And Yet, They Persisted
Ben Nathans on the “many lives” of the Soviet dissident movement.
Briefly Noted
Jan|Feb 2025
The Art of Mothering
In her debut book, The Mother Artist, Catherine Ricketts C’09 explores the limitations and creative benefits for mothers who make art. A mother herself, she faced many of the same hurdles as she wrote the book—and she’s not the only alumna (or alumnus) finding both challenge and success navigating the balance between art and caregiving.
Boulevard of Steel
Time traveling with David Alff Gr’12 along The Northeast Corridor.
Briefly Noted
Nov|Dec 2024
The Instrument Is Yourself
Harvey Finkle SW’61 and the photography of social justice.
Life Hacks
How to beat burnout, get your way, and become a “Perennial.”
The Toothpick
The rich history and surprising beauty of … toothpicks.
In Kahn’s Hand
A loving reproduction of Louis Kahn’s final notebook.
Briefly Noted
Sep|Oct 2024
The Newcomer Dividend
Wharton’s Zeke Hernandez hopes to bend the immigration debate toward a question rooted in his own research on capital investment and business formation: What do natives stand to gain?
Persistent Demons
Erik Larson C’76 on the Civil War’s start. The Demon of Unrest.
Briefly Noted
Jul|Aug 2024
Good Grief
Five years after his two teenage children were killed by a drunk driver, Colin Campbell C’91 is finding new ways to grieve—while helping others deal with bereavement through his new book, support groups, and a one-man show he calls the “feel-bad story of the year.”
For My Oldest Friend
Rabbit Hole | What book inscriptions reveal.
Into the Dark
In Fighting the Night, Paul Hendrickson tells his father’s story.
Imaginary Heartland
Refuting rural myths in Steven Conn Gr’94’s Lies of the Land.
Briefly Noted
May|Jun 2024
Shattering Violence, Shimmering Prizes
Emily Wilson’s new translation of the Iliad brings the strange and brutal beauty of Homer’s world into the English-speaking now.
Sundered Union
A 19th-century divorce case still resonates today. Strong Passions.
Briefly Noted
Mar|Apr 2024
In the Balance
Four alumni authors consider, then dismantle, the myths that govern how we choose our careers and that keep us stuck in unhealthy patterns from childhood to retirement.
Risk and Reward
Rajiv Shah M’02 GrW’05 heads the Rockefeller Foundation and has worked for the Gates Foundation and in government on critical issues in public health and international development. In his new book, Big Bets, he shows how embracing smart criticism—from Bill Gates, for one—and never settling for merely incremental change can pay off.
Literary Treats
The annual Kelly Writers House event featured some tasty puns.