Clea Simon

Book Review: “Utopia Avenue” — A Broken Record?

July 17, 2020
Posted in , ,

These days, I worry that David Mitchell is losing touch with reality.

Read More

Book Review: “The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien” — Ignoring the Poetry

June 1, 2020
Posted in , ,

This is a beautifully produced book, replete with illustrations. Full-page photos of evocative landscapes are supplemented by both maps and smaller shots detailing architectural features.

Read More

Music Documentary Review: “Up From the Streets” — New Orleans’ History of Oppression and Creativity

May 18, 2020
Posted in , , , ,

Up From the Streets is no New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival — but it tries.

Read More

Concert Review: Marcia Ball and Sonny Landreth at ONCE — Plenty Rousing

February 26, 2020
Posted in , , , , ,

At 70, Marcia Ball is a non-stop pro, particularly at pacing. Early barn burners gave way to the slow blues of “Just Kiss Me.”

Read More

Rock CD Review: Sleater-Kinney’s “The Center Won’t Hold” — Mom + Pop

August 15, 2019
Posted in , , ,

This album lacks the desperation, the immediacy, the sheer power that made Sleater-Kinney essential in its original decade.

Read More

Visual Arts Review: “Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth” — Treasures of an Imaginary World

March 15, 2019
Posted in ,

This is the most extensive public display of original J.R.R. Tolkien material for several generations.

Read More

Rock Concert Review: The The — Deconstructed

September 16, 2018
Posted in , , ,

In every meaningful way, The The’s return to the States, the band’s first tour in 16 years, was generous.

Read More

“Write Your Own Damn Book” : Remembering Bill Corbett

August 15, 2018
Posted in ,

I think of Bill when I hear from struggling young writers, desperate to get it “right” – and to be accepted and published and make a living in a ridiculously difficult field.

Read More

Book Review: “Spinning Silver” — Rumplestiltskin, Reimagined

August 13, 2018
Posted in , ,

This is a winning book, conveying a strangely believable fantasy about three strong young women in a world not that far removed from our own.

Read More

Music Commentary: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra — Women are Locked Out

July 9, 2018
Posted in , , ,

“They travel the world and have for years,” says Ellen Seeling, “sending the message that there are no women good enough to be in this organization.”

Read More

Recent Posts