The Arts

The Arts

His True Loves

Jonathan Karp ’86 left his job as editor-in-chief of Random House to launch his own imprint and stage his first play, about a timid bookstore clerk faced with saving the world.
The Arts

How They Did It

Letter to the editor about early 1900s recording technology
The Arts

Fresh Ink

New books by alumni and faculty inclues a thriller about a stalker and a road-trip conversation about art and life.
The Arts
Photo of Sasha Spielberg ’12

Music Like Movies

The cinematic grooves of Sasha Spielberg ’12
The Arts

Book Tour

A journalist gets to know writer David Foster Wallace, 12 years before his suicide.
The Arts

Wonder Woman

Angela Robinson ’92 left TV writing rooms to write and direct Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.
The Arts

Trivia Hunter

As head of research for The Crown, Annie Sulzberger ’04 wants to immerse you in the world of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Arts

A New Sitcom

Four Brown alums working on CBS's 9JKL show that no, you can't really go home again and expect it to be the same.
The Arts

Fresh Ink

A thriller in post-Soviet Cuba, inside LBJ's White House, and a debut novel set in Brooklyn.
The Arts
Richard Hambleton with of one of his paintings

Street Artist

Shadowman, the latest documentary from filmmaker Oren Jacoby ’77, chronicles a forgotten pioneer.
The Arts
Spines of three books

Fresh Ink

New books from Jacob M. Appel ’96, Sasha Polakow-Suransky ’01, and Rachel Z. Arndt ’10.
The Arts

The Pull of Place

Robin MacArthur's intimate connection to the land is a powerful influence in her lyrical first novel, Heart Spring Mountain.
The Arts
Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs

At Sundance

Among the 16 films in the U.S. Dramatic Competition held at the Sundance Film Festival in January, three were written and/or directed by alums.
The Arts
Image of Dhani Harrison ’01 in a black suit and white shirt, face partially obscured behind bright red flowers.

Here Comes the Son

The first solo album from Dhani Harrison ’01 is “an introspective trip.”
The Arts
Illustration of Andrew Sean Greer ’92

Two Alums Win Pulitzer

James Forman Jr. ’88 and Andrew Sean Greer ’92 took nonfiction and fiction
The Arts
Photograph of the spines of the books discussed in this article

Fresh Ink

New books by Blue Balliett ’78, Timothy J. Shannon ’86, and Steven Wallace ’83
The Arts
Tatyana-Marie Carlo ’20

Make Art

Brown-Trinity Rep MFA programs receive full tuition scholarships in the 2018-2019 academic year.
The Arts
Illustration of writers

Celebrating Coover

Literary luminaries gathered in April to toast Robert Coover’s 33 years at Brown.
The Arts
photo of Karyn Bryant ’90 covering UFC International Fight Week, 2017

Fight Club

Covering ultimate fighters and really cute dogs
The Arts
photo of Betsy West ’73, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Julie Cohen at Sundance

Notorious Doc

Documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsberg offers a glimpse into the justice's life
The Arts

Fresh Ink

New books by Rita Bullwinkel '11, Jessica Weisberg '06 and Natasha Zaretsky '96 AM, '03 PhD
The Arts
Image of a photo collage done by one of Carolyn Drake's subjects.

Subjects Become Artists

What happens when the people photographed are invited to alter the images?
The Arts

Movement as Medicine

An alum finds new joy helping folks with Parkinson’s master the dance floor
The Arts
Photo of Madeline Miller, perusing antiquities at New York's Metropolitan Museum.

Inner Life of a Goddess

Madeline Miller ’00, ’01 AM revisits the Circe story for the #MeToo era
The Arts
Photo of Jeff Zimbalist

Catch a Wave

Jeff Zimbalist ’00 tracks Kelly Slater and his surfing buds from their Hawaii youth up into the pros
The Arts
Photo of Emily Nemens

Literary Leadership

Writer and editor Emily Nemens ’05 takes the helm at the Paris Review
The Arts
Photo of Meg Wolitzer ’81

Trying to Make Meaning

The 10th novel from Meg Wolitzer ’81 is her most political yet.
The Arts
Photo of John Krasinski ’02

What Office?

