legend
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Great Joan Didion
December 10, 2020
The iconic writer answers some questions about her favorite films, why she still loves New York, and what she had for breakfast.
ASK A SANE PERSON
Michelangelo Signorile on the Perils of Complacency and “Victory Blindness”
November 2, 2020
“Too many people jump in, think they change laws, think it’s over. It’s never over.”
ask a sane person
The Poet Terrance Hayes Says Hope, Like Faith, Has Little to Do with Reason
November 2, 2020
“What’s the opposite of hope? Apathy? Cynicism? Despair? I choose to lean in the direction of hope.”
ASK A SANE PERSON
Kevin Young on the Righteousness of Voting Rights
October 30, 2020
“Emerson said civil disobedience is not a right, but a duty.”
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Senator Ed Markey on Shooting Hoops and Saving the Planet
October 29, 2020
“I go into my driveway and shoot free throws. And then I get to work.”
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Chris Jackson on Why the Status Quo is Killing Us
October 28, 2020
“There’s no way to MAGA our way back to a purer past.”
ASK A SANE PERSON
David Rothkopf Finds Hope in the History of Progress
October 27, 2020
“I’m more concerned about the root causes of our political problems than I am about the virus. We will manage that.”
required reading
Bryan Washington’s Very Quiet Concerns
October 27, 2020
With his debut novel, the author delivers a gay breakup book that’s also so much more.
show & tell
A New Book Shows Why Camilla McGrath Was the Lens of the Party
October 26, 2020
“Face to Face: The Photographs of Camilla McGrath” is a gorgeous, jet-set testament to the delicious depth of the McGraths’ personal address book.
ask a sane person
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio On Why She Avoids Anger (And Why White Men Should, Too)
October 9, 2020
“I think of anger as the wick that I light on the candle that is called F*ck White Supremacy, Save Our People.”
literature
Author Rumaan Alam on Why Doomsday Prep is Rather Useless
October 6, 2020
“Nothing will save you, not seclusion or food or sourdough starter.”
ask a sane person
Justin Vivian Bond on the Inevitability of Assholes
September 17, 2020
“The ignorance of people never shocks me and I never underestimate it.”
ask a sane person
David Adler on the Decline of American Exceptionalism
September 8, 2020
“Our passports have turned from gold to garbage overnight.”
ask a sane person
Colm Tóibín on the Inefficacy of Political Conversation
September 1, 2020
Despite it all, the Irish author and essayist remains devoted to the United States.
tennis, anyone?
The Rise and Pause of Taylor Fritz, America’s Next Great Tennis Star
August 31, 2020
The 22-year-old looks to cause a racket at this year’s U.S. Open.
ask a sane person
Naomi Fry’s High-Low Cultural Criticism Mirrors the Moment
August 25, 2020
“We can’t depend on people to solve every problem through individual initiative. Change needs to be structural.”
ask a sane person
And Now a Word From Mark Lynas, For Those of Us Who Forgot About The Climate Crisis
August 19, 2020
“We’re as smart as we need to be to fix this.”
Ask A Sane Person: Luc Sante On the Unglamorous But Crucial Building Blocks of Democracy
August 10, 2020
“I do believe that reparations are a necessary first step.”
Ask a Sane Person: Brit Bennett on the Interconnectedness of Protests and the Pandemic
August 4, 2020
“Nothing is impossible to change.”
Ask A Sane Person: Marjorie Garber Questions America’s Character
July 22, 2020
A fitting cultural scholar to lead us through these tragic times.