Arts + Culture - The Conversation - Movies, Music, Language and more, explained by experts

Elderly woman with straight, shoulder-length, gray hair wearing glasses and a black suit jacket stands a podium.

Elderly woman with straight, shoulder-length, gray hair wearing glasses and a black suit jacket stands a podium.

Anne Carson’s Nobel-winning, genre-defying work bridges the gap between ancient Greek literature and modern life

Amy Cannon, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Middle-aged man wearing a suit and wide-framed eyeglasses gestures and grins while holding a microphone.

Middle-aged man wearing a suit and wide-framed eyeglasses gestures and grins while holding a microphone.

How Jim Bakker became the Johnny Carson of Christian TV

John Wigger, University of Missouri-Columbia

Whether it’s banning books or preventing Macklemore from touring, silencing artists often backfires

Naveen Basavaraj, Indiana University

A young man raises a microphone into the air from the stage, surrounded by bandmates.

A young man raises a microphone into the air from the stage, surrounded by bandmates.

More than 50 years after a North Dakota school district burned copies of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Slaughterhouse-Five,’ the anti-war novel is still being censored

Susan Farrell, College of Charleston

Image of book with charred pages as a fire burns in background.

Image of book with charred pages as a fire burns in background.

Nina Simone, Langston Hughes and their forgotten creative collaboration

Jason Miller, North Carolina State University

Young Black woman wearing a white, fishnet dress and long, dangling, silver earrings sits in front of a piano on a stage and looks out into the crowd.

Young Black woman wearing a white, fishnet dress and long, dangling, silver earrings sits in front of a piano on a stage and looks out into the crowd.

How ‘To Catch a Predator’ indulged America’s appetite for humiliation and punishment

Daniel LaChance, Emory University and Paul Kaplan, San Diego State University

A silhouette of a young man with his hands on his hips against a blue backdrop.

A silhouette of a young man with his hands on his hips against a blue backdrop.

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Sports

Taxpayers don’t want to pay for new NFL stadiums – so why did politicians approve billions in subsidies to fund six new ones?

J.C. Bradbury, Kennesaw State University

View of a parking lot in front of a large football stadium, and another stadium under construction to its right.

View of a parking lot in front of a large football stadium, and another stadium under construction to its right.

The Women’s Professional Baseball League is betting that women’s baseball has a future in the US

Callie Maddox, Miami University

Young woman wearing black uniform anticipates a pitch while holding a baseball bat.

Young woman wearing black uniform anticipates a pitch while holding a baseball bat.

The NFL sold out its Australia game in 30 minutes – but will the sport make its mark Down Under?

Adam Cohen, University of Technology Sydney

A wide view of the MCG ahead of the historic NFL clash.

A wide view of the MCG ahead of the historic NFL clash.

Professional gaming is brutal on the body – inside the growing field of treating esports injuries

Erica D. Henn, Temple University

Young man wearing a black sweatshirt pours yellow pills into his open palm while seated in front of a computer monitor and keyboard.

Young man wearing a black sweatshirt pours yellow pills into his open palm while seated in front of a computer monitor and keyboard.

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Movies

A city skyline at dusk.

A city skyline at dusk.

In ‘NAZA,’ Israeli whistleblowers’ revelations about civilian deaths in Gaza reflect a longer history of Palestinian isolation

Drew Paul, University of Tennessee

‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ winks and blows a blood-soaked kiss at horror films of queer past

Scott Malia, College of the Holy Cross

Film poster of 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,' featuring two bloody women walking towards the camera against a backdrop of concentric white squares and a snow-covered forest

Film poster of 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,' featuring two bloody women walking towards the camera against a backdrop of concentric white squares and a snow-covered forest

‘The Uprising’ shows how medieval people weren’t so obedient after all

Joëlle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island

Movie still of a young king who's seated and wearing a crown and robe, surrounded by his courtiers in a dimly lit room.

Movie still of a young king who's seated and wearing a crown and robe, surrounded by his courtiers in a dimly lit room.

Why Christopher Nolan turned Circe into a vindictive witch

Bailey Sincox, Binghamton University, State University of New York

A middle-aged woman with messy hair clasps her hands and rests her chin pensively on them.

A middle-aged woman with messy hair clasps her hands and rests her chin pensively on them.

