Cognoscenti

10/01/2025

"Growing up, the natural disaster that hovered over all of us California kids was of the Big One, an earthquake so immense that it would cleave our state from the mainland and send us floating off into the Pacific Ocean," writes Steve Almond. "Quakes are still a threat. But they feel remote compared to the perpetual threat of fires."

As horrifying as the spread of these fires has been, they are merely the latest in a long and harrowing catalogue, writes Steve Almond. Over the past decade, not a year has gone without news of some wildfire threatening the landscape, and people, I left behind.

09/01/2025

Pulitzer Prize-winner Madeleine Blais covered the Democratic National Convention for the Trenton Times in 1976, when Carter accepted the nomination.

"I tried to capture a mood that has in more recent years been mocked. It was a moment of change and hope, that to me embodied, if not innocence, then seeming innocence, often the best we can do," she writes.

Madeleine Blais was a staff writer for the Trenton Times in 1976 when she was assigned to cover the Democratic Convention in New York City where Jimmy Carter claimed his party's nomination. The four days were mostly a snore -- but she created a time capsule of the week that she treasures to this day...

09/01/2025

I will always remember Jimmy Carter for the sense of decency that he brought to the Oval Office and for his tireless post-presidential efforts to do good throughout the world, writes Tom Putnam, former director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

I will always remember Jimmy Carter for the sense of decency that he brought to the Oval Office and for his tireless post-presidential efforts to do good throughout the world, writes Tom Putnam, former director of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

09/01/2025

Carter’s abiding intimacy with the Earth served him as a lodestar, albeit an imperfect one, writes Frederick Hewett. My 19-year-old self connected with his inspired idealism, and today, having seen the exemplary life he lived, my vote would be unchanged.

At times throughout his presidency, political and economic circumstances forced President Carter to subordinate his impulse to protect the living world. But his accomplishments outweigh his failures, writes Frederick Hewett, and he remains one of our most environmentally progressive presidents.

09/01/2025

Maria Callas created an aura of peerless achievement. Yet, writes Paul Wink, her life ended in the grip of drug addiction, illustrating what psychoanalyst Alice Miller called “the drama of the gifted child.”

There is much to love about Netflix's “Maria”, a biopic about soprano Maria Callas, including the film’s visual splendor, writes Paul Wink. But the film misses opportunities to illuminate the opera singer's exploitation by her overbearing mother, as well as her own profound lack of self-worth.

08/01/2025

Decades later, I don’t remember what prompted 10-year-old me to write to President Carter, writes Jane Rosenzweig. But I do remember how excited I was when I received a response and I still firmly believe writing letters — and responding to them — still matters.

Decades later, I don’t remember what prompted 10-year-old me to write to President Carter, writes Jane Rosenzweig. But I do remember how excited I was when I received a response and I still firmly believe writing letters — and responding to them — still matters.

08/01/2025

More than 50 men were found guilty of ra**ng Gisèle Pelicot. In addition to her own husband, the rapists included a nurse, a journalist and a volunteer firefighter, and they lived their lives without suspicion. One of them even regularly exchanged greetings with Gisèle at the local bakery.

"One key feature of r**e culture is just how ordinary many of the men who r**e are," writes Leigh Gilmore.

More than 50 men were found guilty of ra**ng Gisèle Pelicot. In addition to her own husband, the rapists included a nurse, a journalist and a volunteer firefighter, and they lived their lives without suspicion. One key feature of r**e culture is just how ordinary many of the men who r**e are, write...

06/01/2025

Suppression of science is in the toolbox of autocrats, writes Frederick Hewett in this commentary.

Anti-science attitudes have historically encumbered societal progress in the U.S., often with serious ramifications, writes Frederick Hewett. The scientific community is now bracing for upheaval as the Trump administration prepares to take office.

06/01/2025

Rather than being held accountable for his crimes on Jan.6, Donald Trump arrives back on the Capitol steps triumphant and unscathed. His election to a second term dramatically shifts the story that Jan. 6 will tell future generations, writes Glenn Rifkin.

Rather than being called to account for his crimes on Jan.6, Donald Trump arrives back on the Capitol steps triumphant and unscathed. His election to a second term dramatically shifts the story that Jan. 6 will tell future generations, writes Glenn Rifkin.

06/01/2025

"Maybe setting a resolution is a little bit like praying, minus the religiosity. Maybe instead of stating our intentions for a specific thing or series of actions, we ought to resolve ourselves to a certain way of being in the world — wise, patient, honest, compassionate, humble — that, in time, may bring about the real-world results we desire."

Maybe instead of stating our intentions for a specific thing, we ought to resolve ourselves to a certain way of being in the world — wise, patient, honest, compassionate, humble — that, in time, may bring about the real-world results we desire.

05/01/2025

Angelina Jolie’s performance as Maria Callas in Netflix's "Maria" is magnetic as she merges herself with the role of someone trying desperately to find her own true self.

There is much to love about Netflix's “Maria”, a biopic about soprano Maria Callas, including the film’s visual splendor, writes Paul Wink. But the film misses opportunities to illuminate the opera singer's exploitation by her overbearing mother, as well as her own profound lack of self-worth.

03/01/2025

Trump has called Jan. 6 a "day of love" and promised revenge on those who sought to prosecute him for these crimes. For the rest of us, writes Glenn Rifkin, Jan. 6 will forever be a date when shock and horror gave way to disbelief and despair.

03/01/2025

Anti-science attitudes have encumbered societal progress in the U.S., often with serious ramifications, writes Fred Hewett. The scientific community is now bracing for upheaval as the Trump administration prepares to take office.

Anti-science attitudes have historically encumbered societal progress in the U.S., often with serious ramifications, writes Frederick Hewett. The scientific community is now bracing for upheaval as the Trump administration prepares to take office.

01/01/2025

I am trying to unlearn all the icy tendencies I’ve developed over years in New England, writes Laura Everett. The only way I know to “love thy neighbor” is to start by acknowledging that your neighbor exists.

I am trying to unlearn all the icy tendencies I’ve developed over years in New England, writes Laura Everett. The only way I know to “love thy neighbor” is to start by acknowledging that you neighbor exists.

31/12/2024

“Pray for boring days,” my grandmother used to say. I never really knew what she meant. Now, I think I do, writes Holly Robinson.

“Pray for boring days,” my grandmother used to say. I never really knew what she meant. Now, I think I do, writes Holly Robinson.

31/12/2024

The average U.S. wedding costs $35,000. That's why Abbigail Shirk and her partner are going smaller and simpler. We're passing on some "extras" now, so we can buy a home and start a family sooner rather than later, she writes.

The average U.S. wedding costs $35,000. That's why Abbigail Shirk and her partner are going smaller and simpler: 30 guests, a consignment wedding dress and no engagement ring. We're saying no to some "extras" now, so we can yes to buying a home and starting a family sooner rather than later, she wri...

30/12/2024

In the face of discriminatory legislation, racist policies and exploitative practices, waving the American flag can feel dishonest. Other times, writes Kellie Carter Jackson, it can also feel like hope.

In the face of discriminatory legislation, racist policies and exploitative practices, waving the American flag can feel dishonest. Other times, writes Kellie Carter Jackson, it can also feel like hope.