John Krasinski ’01 moves into uncharted territory
The Arts
Photo of Edisa Weeks ’87

Roots and Rites

Conceptual choreographer Edisa Weeks ’87
Medicine & Health
Photo of Caleigh Steele ’20 and her sister Lynden

Portraits of Love

A student uplifts women with cancer and their care teams
The Arts
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar ’14

Syrian Journeys

A debut novel inspired by present-day refugees
The Arts
books spines cropped

Fresh Ink

New books by Eric Jay Dolin '83, Dawn Raffel '79 and Alan Stern '75 & David Grinspoon '82
The Arts
Still photo from RaMell Ross film

A Symphony of Moments

RaMell Ross’s documentary about a black community in the deep south.
The Arts

Fresh Ink

New books by Nathaniel Philbrick '78, Eric Klinenberg '93 and Robin Green '67.
The Arts
Photograph of Sophie Hawley-Weld ’14 and Tucker Halpern ’14

Fast Forward

Sofi Tukker takes the dance-pop world by storm
The Arts
Black and white photograph of Ottessa Moshfegh ’11 sitting at a table

Dark Day

A woman sleeps away a year of her life
The Arts
Photograph of Ken Biller ’86 with actor Geoffrey Rush (as Albert Einstein) on set

The Genius Series

Ken Biller ’86 tells the life stories of famous masterminds
The Arts
Photograph of Tim Blake Nelson ’86

Frontier Tales

Actor Tim Blake Nelson ’86 turns singing gunslinger
The Arts
photo Maria Manuela Goyanes '01 jumping up in the air

Mammoth Accomplishment

Maria Manuela Goyanes ’01 is the Woolly Mammoth’s new artistic director
The Arts
Gallery-goers experience audiovisual installation

Hardwired Wonderland

An audiovisual art installation explores synesthesia.
The Arts
Photo of Ben Marcus

Into the Abyss

Dark stories from author Ben Marcus ’91 MFA
The Arts

Fresh Ink

New books by William Powers '93, Shelley Jackson '94 MFA and Ann Ducille '91 PhD.
The Arts
portrait of Charlotte Silverman '22

A Freshman Oscar

Charlotte Silverman ’22, for Period. End of Sentence.
The Arts
Illustration of a woman lost in the woods

Far From All Fair Guidance

At dusk, a Puritan woman wakes up from a nap in the woods.
The Arts

Fresh Ink

New books by Lauren E. Oakes ’04, Katharine Smyth ’03 and Rowan Ricardo Phillips ’98 AM, ’03 PhD.
The Arts
Photograph of Marin Hinkle '88

Ma Maisel 

The roles keep coming for actress Marin Hinkle ’88
The Arts

Bergman: A Year in a Life

Film examines the life of director Ingmar Bergman
The Arts

A New Reality

The latest novel by Leni Zumas ’94 imagines the impact of restricted reproductive rights
The Arts

The Cartoonist

Enlivening investment banking reports
The Arts

Tumultuous Times

A new book chronicles higher education in the Sixties
The Arts
Dan Hernandez ’06 and Benji Samit ’06 standing in front of a Pokémon: Detective Pikachu poster

Bringing Pikachu to Life

How the beloved Pokémon got to the big screen
The Arts
Photograph of Jackie Sibblies Drury ’10 at a desk

4 Pulitzers!

A professor emeritus and 3 alumni take the top honor
Humanities & Culture
Image from one of the board games

Big Game Hunting

One family’s passion for collecting Victorian table games
The Arts

Fresh Ink

New books by Kate Ascher '80, Thomas Mallon '73 and Monique Tello '95.
The Arts
portrait of Bruce Miller

Dystopia Calling

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, as retold on Hulu by Bruce Miller ’87, is having a moment.
The Arts

Fresh Ink

New books by Mark Mayer '06, Mathangi Subramanian '02 and Wendy Walker '89.
The Arts

Partners in Verse

Taking their spoken-word poetry around the world
The Arts

Grammy Award Winner

Violinist Lili Haydn '92 wins a Grammy
The Arts

The Accidental Director

A longtime Hollywood writer-producer takes his turn at the helm
The Arts
Portrait of Courtney Mattison in her studio

Fragile Beauty

Courtney Mattison ’11 AM creates ceramic installations about endangered coral reefs.
The Arts
illustration of screen-obsessed theater-goers

Will Smart Phones Kill Live Theater?

