Joy Harjo: “An American Sunrise”
Joy Harjo’s “An American Sunrise” is the title poem of a collection concerned with years of violence against and displacement of Native Americans at the hands of settler colonists.
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‘The Queen’s Gambit’: Netflix and Thrill
'The Queen’s Gambit' is one of the best things we’ve seen in a long time. It’s smart, gorgeous, moving, and — against all odds — thrilling.
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Sonia Sanchez: “This is Not a Small Voice”
Poetry Sunday’s first feature this month, “Paul Robeson” by Gwendolyn Brooks, celebrated a political voice that was both “adult” and “large,” and today’s poem about the collective voice of Black Americans speaks out powerfully in both registers.
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Progress Isn’t Pretty in ‘Misbehaviour’
'Misbehaviour' tells parallel stories about two sets of young women trying to improve things. Both the feminists and the contestants want more and better opportunities — they’re just using diametrically opposed methods of getting there.
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Gwendolyn Brooks: “Paul Robeson”
Gwendolyn Brooks understood the power of one raised voice to fight oppression and to speak truth to power—and as a Black woman in America, she had a huge stake in the notion that “We are each other’s harvest.”
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In Dark Times, PBS Celebrates Broadway
PBS offers a bittersweet tribute, once again hosting “Broadway’s Best” on Friday evenings throughout November. In this fourth season, the public television network will showcase two acclaimed stage productions, a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary, and a legendary leading lady in concert.
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Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: “Aunt Chloe’s Politics,” and Marilyn Chin: “19th Amendment Ragtime Parade”
Today’s poems continue the Poetry Sunday special series which, through November, will feature poems by women about voting, and about our country. They emphasize the urgency and potency of the vote, reminding us of the difficult paths many have walked to secure our representation.
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Broadening Realities: Reading Kamala Harris’
Black and Indian Identity Through Image
Through photos of Kamala Harris as a multiracial, Indian-American, and Black-American woman, we recognize image as a tool to challenge popular ideas about what the Indian family looks like and desensationalize the experiences of multiracial people coming from two communities of color.
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Netflix Revisits Manderley in New Film Rebecca
Whether it was a deliberate choice or a happy coincidence, I think the new 'Rebecca’s' raison d’etre is actually Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers.
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Evie Shockley: “women’s voting rights at one hundred (but who’s counting?)”
I love the poem for its assertion that voting always matters and that “a collectivity of votes . . . can really / make some noise.”
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‘What the Constitution Means to Me’:
Heidi Schreck vs. The Founding Fathers
'What the Constitution Means to Me' will enlighten you on Constitutional theory. It will also deliver solid entertainment, heartfelt personal stories, sublime performances, and a taste of what we lost when live theater was shuttered seven months ago.
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“Life Line” by Ann Townsend
In these divided times I am grateful for poems like this to remind us of good things we may have taken for granted before—like just “getting” to sit in an uncomfortable folding chair in a school auditorium—and of the experiences many of us have in common.
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Five Marriage Myths Dispelled
Couples that fight a lot during the first years of marriage often have a better chance of staying together than those who sweep things “under the rug.”
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‘The 40-Year-Old-Version’ Lives Up to Her Potential
Writer, director, producer, and star Radha Blank’s semi-autobiography of an artist’s early midlife crisis is smart and funny and simply great entertainment.
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Maw Shein Win’s ‘Storage Unit for the Spirit House’
To enter the spirit houses, storage units, and myriad spaces Maw Shein Win opens for us in the pages of her new collection is to enter a universe where familiar objects and structures take on new shapes and significance.
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The Benefits of Change: Retiring, Relocating or Reinventing Yourself
There comes a time, though, when old habits and patterns are obsolete, or when circumstances change enough so that they don’t work the way they used to.
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‘The Glorias’ — “Are We There Yet?”
'The Glorias,' an ambitious biopic, should have enjoyed a fruitful art house run, but like so many titles this year has just launched via video on demand. It’s based on Steinem’s 2015 bestselling memoir, 'My Life on the Road.'
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“Even Now” by Susan Zimmerman
Sometimes we rely on poetry as a sort of goad—to bear witness, expose evil or hypocrisy in others, or expose ourselves to ourselves.
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Women with Horrible Bosses
Almost everyone has had a bad boss, but it can be a dangerous problem if you are serious about your career. Especially if you are a woman.
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‘I Am Woman’ — Not as Strong as it Might Have Been
'I Am Woman' is a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. But it lacks the drama and depth of other rockstar biopics.
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A Juror Must Fold in on Herself
by Kathleen McClung
The hardest part of jury duty for me was being forbidden to talk about the trial until after our verdict. Writing poems months later helped restore the voice that had been silenced. —Kathleen McClung
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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: An American Superhero — On the Bench and On the Screen
'On the Basis of Sex' and 'RBG' are entertaining and educational. The two films end on the same note — Ginsburg, although in her 80s, still had work to do.
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Gail Newman: “The Dispossessed” and “Two Tales”
“The Dispossessed” and “Two Tales” are only two of many poems in 'Blood Memory' where Gail Newman navigates complex, painful territory with an incisive use of poetic craft and an abiding, enduring love for her family.
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The Journalistic Heroines of She Said :
How They Got the Story
'She Said' by The New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, uses the Harvey Weinstein case as its basis, but its subject is far larger. It is about fear, regret, intimidation, and courage. Above all, it is about the power of journalism.
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