Sauron’s Tower: A Beacon of Hope for Middle Earth

On June 20th, 2021, Amazon founder and pathological wealth hoarder Jeff Bezos ascended into inner space in a rocket made in his own image. The news coverage of this event went to sometimes elaborate lengths to frame a billionaire’s joyride as proof that a Great Man’s achievements are the fundamental metric of a successful society.…

Sapphic Cinema: Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Ammonite

Hello and welcome to Sapphic Cinema, a column series that resembles Sufjan Stevens’ series of albums about American states, in that each is a beloved masterpiece I haven’t done one in a long time, and it’s increasingly clear I will never get to them all. But I have returned because writing about the lesbian film…

Borrowed Time. Or: The Centrist Does Not Hold

An autum leaf floating in water

 I think I have discovered a new emotion, since it happened. Well, not “new,” exactly, but a mixture of the familiar primary colors into a new shade. There’s rage, of course, although not the bright, boiling one I know best–this one is muted, designed to keep itself burning instead of burning itself out. Grief–the kind…