All Culture
FocusCan a soccer team revive hope in a Welsh city? Welcome to Wrexham.Can a soccer team in Wales boost the morale and prospects not only of fans, but a whole city?
In Pictures: On Kolkata鈥檚 trams, a journey through the city鈥檚 鈥榮oul鈥�Despite being well past their heyday, trams in Kolkata, India, still offer a window into the city unlike any other.聽
Are you there book lovers? It鈥檚 me, Margaret.What makes a young adult novel that deals honestly with puberty endure across generations of women?聽
First LookIt's tricky, exciting, and it's a new trend: Longboard dancingThey don鈥檛 just swoop, twirl, and carve 鈥� they feel the music. Meet longboard dancers, the latest cool trend to emerge across Southern California. Its riders see themselves as an inclusive community that has found a way to express joy after a wet winter.
What is art? A New Hampshire bakery stands up for its muffin mural.Where is the line between art and advertising? A New Hampshire bakery鈥檚 mural has inspired a debate among the residents of Conway about private property and public art.
A lesson in fences and freedom from Royal the horseMy life felt bound by domestic chores, our essayist writes. Then a friend asked, 鈥淲hat do you do for fun?鈥�
In a WordThe origins of ketchup 鈥� or catsup 鈥� run through ... fish sauce?The 18th century was 鈥渁 golden age for ketchup,鈥� with versions made from oysters, mushrooms, walnuts, mussels, and even fruit.
Urban dirt biking: Riding the line between culture and crimeUrban 鈥渂ike life鈥� aficionados are looking to decriminalize their sport and find room to ride their dirt bikes legally.聽
First LookHearts overwhelmed: Mexico exhibit celebrates a lost societyA new exhibit hosted by Museum of Templo Mayor in Mexico City marks the 45th anniversary of the discovery of a monolith depicting the Mexican lunar goddess, Coyolxauhqui. The finding sheds light on Mexica civilization before the Spanish conquest.
When Nike met Michael: 鈥楢ir鈥� is a slam dunkIn their latest collaboration, 鈥淎ir,鈥� Matt Damon and Ben Affleck take on Nike鈥檚 wooing of Michael Jordan. The movie is 鈥渆minently worth watching鈥� says Monitor film critic Peter Rainer.
In a WordThe seasons of 鈥榟ot feet鈥� and 鈥榙istant thunder鈥�Until around 1500, the period from roughly September to November 鈥� fall 鈥� was named for what was going on with the crops, not trees. It was "harvest."
He listens. He improvises. Meet the 鈥榤usic doula.鈥�When creativity feels unlimited, accessible to all, it flows more freely. How has one musician found a way to lead artists to that comfortable place?聽聽
In a WordNot just winter, or early spring, but 鈥榤ud season鈥�The Russian "rasputitsa"聽is famously daunting, having helped protect the nation from invaders for centuries.
Awash in a sea of shampooI have fulfilled this role, the consumer of my wife's rejected shampoo, for my entire married life, our essayist writes.
鈥楾he Lost King鈥�: One sleuth鈥檚 quest for the truth about Richard IIIThe hero of 鈥淭he Lost King,鈥� based on a true story, finds a way to amplify her subject鈥檚 voice 鈥� and her own.
On Broadway, saying goodbye to 鈥楶hantom鈥�What does it take to have longevity on Broadway? Catchy songs help. But as the departing 鈥淧hantom of the Opera鈥� shows, so does a relatable story.
New chapter for racially diverse bookstores: Steady growth, wider reachBook-loving dreamers of color are opening an increasing number of new spaces for diverse stories and clientele.
In a WordEvocative phrases borrowed from film and theaterWhile interrupting a chronological sequence to go back in time is an ancient narrative technique, the word "flashback"聽first appeared in 1916.聽
Popcorn and propaganda? Two Philippine films offer dueling histories.The battle over Philippine history has reached the silver screen, with a pair of films set during the martial law era blending fact and fiction.
With timeless masterpieces and modern riffs, Vermeer enduresWhat qualities make art enduring?聽For museumgoers and modern artists, examining the work of 17th-century painter Johannes Vermeer offers the opportunity to both reflect on, and shift, the narrative.