‘The Odyssey’ is a striking portrait of the psychological wounds that can emerge when people violate their deepest values

Amy S. Badura-Brack, Creighton University

An exhausted middle-aged man with a thick beard gazes forlornly into the distance.

An exhausted middle-aged man with a thick beard gazes forlornly into the distance.

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Visual art

‘Fountain’ might make you laugh or scowl but asks important questions – a Philly art historian explains why Marcel Duchamp’s iconic 1917 sculpture still provokes

Matthew Palczynski, Temple University

A white urinal behind a glass case

A white urinal behind a glass case

Before the infinity nets, there was ‘The Pacific Ocean’ – what origin stories focusing on Yayoi Kusama’s mental illness miss about her art

Audrey Storm, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Close-up of a painting of closely packed red polka dots, a person on the far right resting their chin on their knuckles in contemplation

Close-up of a painting of closely packed red polka dots, a person on the far right resting their chin on their knuckles in contemplation

Why Gen Z is falling in love with film photography

Rotem Rozental, University of Southern California

A group of children gather around a girl holding a strip of developed film in a darkroom.

A group of children gather around a girl holding a strip of developed film in a darkroom.

AI-generated fantasies of US intervention reveal how desperation has narrowed Cuba’s political horizons

Michael J. Bustamante, University of Miami

cartoon on the left and AI image on the right showing Americans as Cuba's liberators

cartoon on the left and AI image on the right showing Americans as Cuba's liberators

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Housing: Visions

Miniature, clear plastic houses laid out side by side in a model of a neighborhood.

Miniature, clear plastic houses laid out side by side in a model of a neighborhood.

A rare bipartisan housing bill just became law – but Americans will still struggle with affordability

Kirk McClure, University of Kansas and Alex Schwartz, The New School

Believe it or not, there was a time when the US government built beautiful homes for working-class Americans to deal with a housing shortage

Eran Ben-Joseph, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A row of newly built homes.

A row of newly built homes.

What if universal rental assistance were implemented to deal with the housing crisis?

Alex Schwartz, The New School and Kirk McClure, University of Kansas

Silhouettes of a young woman and her daughter on a bed piled with bags of personal belongings.

Silhouettes of a young woman and her daughter on a bed piled with bags of personal belongings.

England’s ‘once in a generation’ housing law takes effect as US housing legislation sits in congressional purgatory

Allyson Gold, Wake Forest University

Hundreds of residential rowhouses are seen from the air.

Hundreds of residential rowhouses are seen from the air.

What the world can learn from Uruguay as the global housing crisis deepens

Jennifer Duyne Barenstein, ETH Zurich and Daniela Sanjinés, ETH Zurich

A brick, two-story apartment complex with sidewalks and greenery in front of it.

A brick, two-story apartment complex with sidewalks and greenery in front of it.

Music

Woman with billowing, blonde hair gazes to her left while slyly grinning.

Woman with billowing, blonde hair gazes to her left while slyly grinning.

Dolly Parton took control of her career by making men the butt of the joke

Stephanie Vander Wel, University at Buffalo

What I found when I scanned the brains of kids creating tunes on the piano

Karen Barrett, University of California, San Francisco

An illustration of a man playing a trumpet with colors coming out of the horn and a black background.

An illustration of a man playing a trumpet with colors coming out of the horn and a black background.

200 years after his birth, controversial composer Stephen Foster still sings to America’s contradictions

Christopher Lynch, University of Pittsburgh

Three separate copies of sheet music, with the one in the middle titled 'Massa's In De Cold Ground' and attributed to Stephen C. Foster.

Three separate copies of sheet music, with the one in the middle titled 'Massa's In De Cold Ground' and attributed to Stephen C. Foster.

How a box set from 1964 attempted to capture the sweep of American music from the colonial era to the counterculture

Ted Olson, East Tennessee State University

black and whgite photograph of a man singing and playing banjo in a crowded room

black and whgite photograph of a man singing and playing banjo in a crowded room

Techno tourism in Detroit – what do visitors owe the city that created the music?

