip merrily through the ever-evolving document that is Wikipedia’s...
The Vanishing Act
Author’s note: Please excuse the great length, late arrival, and wooly wandering of this column; I have given David some extremely well-deserved days off,...
Notes on Rock Books
Welcome to Culture Club, a series where Talia and I share what we’ve been reading, playing, artistically admiring, watching, and listening to. This is a...
Notable Sandwiches Special: Now They Spin
Welcome to Notable Sandwiches, where Talia and I trip merrily through the bizarre document that is Wikipedia’s List of Notable Sandwiches in alphabetical...
The Collectors
Harlan Crow’s library Harlan Crow, as much of America has recently discovered, is a Dallas developer with a comic-book villain name and a suspiciously cozy...
Culture Club: Tears of a Funny Girl
Welcome to Culture Club, a feature where my editor David Swanson and I talk about what we’ve been reading, playing, artistically admiring, and—this...
Notable Sandwiches #59: Doubles
Welcome to the latest installment of Notable Sandwiches, where Talia and I trip merrily through the bizarre document that is Wikipedia’s List of Notable...
Happy Trump Indictment Day!
Why is today different from other days? Donald Trump is off to lower Manhattan for crimes, Wisconsin and Chicago voters are off to the ballot box for...
The Gangster as Tragic Hero
Welcome to Culture Club, a feature where my editor David Swanson and I talk about what we’ve been reading, playing, artistically admiring, and—this...
The Gangster as Tragic Hero
Welcome to Culture Club, a feature where my editor David Swanson and I talk about what we’ve been reading, playing, artistically admiring, and—this...
Stormy With a Chance
As a nation, we owe a lot to Stormy Daniels. I personally owe her more than most. Five years ago, the erstwhile porn star, progressive hero, and Donald Trump...
Stormy With a Chance
As a nation, we owe a lot to Stormy Daniels. I personally owe her more than most. Five years ago, the erstwhile porn star, progressive hero, and Donald Trump...
On the Rights of the Child, Part I
Author’s note: this is the first installment of a series on right-wing attitudes in the U.S. towards the notion of children’s rights. Part two will follow in...
On the Rights of the Child, Part I
Author’s note: this is the first installment of a series on right-wing attitudes in the U.S. towards the notion of children’s rights. Part two will follow in...
Culture Club: On Tetris
Welcome to Culture Club, a feature where my editor David Swanson and I talk about what we’ve been reading, watching, artistically admiring, and—this...
Notable Sandwiches #58: Donkey Burger
Welcome to the latest installment of Notable Sandwiches, where I, alongside my editor David Swanson, trip merrily through the bizarre document that is...
Hope is a Discipline
“Spring Beauty” by Andrew Wyeth, c. 1953h Yesterday was a lot of things: the twentieth anniversary of America’s invasion of Iraq; another day in the bans on...
Culture Club: Boston Noir
Welcome to Culture Club, a new weekly feature where David and I (and sometimes both of us!) talk about what we’re reading, watching, and listening to each...
Notable Sandwiches: St. Patrick's Day Special
Welcome to the latest installment of Notable Sandwiches, the feature where I, alongside my stalwart editor David Swanson, nibble my way through Wikipedia’s...
There Will Always Be Blood Money
Strike-busting troops gathered in Colorado in 1914, after the Ludlow Massacre It was spring in Colorado when the National Guard killed the strikers: April,...
Culture Club: In Praise of the Genre Mash-Up
Welcome to Culture Club, a new weekly feature where David and I (and sometimes both of us!) talk about what we’re reading, watching, and listening to each...
Notable Sandwiches #57: Doner Kebab
Welcome to the latest installment of Notable Sandwiches, the feature where I, alongside my stalwart editor David Swanson, nibble my way through Wikipedia’s...
In Praise of Righteous Vengeance
Scenes from “The Book of Esther” by Arthur Szyk Today is Purim, a Jewish holiday that you’re either intimately familiar with or know nothing about. Few...
Culture Club: Beef Broth with Joseph Roth
Welcome to Culture Club, a new weekly feature where David and I (and sometimes both of us!) talk about what we’re reading, watching, and listening to each...
Notable Sandwiches #56: Denver
Author’s Note: As of this Sunday, I’ll be debuting a new feature, Culture Club, where David & I share the latest stuff we’ve been reading, watching and...
Disquiet on the Western Front
Felix Kammerer as Paul Bäumer in the Netflix production of All Quiet on the Western Front It’s common sense that any piece of art should be judged on its own...
Notable Sandwiches #55: Deli
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, the feature where I, alongside my editor David Swanson, trip merrily through the baffling document that is Wikipedia’s...
How to Fight a Holy War
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Thanks so much for staying patient during the two-week break I took to try to quit smoking. Let the record show that as soon as I had to write...
Notable Sandwiches #54: The Dagwood
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, the feature where I, alongside my editor David Swanson, trip merrily through the baffling document that is Wikipedia’s...
How to Conquer the Devil
Edited by David Swanson The first thing you have to understand about America is the devil is real here. Not a metaphor or a corny Halloween costume or some...
Notable Sandwiches #53: Cudighi
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, the feature where I, alongside my editor David Swanson, trip merrily through the baffling document that is Wikipedia’s...
Kind of a Crazy Story
Edited by Talia Lavin The author in the Gubbio Studiolo at the Met, 2016 A manic episode begins with a stirring, followed by a spark, like seemingly dormant...
Notable Sandwiches #52: Cucumber
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, the series in which I, alongside my editor David Swanson, stumble through the strange and ever-shifting document that is...
Thank You For Not Smoking
Edited by David Swanson Robert Redford and Paul Newman on a cigarette break during the filming of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Hi all, I’m trying once...
Notable Sandwiches #51: The Cuban
Welcome back to Notable Sandwiches, the series in which I, alongside my editor David Swanson, stumble through the strange and ever-shifting document that is...
Anatomy of a Con: The Mark
Edited by David Swanson The scene this week in Brasília Last week was the anniversary of one failed coup, and the beginning of another. As the angry crowds...