The journal of an omnivorous reader, nerd for the arts, and believer in the public good.

Coronavirus isn’t going away soon. The number of cases are rising across the country. El Pais’ visualizations of the ways COVID-19 is commonly spread is an incredibly important resource as we head into winter. https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-28/a-room-a-bar-and-a-class-how-the-coronavirus-is-spread-through-the-air.html “At present, health authorities recognize three vehicles of coronavirus transmission: the small droplets from speaking or coughing, which can end…

“I feel like I’m supposed to be grateful that I got that job. But it’s not enough for me to just be here anymore. I want more, and I don’t care that that upsets people.” -Sohla El-Waylly, chef Read more about Sohla El-Waylly’s career in food and her next culinary adventure.

Chef Alexander Smalls’ playlists for cooking and dining are an inspiration for any culinary experience. We may not be having dinner parties right now (I hope), but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our meals with great music. Everything is better with music. “Music is energy, life, love,” Smalls said. “It stimulates my imagination and…

Parul Sehgal’s review of “The Selected Works of Audre Lorde” is a beautiful reflection on the depth and brilliance of Lorde’s work and continued influence.  “Lorde, like James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, is vulnerable to selective quotation. Black writers can be treated as oracles, read symbolically, with lazy reverence; their work is flattened into self-help…