Commentary

Jazz Performance and CD Review / Commentary: Jane Ira Bloom’s “Wild Lines” and “Early Americans”

August 17, 2016
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Exposing the jazz impulses in Emily Dickinson’s poetry is not an agenda for the novice.

Author Appreciation: The Fiction of Kent Haruf — Surviving Ordinary Life with Grace

August 5, 2016
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Kent Haruf’s novels remind us that even in the hardest lives, there is joy, often delicate and evanescent, but joy, nevertheless.

Arts Commentary: Lenny Bruce — On the 50th Anniversary of his Death

August 3, 2016
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What made the authorities especially eager to tape Lenny Bruce’s mouth shut was his vigorous social and religious satire.

Cultural Commentary: Artwashing — Aiding Derelict Neighborhoods or Abetting Social Inequity?

July 27, 2016
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For the anti-gentrification critics, urban deterioration should be left the way it is.

Book Review and Commentary: Testaments to the Wonderful Ears of Ralph J. Gleason

July 26, 2016
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A writer has to write for the now or to write for the ages. Gleason almost always chose the now, but his best moments go deeper.

Film Commentary: In Defense of Woody Allen

July 18, 2016
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A response to Ty Burr’s column called “Here’s why Woody Allen is overrated”in yesterday’s Boston Globe.

Critical Commentary: Critical Injury at the “Boston Globe”

June 27, 2016
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The Globe tells us that we will be gaining compelling stories. What are we losing? Invitations to think seriously about artistic accomplishment and failure.

Fuse Commentary: “The Boston Globe” Cleans House

June 16, 2016
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Arts and entertainment are one and the same, both trivial– or at least way down the pecking order when it comes to things that are genuinely important.

Book Review: “Better Living Through Criticism” — Critical Self-Help

June 16, 2016
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A.O. Scott’s hurrah for criticism should be savored by anyone interested in how we articulate the value of the arts.

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