The “Cancel Culture” Con by Osita Nwanevu Prompted by Dave Chapelle’s wrong-headed defense of Michael Jackson in his new Netflix special and the immediate dismissal of a new Saturday Night Live cast member after the exposure of his blatant, repeated, … Continue reading Outside Reading — Using Words Wisely edition
They Are What You Eat by Caity Weaver Maybe it’s because I’ve spent the past couple weeks in a unique vocational space that I so enjoyed Caity Weaver’s tour through the offices of Focus Brands, the company that specializes in … Continue reading Outside Reading — Fudgie Ho! edition
Why I Love Kids’ Books in Translation by Rivka Galchen I recently listened to a podcast segment that was almost entirely comprised of the wonderful writers Rivka Galchen and Jia Tolentino chatting excitedly as they browsed through children’s’ section of a … Continue reading Outside Reading — No Room for the Baker edition
Car Talk’s Long Goodbye by Erik Shilling Drawing generously from recent conversations with Ray Magliozzi, the surviving member of the sibling duo that hosted NPR’s Car Talk for many years, writer Erik Shilling does a masterful job of evoking the charms of the bygone radio call-in show (which still airs in cobbled-together “best of” episodes) and marveling at the endurance of a true oddity in the public radio sphere. Magliozzo remains an entertaining figure, recounting his unlikely fame with appropriate level or amusement and marvel. Although it’s most subtext, the piece also hits a soft sentimental spot for me in … Continue reading Outside Reading — Don’t Drive Like My Brother edition
‘NO EXCESSIVE BARKING’: A Chevy Chase dog park divides the rich and powerful by Jessica Contrera Writing for The Washington Post, with a strong sense of playfulness fully engaged, Jessica Contrera examines a social skirmish taking place in a … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Twilight Bark edition
The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Is Here to Save America by Helen Rosner In a divided age, when every day brings a new flurry of reasons for exhausting outrage at the crumbling norms of the republic, it was nice to have … Continue reading Outside Reading — Chicken Run edition
Americans Are Sad About Politics. Who Could Blame Them? by Clare Malone Writing for FiveThirtyEight, Clare Malone explores the exhausting nature of the current culture for politically attuned citizens, defined by a cascade of norm-shredding outrages and out-and-out criminal actions … Continue reading Outside Reading — Red and White and Black and Blue edition
“All Three Spoke Spanish. All Three Were Americans”: A Pediatrician Describes Treating El Paso’s Shooting Victims by Charles Bethea In the course of the past few years, I spent some time editing a trade publication that served the health care … Continue reading Outside Reading — Recoil edition
The Triumph and Tragedy of Woodstock’s Forgotten Album Producer by David Browne The fiftieth anniversary shabby clone version of the famed Aquarian Exposition hilariously collapsed this week, sparing the universe the weird embarrassment of current crummy bands trying desperately to … Continue reading Outside Reading — It’s Your Trip, So Be My Guest edition
The Language I Learned From Cassettes by Ben Ratliff This remembrance of the golden days when cassette tapes were invaluable strikes strikes right at a nostalgic vein that I find irresistible. Ben Ratliff deploys well-chosen details to capture the bygone … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Revolution Will Be Recorded edition