Carla Vecchiola, University of Michigan-Dearborn

side angle of crowd shot showing varying ages and races, some dancing, some standing, and others seated on couches in a backyard setting

side angle of crowd shot showing varying ages and races, some dancing, some standing, and others seated on couches in a backyard setting

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Literature and writing

Black and white image of Annie Dillard sitting in a chair in 1983

Black and white image of Annie Dillard sitting in a chair in 1983

Annie Dillard brought poetry into prose, pioneering a mystical form of creative nonfiction that critics both admired and misunderstood

Amy Cannon, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Just as the world appears to be losing its appetite for books, William T. Vollmann pens a 3,000-page novel

Christopher Coffman, Boston University

A middle-aged man poses while sitting on a toppled Roman column surrounded by grass and ruins.

A middle-aged man poses while sitting on a toppled Roman column surrounded by grass and ruins.

How libraries in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania communities evolved from subscription clubs to vital public institutions

Bernadette A. Lear, Penn State

Woman in black coat pulls book from shelf in library

Woman in black coat pulls book from shelf in library

Jason Arday and the new politics of plagiarism

Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis

A photo of a young Black man with dreadlocks affixed to a black fence, surrounded by colorful flowers and handwritten notes.

A photo of a young Black man with dreadlocks affixed to a black fence, surrounded by colorful flowers and handwritten notes.

The importance of teaching students what AI can’t do

Billy J. Stratton, University of Denver

Colorful painting of a young woman lying on her back in the grass, propping her head up with one of her hands.

Colorful painting of a young woman lying on her back in the grass, propping her head up with one of her hands.

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Media

As private equity, politics and prediction markets reshape sports, is the press box up to the task?

Alex Volonte, University of Florida

Middle-aged bald man wearing a suit raises his arms while speaking at a podium surrounded by fans.

Middle-aged bald man wearing a suit raises his arms while speaking at a podium surrounded by fans.

You can’t shield kids from scary news – here’s what ‘Sesame Street’ and other children’s shows did after 9/11

Julie Dobrow, Tufts University

A group of mourners – including a child wearing a suit, with his hand over his heart – observe a funeral procession on a city street.

A group of mourners – including a child wearing a suit, with his hand over his heart – observe a funeral procession on a city street.

Stars and Stripes shows how government-funded journalism can work – if it’s free to report the truth

Cindy Elmore, East Carolina University

Sketch of fearful troops wading through the water and holding rifles.

Sketch of fearful troops wading through the water and holding rifles.

They’re content creators with thousands of adoring fans – so why do they feel so terrible?

Julianna Pillemer, New York University

Illustration of different-colored arms reaching out from a smartphone screen, trying to touch a man who's trying to keep the phone at arm's length.

Illustration of different-colored arms reaching out from a smartphone screen, trying to touch a man who's trying to keep the phone at arm's length.

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History

Green lines creating a 3D perspective.

Green lines creating a 3D perspective.

What was the original first-person shooter? Two largely forgotten computer games from the 1970s ushered in the genre

Mark J. P. Wolf, Concordia University Wisconsin

The story of Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro is the story of how Italian immigrants became American

Clare Whitton, University of Oxford

A group of men wearing green, white and red hats play brass instruments while marching in a parade.

A group of men wearing green, white and red hats play brass instruments while marching in a parade.

Trump’s slapdash Reflecting Pool renovations stand in stark contrast to years of deliberation and engineering ingenuity that went into its creation

Jennifer Tucker, Wesleyan University

Black and white photo of ripped up land and an excavation crew in front of a large white monument.

Black and white photo of ripped up land and an excavation crew in front of a large white monument.

As Route 66 turns 100, what is it that we’re actually celebrating?

Daniel Milowski, Arizona State University

A road at dusk featuring neon signs, including a raised one spanning one side of the road to the other, featuring a neon version of a Route 66 highway marker.

A road at dusk featuring neon signs, including a raised one spanning one side of the road to the other, featuring a neon version of a Route 66 highway marker.

FIFA’s Haiti jersey ban echoes the long campaign to discredit and downplay the Haitian Revolution

Julia Gaffield, William & Mary

Young Black man tugs on his blue and red soccer jersey during a match.

Young Black man tugs on his blue and red soccer jersey during a match.

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Gender and sexuality

How LGBTQ employees at Kodak risked their careers to build a safer, more inclusive workplace

Tamar Carroll, Rochester Institute of Technology

A group of men and women hold rainbow umbrellas and wear T-shirts reading 'Pride @ Kodak.'

A group of men and women hold rainbow umbrellas and wear T-shirts reading 'Pride @ Kodak.'

Who was the first transgender person?

