From the first page of Martha Ackmann’s new book on Emily Dickinson, you know you’re reading something entirely different.
Book Review: Vivian Gornick’s “Unfinished Business” — Remembrance of Pages Past
Vivian Gornick is an elegist of the transformative experience of reading and writing, what she calls “the companionateness” of books.
Book Review: “Life Isn’t Everything: Mike Nichols, as remembered by 150 of his Closest Friends” — A Frothy, Gossip-filled Bauble
If you are a fan of Mike Nichols’ large and elegant body of work, you’ll regret as I did that the authors did not take the time to create the kind of book he deserved.
Book Review: “Know My Name: a memoir’ — Required Reading
No author has addressed the issue of sexual assault so much on her own terms, and in such a personal and powerful way.
Theater Review: “Curve of Departure” — A Wonderfully Provocative Comedy
Playwright Rachel Bonds has written an often-hilarious script which nonetheless deals with such serious and widespread issues as spousal and child abandonment, drug addiction, the right to death with dignity, and same-sex adoption of children.
Theater Review: “On the Exhale” — Wild, Angry, and Powerful
On the Exhale is one of the most powerful and uncompromising one-person shows I’ve ever seen.
Theater Review: “The Children” — Scientists Under Pressure
The production strikes a fine balance between comedy and seriousness, public and private concerns, bringing a complex and compelling play to vibrant life.
Theater Review: “Rock and Roll Man” — Ambitious Musical Fun
If you enjoy singing and dancing in your theater seat to the sound of good music while learning a bit about American cultural history and its personalities, you will enjoy this show.
Theater Review: “A Raisin in the Sun” — A Great Evening of Theater
To see Raisin in the Sun in post-Obama America is to experience how a classic both remains emblematic of its time and changes resonance as time passes.
Theater Review: “Now Circa Then” — Comic Time-Tripping
Opening on July 4, at a moment when immigrants and their living conditions are once again in the forefront of the news, Now Circa Then is an inspired choice.