Viewers are drawn into an active, immersive experience watching the series. They come away with the feeling that poetry is in them.
Interview
Author Interview: “Embattled” — Can Ancient Greek Myths Help Us Resist Tyranny?
“By cultivating our capacity for empathetic critical inquiry, Greek myths caution us against entertainers, pundits, politicians, and journalists who are trying to inflame our anger and fear.”
Film Feature: Making “Speer Goes to Hollywood”
Albert Speer, Hitler’s pet architect and the vaunted “glamour boy of the Third Reich, would have hated Vanessa Lapa’s unblinking and unforgiving documentary, which is the best recommendation I can give it.
Author Interview: Robert A. Gross on “The Transcendentalists and Their World”
“Concord was actually surprisingly representative of Massachusetts, New England, and maybe even the North in the 19th century. In learning about Concord, you learn about the making of modern America.”
Author Interview: David Livingstone Smith on Dehumanization and “Making Monsters”
Making Monsters “is a wake-up call. We need to seriously address the phenomenon of dehumanization if we are to have any hope of constraining it when things get really difficult.”
Film Interview: Foster Hirsch on “Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King”
“I’m hoping people will revisit Otto Preminger’s movies because he made some of the best films ever made in America.”
Jazz Review and Conversation: Jane Ira Bloom’s Pandemic Duets
Jane Ira Bloom responded to her pandemic isolation with a CD of duets with bassist Mark Helias and a CD of duets with drummer Allison Miller. These two sessions are unique projects in her discography and beautiful testaments to her ingenuity.
Jazz Feature: A Conversation with Jane Ira Bloom
I spoke with Jane Ira Bloom on September 21, 2021 via Zoom. This transcript has been edited for space and ellipses have been omitted for readability. Some paraphrases and details are added for clarity.
Short Fuse Podcast #45: Lynne Sachs’s “Film About a Father Who”
A conversation with acclaimed filmmaker, poet, and educator Lynne Sachs about her work, particularly 2020’s Film About a Father Who.
Author Interview: Vermont’s John Killacky — At the Service of Art, Critique, and Civic Conversation
“I believe artists create a safe space for unsafe ideas in our world.”