12 Brown playwrights on writing for the stage in the age of streaming
The Arts
Headshot of Rodney Evans ’93

Sight Lines

A new film examines how blindness affects the creative process
The Arts
Sang Min Lim ’17 eyes the camera

K-Pop

Sang Min Lim ’17 claims his space in K-pop
The Arts
Claire Adam ’96 relaxes

Two Sons, One Chance

A powerful debut novel set in Trinidad
The Arts
Bunny, by Mona Awad ’14; Bring Your Brain To Work, by Art Markman ’88; and Correspondents, by Tim Murphy ’91 stacked

Fresh Ink

New books by Mona Awad ’14 MFA, Art Markman ’88, and Tim Murphy ’91
Filmmaking
Photo of Astra Taylor ’01

Core Concept

In search of the meaning of democracy
First Person
Photo of Bill Lichtenstein on the air at WBCN in 1973

Revolutionary Radio

Filmmaker Bill Lichtenstein ’78 tells the WBCN story
The Arts
Photo of Jessica Pan ’07

Testing the Limits

An introvert experiments with life as an extrovert
The Arts
Costalegre by Courtney Maum ’01; Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life by Louise Aronson ’86; and The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora ’97

Fresh Ink

New books by Courtney Maum ’01, Louise Aronson ’86, and Lauren Acampora ’97
The Arts
Photo of podcast producers Charlie Harding ’09 and Nate Sloan ’08

World of Pop

A hit podcast decodes popular music
The Arts
Photo of musician Licity Collins ’94

Say it Through Song

Licity Collins ’94 releases live album
The Arts
Image of Ellie Gravitte ’17 on Women's Production Program

I’m In

Ellie Gravitte ’17 directs commercial for “A Million Little Things”
The Arts
portrait of Frank Lesser ’02

“You’re Not a Monster”

New bite-size series starring Kelsey Grammer and Eric Stonestreet
The Arts
Image of Charlotte (Martin) Smith ’97 at her third fixer-upper in suburban Connecticut

DIY Influencer

A craft blogger takes off
The Arts
Image of books by Karen Dukess ’84, Akemi Johnson ’04, and Susan Rebecca White ’99

Fresh Ink

Books by Karen Dukess ’84, Akemi Johnson ’04, and Susan Rebecca White ’99
The Arts
Image of playwright Lila Rose Kaplan and director Melia Bensussen of play We All Fall Down

“We All Fall Down”

A new play focusing on family and religion premieres in Boston
The Arts
Kerry Smith, Joe Meisel, Janet Blume and Baylor Fox-Kemper of Dirty Filthy Basement

Dirty Filthy Basement

A faculty band rocks out
The Arts
Self-portrait by Pia Mileaf-Patel

1,000 Rejections

How to get a cartoon in the New Yorker
The Arts
Sindura Sriram ’21, Suzanne Antoniou ’20, Allie Arnold ’20, Zara Norman ’22, Elisheva Goldberg ’22.

Funny Girls

The Rib launches women into comedy careers
The Arts
Ben Lerner

Language’s Limits

The third novel by Ben Lerner ’01, ’03 MFA, grapples with excess, masculinity, and the limits—and possibilities—of verbal communication.
The Arts
Andrew Evans and the Magic Patio

Watch As tickets disappear

Magic, mind reading and gravity-defying stage illusions
The Arts
Chad Fischer

Shenandoah’s Sound

Chad Fischer ’90 writes musical scores for national parks
The Arts
Image of books by Ann Harleman ’88 AM, Sarah McFarland Taylor ’90, and Richard Lee Turits ’83

Fresh Ink

Books by Ann Harleman ’88 AM, Sarah McFarland Taylor ’90, and Richard Lee Turits ’83
The Arts
Ross Trudeau

