Elif Batuman
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Weekly Feature: Poetry at The Arts Fuse
June 18, 2026
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- Elaine Bresnick on Visual Arts Review: “Persistent Curiosity” — Urgent Questions
- Peter Walsh on Arts Commentary: The Kennedy Center and the Boston Symphony Orchestra — A Tale of Two Crises
- Susan Solberg on Book Review: “Book of I” — A Gem of a Novel
- Direct Sally on Film Review: “Project Hail Mary” — The Sweet Smell of Science Fiction Wonder
- MonkSphere on Jazz Concert Review: The Bill Frisell Trio — This Old Cowpoke was not in the Mood

Arts Commentary: With Friends Like These — The New York Times Explains Why Criticism Matters
The important question the NYTBR Editors fail to ask is whether the traditional definition and values of literary criticism will survive in an age of ebooks and iPads. Is there a primal appetite for criticism? (Edith Wharton says there is, and I believe her.) How will the Internet shape our innate desire to compare, judge,…
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