(Sub)Culture Features

As expected, the first full winter of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States has been brutal, bringing the total death toll approaching the half-million mark. There are also reasons to be hopeful: The daily average of new Covid cases is now declining in 43 states, and, while off to …

There’s not a lot America can agree on at the moment, but the U.S. is clearly over the war on drugs. Last week, Oregon decriminalized the possession of all drugs, deep-red Mississippi approved medical marijuana, and South Dakota — which in previous years couldn’t even get medical pot on the …

Last fall, Margaret Atwood published The Testaments, a sequel to her 1985 bestseller, The Handmaid’s Tale, which for decades has served as a cautionary tale about how easily a once-democratic and thriving country such as the United States can slip into authoritarian rule. Since the success of the Emmy-winning Hulu …

Jitarth Jadeja is a hirsute man in his early thirties, charming and jovial, speaking with equal effusiveness about economics and his baby niece. He’s an atheist, pro-choice and pro-drug decriminalization, who supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary. He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would be deeply …

Toward the end of April, Lily Cornell Silver was struggling with her mental health. Coronavirus-related lockdowns started a month earlier and the third anniversary of the death of her father, Chris Cornell, was a few weeks away. Although she already had a strong support system of family members, friends, and …

Tamla Horsford arrived at the party around 8:30 p.m. The 40-year-old black mother had made dinner for her five sons and husband, Leander, before heading out to celebrate the birthday of her friend Jeanne Meyers. Meyers had invited a group of moms — most who’d met through the local youth …

Hollywood,Ryan Murphy‘s jaunty fantasy of 1940s Tinseltown, is a reimagining of film history featuring both real-world and fictional silver-screen luminaries. And according to many of the critics who’ve reviewed itthus far, it leans more heavily toward fiction, arguably whitewashing history in a problematic fashion. The gas station sex ring run …

As we appear to be reaching the peak of the coronavirus outbreak in some parts of the U.S., public health officials have started thinking about what happens next. Having widespread, accurate testing for COVID-19 is necessary in order to make it possible for essential workers to return to their jobs, …

Greg Offner never wanted a gun. Growing up, Offner, 38, attended military school in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where he was first taught how to safely operate firearms. As an adult, he was no stranger to the firing range, but he happily relinquished his rented handgun or shotgun to the clerk at …

Boston math teacher Paul Tremblay, like many of us, is currently sheltering in place with his family, peering uncertainly into the future as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our everyday life. Unlike the rest of us, he has a book about a deadly virus of mysterious origins dropping on …