Crossword Constructor

A puzzle obsession “snowballs”
The Arts
Books by Sarah Ruhl, David Jarmul, and Andrew Altschul

Fresh Ink

Books by Sarah Ruhl ’97 ’01 MFA, David Jarmul ’75, and Andrew Altschul ’91
Humanities & Culture
Photo of Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo

Video-game Music

Five minutes with Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, Mellon Gateway postdoctoral fellow in music.
The Arts
Edwin Chang Pixar film Wind still

Breaking Free

Alum directs Pixar short film
The Arts
Books by Anna Solomon ’98, Amity Gaige ’95, and Kelly McWilliams ’11

Fresh Ink

Books by Anna Solomon ’98, Amity Gaige ’95, and Kelly McWilliams ’11
The Arts
Daven McQueen The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones

Summer of Understanding

Exploring racism in a new coming-of-age novel
The Arts
David Kamp

Must-See TV

A new book shows how 1970s shows like Sesame Street shaped a generation of kids.
The Arts
Hasiba Zandi cyanography self-portrait

Old-School Photography

Five minutes with Hasiba Zandi ’21
The Arts
Clubbed Thumb theater Men on Boats

Rules of Thumb

Clubbed Thumb, the trailblazing theater company, hopes its 25th year won’t be its last
The Arts
André Leon Talley

Fashion Soldier

Glamour and heartache in a memoir from André Leon Talley ’73 AM
The Arts
Lynne Saches

A Man in Focus

For Lynne Sachs ’83, Film About a Father Who was a decades-long effort
The Arts
FierceWoman Project

Fierce Women

Empowering young women leaders
The Arts
Ben F. Laposky’s Electronic Abstraction 4

Digital Pioneers

A decades-deep computer art collection
The Arts
Books by Bess Kalb ’10, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum ’95, and Larry Tye ’77

Fresh Ink

Books by Bess Kalb ’10, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum ’95, and Larry Tye ’77
The Arts
Oscar Rousseau ’21 (left) and Ben Doyle ’21

Comedy of the Century

The Brown Jug is back
The Arts
Orange Guava Passion band

Gigs Are Out the Window

But a student band plays on
The Arts
Handling Ice by Riel Sturchio

Borderlands

A living archive of Southwestern art
The Arts
Image of person reading a book by Steve Halama

Winter Reading

It’s a good time to dive into a book or three.
The Arts
Ruth Bader Ginsburg illustration from book Decisions and Dissents of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Selection

Created Equal

RBG’s brilliant arguments in the fight for gender and racial equality.
The Arts
Barker in a closet recording

The Actress, the Mic, and the Wardrobe

Crisis, meet opportunity
The Arts
Sunisa Manning

Finding Home

A debut novel brings to life Thailand’s student protest movement of the 1970s.
History
Brian C. Muraresku with priest at Chiesa e Convento di San Francesco

The Quest

A bestselling new book searches for evidence that early Christianity may have been powered by psychedelics.
The Arts
Dead Enders illustration by Talia Dutton

Zoom as an Art Form

Two alums take on the zombie apocalypse amidst a pandemic.
The Arts
Jibade-Khalil Huffman's Now That I Can Dance

Not Just “Another Mural”

The fearless work of Jibade-Khalil Huffman ’05 MFA
The Arts
Gulmira Propper and mom Parida

Celebrating Uyghur Culture

Silk Road Recipes: Parida’s Uyghur Cookbook
The Arts
Books by Lisa Levenstein, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, and Ariel Sabar

Fresh Ink

Books by Lisa Levenstein ’94, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess ’00, and Ariel Sabar ’93
Student Life
portrait of Anessa Petteruti in her home

Filming Food

Five minutes with Anessa Petteruti ’21
The Arts
Image of Illustration Emblem 38

Furnace and Fugue

A digital project brings a book on alchemy to life
The Arts
Image of Beth Pollard ’21 at her loom

Textiles, Textiles, Textiles

Five minutes with Beth Pollard ’21
The Arts
Image of Alison Stewart

Radio Realness

Alison Stewart ’88 has infused New York public radio with afternoons full of wide-ranging talk
Service & Advocacy
Image of Paul Heck

