Essays
1120 results
Page 1
America at 250, in the eyes of a prisoner and an immigrant
“There is no country in the world like America.”
Kile Smith grew up loving his family’s all-American road trips, and on his own forays as an adult, he encountered two especially memorable immigrants who came to the US in very different ways.
Essays
8 minute read
As the Trump-era media dances to a new dictionary of falsehood, will we ever “hold these truths” again?
A lie by any other name
We grew up learning that Washington couldn’t tell a lie, but this tall tale pales in comparison to the firehose of falsehood from today’s White House. Anndee Hochman asks if there’ll ever be truths we can hold together again.
Essays
5 minute read
At Mister John’s Music in the Italian Market, I have just as much fun as my toddler
Purpose, presence, and bubbles
When Neil Bardhan started taking his toddler to music classes in the Italian Market, he didn’t realize he and the other parents would enjoy it as much as the kids do.
Essays
5 minute read
A remembrance of Martha Graham Cracker, in honor of Dito van Reigersberg
Philly grieves one our favorite artists
We on the BSR team were devastated to hear about the passing this week of Dito van Reigersberg, an innovative, big-hearted, one-of-a-kind Philly artist. Editor Alaina Johns shares a memory and revisits him in the pages of BSR.
Essays
4 minute read
Does Emerald Fennell’s "Wuthering Heights" misinterpret Brontë’s classic as a romance?
Romance deserves to be the site of serious criticism
Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel ignites passionate discourse: misunderstood in its own time, and ours too, even with more elastic modern interpretations of novels. A new film by Emerald Fennell highlights a problematic response. Chhaya Nayyar looks closer.
Essays
6 minute read
After a season of cold, ice, and ICE, the city needs us outside
Why “walkability” was always the wrong word
This winter, snowstorms buried the Philadelphia sidewalks. Cold, ice, and ICE forced people indoors. What gets lost when we can no longer be on the move outside? Julien Suaudeau considers.
Essays
6 minute read
Isaiah Zagar taught me to hold grief, love, and life through the art of mosaic
Honoring the man who believed that art can heal
When Anndee Hochman met Isaiah Zagar, he told her how art can heal. A few years later, grieving her father, she took Zagar’s lessons into her own hands.
Essays
5 minute read
Yes, Bridgerton does mirror real life with its diverse cast. Here’s the history.
Exploring the real-life inspiration for a multiracial society in the hit Regency romance
Some commentators criticize Bridgerton for its racially diverse representation of the upper classes in 19th-century London. But An Nichols, who knows the real history, loves this aspect of the show.
Essays
6 minute read
Remembering Dan McQuade, a Philly journalist like no other
Texts with Dan
Philly journalist Dan McQuade died this week from neuroendocrine cancer. He has been honored by publications and sports teams alike. Jill Ivey shares reflections on their friendship and Dan’s legacy.
Essays
4 minute read
The Trump regime’s cultural cuts have come for our poetry
The national Poetry Out Loud program’s anthology looks very different this year.
The anthology for students participating in the annual nationwide Poetry Out Loud program now excludes poems by Langston Hughes and many others. Anndee Hochman looks closer.
Essays
6 minute read