Ky Merkley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Nick Winters, Northwestern University

statue of a sphinx

statue of a sphinx

How Amazon workers made glamour a form of protest

Eileen G'Sell, Washington University in St. Louis

Looksmaxxing isn’t just a TikTok trend – it often reflects severe body image issues in teen boys and young men

Jordyn Tovey, University of Michigan

Young man with curly hair examining his face in the mirror.

Young man with curly hair examining his face in the mirror.

Read more about gender and sexuality

Cities

Elderly people walk along a sidewalk in front of storefronts, including one with a sign reading 'Hebrew Religious Articles.'

Elderly people walk along a sidewalk in front of storefronts, including one with a sign reading 'Hebrew Religious Articles.'

Lower East Side street named for ‘King of Comics’ Jack Kirby, a nod to one of the countless kids of immigrants who shaped the genre

Miriam Eve Mora, University of Michigan

Yellow vehicles work on construction grounds to the right of a stately, white residence.

Yellow vehicles work on construction grounds to the right of a stately, white residence.

In his efforts to remake federal architecture, Trump repudiates the ‘republican ideals’ that have long informed it

Kevin D. Murphy, Vanderbilt University

Read more about cities

Television

Man in red sports uniform and black helmet is belly down on slide filled with green goo

Man in red sports uniform and black helmet is belly down on slide filled with green goo

Philadelphia’s rich history of children’s television includes ‘Double Dare’ and a golden age of local hosts like Chief Halftown and Captain Noah

Jared Bahir Browsh, University of Colorado Boulder

‘Heartstopper’ is helping LGBTQ+ fans find hope and community across time and space

Annaliese Grant, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Carrie Grant, Towson University

Two boys smiling at each other in a dim room bathed in neon lights

Two boys smiling at each other in a dim room bathed in neon lights

5 reasons Stephen Colbert is one of the most important satirists in American history

Sophia A. McClennen, Penn State

Smiling man poses while wearing a glittering red, white and blue American flag vest.

Smiling man poses while wearing a glittering red, white and blue American flag vest.

TikTok’s popular microdramas shrink TV into bite-sized chunks

Jessica Maddox, University of Georgia and Krysten Stein, University of Cincinnati

Young Black woman speaks into a microphone while seated in a white sofa chair on a stage.

Young Black woman speaks into a microphone while seated in a white sofa chair on a stage.

HBO’s ‘The Pitt’ nails how hospital cyberattacks create chaos, endanger patients and disrupt critical care

Jeffrey Tully, University of California, San Diego and Christian Dameff, University of California, San Diego

Medical staff from the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center stabilize a patient.

Medical staff from the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center stabilize a patient.

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Lifestyle

Seven people and six dogs sit and stand together around two park benches

Seven people and six dogs sit and stand together around two park benches

Dog parks are an antidote to the isolation and divisions that social media can fuel

Kevin B. Johnson, University of Pennsylvania

The real reason many Americans are cutting ties with their parents and siblings

Rin Reczek, The Ohio State University

An image of a needlepoint stitching of a family unit: mom, dad, three kids, with one of the kids being cut away with scissors.

An image of a needlepoint stitching of a family unit: mom, dad, three kids, with one of the kids being cut away with scissors.

Why fatherhood matters more than ever before

Darby Saxbe, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

A mom, a dad and two young kids traverse rocky terrain as birds fly over them.

A mom, a dad and two young kids traverse rocky terrain as birds fly over them.

Food

What a western Pennsylvania ’90s-style Pizza Hut reveals about nostalgia

Jeff Galak, Carnegie Mellon University

A vintage photo of a group of teenagers sits around a table in a Pizza Hut restaurant.

A vintage photo of a group of teenagers sits around a table in a Pizza Hut restaurant.

The rise of Yemeni coffeehouses in Dearborn and beyond

Sally Howell, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Man prepares coffee

Man prepares coffee

Starbucks’ big marketing blunder in South Korea shows how cultural blind spots can put global brands in a bind

Karen Stollznow, University of Colorado Boulder; Griffith University

Juneteenth’s real meaning is written on the plates of smoked meats, potato salad and watermelon

Bobby J. Smith II, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Man holds an aluminum tray of grilled meats in the foreground while a large number of people socialize in the background.

Man holds an aluminum tray of grilled meats in the foreground while a large number of people socialize in the background.

Read more about food

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