30 years of Red Hot

Nonprofit reaches milestone in HIV/AIDS awareness
The Arts
Illustration by Ola Niepsuj

Listen Well

10 Podcasts by Brown alums
The Arts
Image of Jon Birger

Dating Advice

In Make Your Move, Jon Birger ’90 encourages straight women to go for what they want
Medicine & Health
Image of Gus White

Getting Through It

How do some people thrive despite adversity?
The Arts
Image of Moises Zamora

Selena’s Story

Netflix celebrates the Tejano star.
The Arts
Image of Jamer Hunt

The Man Who’s Everywhere
The Arts
Books by Kermit Pattison ’90, Brian Christian ’06, and Rob Reinstein ’81

Fresh Ink

Books by Kermit Pattison ’90, Brian Christian ’06, and Rob Feinstein ’81
The Arts
And image of Joëlle Dong ’21

Unfathomable

A submarine cruising Hillel House
The Arts
Image of Te-Ping Chen ’08

A Billion Plus

In Land of Big Numbers, China’s government is an ever-present characte
The Arts
Image of Michael Slaby

System Overload

A new book offers strategies for strengthening our democracy through information technology
The Arts
Image of Alex McAulay on set

Dark Instincts

A filmmaker draws from childhood for his newest thriller
The Arts
Image of books by Julia Zarankin ’97, Jennifer Dupee ’96, and Claire Holroyde ’01

Fresh Ink for June–Aug 2021

Books by Julia Zarankin ’97, Jennifer Dupee ’96, and Claire Holroyde ’01
The Arts
Illustration of a fox looking into a box by Brian Lies

The Storytelling Art

Award-winning illustrator and writer Brian Lies ’85 is hitting his stride
The Arts
Image of Shani Mahiri King

A Celebration of Black Lives

A new book for kids ages 9 and up
The Arts
Image of Professor Greg Elliot with a 45

Rock ’n Roll Oldies

Five minutes with Greg Elliott, Professor of Sociology
The Arts
LCMTC sculpture Brown University

Blueno’s Successor

Students have mixed feelings about the new sculpture on campus
The Arts
No-No Boy's Julian Saporiti

Untold Stories

The songs of Julian Saporiti ’17 AM ’22 PhD are lost pieces of Asian American history cradled in melodies and chords.
The Arts
Image from Spicebox Kitchen recipe

Spice Up Healthy Cooking

A new vegetable-forward cookbook.
The Arts
Image of books by Chaney Kwak ’02, William C. Kashatus ’84, and Daisy Dowling ’96

Fresh Ink for Sept–Oct 2021

Books by Chaney Kwak ’02, William C. Kashatus ’84 AM, and Daisy Dowling ’96
The Arts
Illustration of Randall Poster and Josh Deutsch

Reunited—and It Sounds So Good

Childhood friends merge music ventures
The Arts
Image from The Young Lords

The Young Lords

A new award-winning book from Johanna Fernandez ’93
Student Life
Photo of Michelle Liu and Estelle Zhu

Speak Out

Asian Americans share stories on race and identity
Ever True
photo of cheese in a stack

Ventures and Values

Our gift guide is back!
Filmmaking
portrait of Aunjanue Ellis by Imani Khayyam

Tennis Royalty

In King Richard, Aunjanue Ellis ’93 plays Venus and Serena’s mom and coach
The Arts
Portrait of Nick Sazaran and plants

Beat Maker

When Nick Sarazen ’17 moved to Hollywood, things happened fast
The Arts
Image of Mahesh Madhav on stage at premier

Chronicling the Creative Process
The Arts
Image of Nathaniel Philbrick's dog Dora looking at waterfalls

George Slept Here

Retracing President Washington’s journeys
Politics & Law
Image of Jeffrey Nussbaum with then Vice-President Biden on a plane/Official White House Photo

Channeling Joe

The art and science of presidential speechwriting
The Arts
Image of Abby McCreath with Groove With Me dance student

