CATEGORIES

SOME FRESH HELL

The poet Shane McCrae journeys through the land of the damned.

THE CRITICS IN HIS CUPS

The intoxicating still-lifes of Giorgio Morandi.

HALF THE BATTLE

Why can't the U.S. military fill its depleted ranks?

LEANING TOWER

How a high-rise condo in Manhattan went sideways.

MY FRIEND PINOCCHIO DAVID RABE

When I broke Kenny's bedroom door, I was in the middle of a crazy argument with my girlfriend.

PLAY IT AGAIN

\"Hugh Jackman LIVE\" and \"Beckett Briefs.\"

UNTESTED

The frustrated promise of the rape kit.

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES OF YOUR ELON MUSK

The way your Elon Musk plays, moves, and communicates offers important data about his development. Although every child is different, recognizing where your Elon Musk is on the curve can help you identify potential problems early and allow for intervention, under the guidance of your pediatrician and the federal regulatory agency.

TRUE BLOOD

One of the most valuable substances in the world has never been replicated. Are we close?

FEMME VITALE

Alma Mahler-Werfel, a woman with qualities.

SOME PERSONAL NEWS

The rise and rise of the entrepreneurial work ethic.

ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACK

Tom Brady's second act, as a football commentator.

A VISIT FROM THE CHIEF

Lidia often went to the third floor of the Graziano Institute and sat down on the wooden bench there, right across from her mother's room.

LANGUAGE LESSONS

Sanaz Toossi's “English” arrives on Broadway.

THE WITNESS

An activist fled Syria to reveal Assad's crimes. Then, mysteriously, he went back.

LINE OF FIRE

The fight to contain an inferno in Los Angeles.

PRODUCTION NOTES: "MELANIA"

Amazon has agreed to pay $40 million to license a Melania Trump documentary, as Jeff Bezos makes overtures to Trump

CAPYBARA, MON COEUR

A giant crush on a giant rodent.

KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR

It's never too early to imagine the end of the world.

PRIVATE EYE

How Celia Paul paints presence.

BANGING THE DRUM

Monday Evening Concerts has celebrated new music for eight decades.

THE CROSSWORD

A beginner-friendly puzzle

THE ST. ALWYNN GIRLS AT SEA SHEILA HETI

There was a general sadness that day on the ship. Dani was walking listlessly from cabin to cabin, delivering little paper flyers announcing the talent show at the end of the month. She had made them the previous week; then had come news that the boys' ship would not be attending. It almost wasn't worth handing out flyers at all—almost as if the show had been cancelled. The boys' ship had changed course; it was now going to be near Gibraltar on the night of the performance—nowhere near where their ship would be, in the middle of the North Atlantic sea. Every girl in school had already heard Dani sing and knew that her voice was strong and good. The important thing was for Sebastien to know. Now Sebastien would never know, and it might be months before she would see him again—if she ever would see him again. All she had to look forward to now were his letters, and they were only delivered once a week, and no matter how closely Dani examined them, she could never have perfect confidence that he loved her, because of all his mentions of a girlfriend back home.

WHEELS UP

Can the U.K.’s Foreign Secretary negotiate a course between the E.U. and President Trump?

A CRITIC AT LARGE - CHECK THIS OUT

If you think apps and social media are ruining our ability to concentrate, you haven't been paying attention.

PARTY FAVORS

Perle Mesta and the golden age of the Washington hostess.

CHARLOTTE'S PLACE

Living with the ghost of a cinéma-vérité pioneer.

THE CURRENT CINEMA - GHOST'S-EYE VIEW

“Presence.”

MILLENNIALS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Fame is fickle, and no one knows this better than millennials. Once, they were everywhere—in television laugh tracks for “The Big Bang Theory,” in breathless think pieces about social-media narcissism, and acting the fool in 360p YouTube comedy videos. Then—poof! Gone like yesterday’s avocado toast.

ANNALS OF INQUIRY: CHASING A DREAM

What insomniacs know.