Posts by author
Lisa Dusenbery
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Pop Strategies, Political Ends
John Maus converses with BOMBLOG about his recently released album. Topics include utopia, isolation and collaboration, the “language of pop,” lyrics as an afterthought, gender as an effect of language, Minnesota, and more. Stick with the philosophy-dense interview and the…
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Independent Astronauts
Atlantis just returned from its last mission and here we are with our feet firmly on the ground. But surely there is an alternative to NASA. For inspiration into space travel here on earth experience the short film Life as…
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Mass Extinction
“It could happen again…” There is some evidence that the onset of the end-Triassic mass extinction—which occurred 200 million years ago and wiped out at least half of all living species—may have been much more sudden that previously believed. And…
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What’s the Catch?
Catch-22 turns 50 today. What better way to celebrate than perusing this article. It discusses why the novel has inspired such “divergent” reactions. In teasing out the reasons, the article takes us back into the intricacies of Heller’s work and…
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Getting Lucky
What does luck have to do with memory? The connection is drawn in this Millions essay, which tackles the role of memory in the life of the reader–a rather comforting discussion for those of use who feel the anxious tug…
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Olympic Fury
This Guardian article reflects upon author Iain Sinclair and his relationship with London. In response to his new book Ghost Milk, the article argues that the saving grace—and brilliance—of the book is its “fury.” At the receiving end: the 2012…
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Does My Word Sound Big?
Have we been overlooking sound symbolism? Recent studies have shown that humans connect certain sounds with sensory perceptions and thus, the sound of a word could hint at its meaning. This article addresses how the idea fits into theories on…
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Listers Listed
Two poets respond to the Morgan Library’s Lists exhibit. Through their exploration of the myriad mediums and styles of listing, they establish, describe, and illustrate four categories of “listers:” crosser-offers, checkers, the iconoclasts and the visual organizers.
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Read to Me
A new opportunity is available for adults seeking to mix up their nightly routine. As part of her current project “Here is Where We Meet,” artist, writer and educator, Madhu Kaza, will venture to individual’s homes to read to them…
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Emergency Thinking
“One of the things that has seduced people into giving up on their own actions is the claim of emergency—the government will often make the spurious claim that because certain things require very fast action, there is no time for…
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“Literary Criminal”
Interrogating the reluctance to further qualify crime writing, this Millions piece hones in on Megan Abbott. The essay explores Abbott’s protagonists, prose, and grasp of the human condition, arguing, “If such finesse can’t also be called “literary,” it’s outright criminal.”
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Birthdays, Exiles
Perhaps you have thought about what you would take and where you would go if forced to flee the country because of your communist beliefs? In honor of Pablo Neruda’s birthday, Daybook describes the poet’s flight from Chile to Argentina.…