Celebrating 25 years of girls’ empowerment

Beyond dance moves
The Arts
Image of Books by Adam Stern, Katie Crouch, and Jeff Shesol

Fresh Ink for Nov–Dec 2021

Books by Adam Stern ’06, Katie Crouch ’95, and Jeff Shesol ’91
The Arts
Lisa Loeb and other alums on Zoom

Together Apart

A Brown alum Zoom musical captures pandemic connections
The Arts
Image of Sarah Ruhl by Rick Loomis

Asymmetrical Beauty

Sarah Ruhl ’97, ’01 MFA, on her decade-long struggle with facial palsy
The Arts
Image of art installation at Fairgrounds St. Pete

Art Immersion in St. Pete

Olivia Mansion ’16 AM opens Meow Wolf-style experience
The Arts
Image of Jordan Carter

Curating the Ephemeral

How do you exhibit work by artists whose main point is rejecting museums and galleries?
Science & Tech
Image of Daniel Sherrell in the Outback of Australia

“The Problem”

A new book contemplates life decisions in the face of climate change.
The Arts
Books by Claire Luchette, Gary Ginsberg, and Maria Ospina

Fresh Ink for Jan–Mar 2022

Books by Claire Luchette ’13, Gary Ginsberg ’84, and Maria Ospina ’99
The Arts
Sachi Cunningham selfie in the water

Stepping Into Liquid

Photographer Sachi Cunningham ’94.5 grabs a 25-pound camera and hangs out in the water beneath cresting 60-foot waves, getting pounded, churned—and getting the shot.
The Arts
Image from above of Derrick Pennix playing the piano

Storytelling through Song

In music theory class, students learn classical rules—and how to break them.
In Memoriam
Image of James Barnhill

“That Changed Everything”

Professor Jim Barnhill founded the Theatre Arts department and helped launch Trinity Rep, Rites and Reason, and several acting careers
Humanities & Culture
Image of Marcia Chatelain

Fast Food Capitalism

The Pulitzer-winning Franchise by Marcia Chatelain ’03 AM, ’08 PhD, narrates the complicated history between McDonald’s and its Black outlet owners
The Arts
Image of entrance arch at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Livening Up the Concert Experience

Cemeteries and crypts become the settings for classical music
The Arts
Image of Dan O'Brien leaning against a tree

Out of Darkness

Two new works from Dan O’Brien ’99 MFA on surviving trauma
The Arts
Books by Alan Maimon, Jessamine Chan, and Andrew Blauner

Fresh Ink for April–May 2022

Books by Alan Maimon ’95, Jessamine Chan ’00, and Andrew Blauner ’86
The Arts
Image of Professor Dietrich Neumann sitting in a Mies-designed “Barcelona” chair

Stalking Mies van der Rohe

Five minutes with Professor Dietrich Neumann
History
Illustration by James Heimer of broken Roman and Grecian statues and columns

Classics: Dead or Alive?

A new course examines ancient Greece and Rome with a 21st-century lens.
The Arts
Image of Zoë Chao with her outstretch hand to the camera

Goodbye, Art History

The Afterparty star Zoë Chao ’08 discovered her passion for acting in a class at Brown
Business & Entrepreneurship
Image of Bungalow store

A New Way to Support Emerging Artists
The Arts
Image of Grace Cho and her mother in 1971

Trauma and Taste Buds

An acclaimed memoir recalls how Korean food kept Grace Cho ’93 connected to her mother
Science & Tech
Image expedition team cooking dinner in Guatemala

Women Scientists Making a Difference
The Arts
Books by Xochitl Gonzalez, Maia Weinstock, Siena Cherson Siegel, and Mark Siegel

Fresh Ink for June–August 2022

Books by Xochitl Gonzalez ’99, Maia Weinstock ’99, Siena Cherson Siegel ’90, and Mark Siegel ’89.
The Arts
Image of Keiley Thompson and Amiri Nash

A Star Is Born

Brown’s newest newspaper focuses on Black joy and accomplishments
Service & Advocacy
Photograph of a bicyclist in front of a colorful building

Prints for a Purpose

Raising funds for Ukraine
Issues

Topics
Departments