Essays Archive | Los Angeles Review of Books

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Dance Routines, Pandemic Routines: Ryan Heffington's "SWEATFEST"
Media Studies scholar Kristen Warner and dance scholar Clare Croft consider the queer, quarantied embodiments of Ryan Heffington's Instagram dance class.
Clare Croft, Kristen WarnerJun 1, 2020
- Music
- Television
The Online Pivot: California’s Cultural Institutions Adjust to the New Reality
Sophia Stewart samples the online offerings of California’s cultural institutions, which are working hard to keep art alive during the pandemic.
Sophia StewartJun 1, 2020
- Art & Architecture
- Science & Technology
The Politics of Pop: The Rise and Repression of Uyghur Music in China
The pop lives of the Uyghur minority in China
Elise AndersonMay 31, 2020
- Around the World
The Mother of African Cinema: Sarah Maldoror
Remembering Sarah Maldoror, mother of African cinema.
Celluloid Liberation FrontMay 31, 2020
River Phoenix: A Poem
An ode by Alex Dimitrov
Alex DimitrovMay 30, 2020
- LARB Lit
Selena Gomez and the Perils of Confessional Pop
Does vulnerability in pop pay off?
Charlie Harding, Nate SloanMay 29, 2020
- Music
"Never Have I Ever"...Seen Myself on TV
Linde Murugan considers Mindy Kaling's funny and frustrating take on religion, nationality, race, caste, and diasporic identity.
Meenasarani Linde MuruganMay 28, 2020
- Television
Mental Math for a Token: On Calculating My Worth
"Saying something that might ruffle a feather, as a token, can prove to be risky business."
Caleb GayleMay 28, 2020
Zones of Possibility: Science Fiction and the Coronavirus
George R. Stewart’s 1949 novel “Earth Abides” offers an eerie augury our COVID-19 crisis.
Rob LathamMay 27, 2020
- SF
Kim Gordon, Quarantined
Talking to a rock icon during a pandemic
Alex ScordelisMay 26, 2020
- Music
Freud: A Star Is Born
Elena Comay del Junco (psycho)analyzes the representation of Freud and psychoanalysis in popular media.
Elena Comay del JuncoMay 26, 2020
- Film
- Television
In Memoriam: Lewis MacAdams
An excerpt from “The Forty Year Artwork” by Julia Ingalls
Julia IngallsMay 24, 2020
- Nonfiction
- Poetry
How to Miss What Isn't Gone: Thoughts on Modern Nostalgias While Watching "The Office"
Lucas Mann discusses modern forms of nostalgia and the pleasures and perils of rewatching old favorites
Lucas MannMay 24, 2020
- Television
Real Life Rock Top 10: May 2020
LARB presents the May installment of “Real Life Rock Top 10,” a monthly column by cultural critic Greil Marcus.
Greil MarcusMay 22, 2020
- Music
- Television
Giving Up the Goods: Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” Turns 25
Oliver Wang revisits the antihero tales of crime and grime of the 1995 legacy-making album “The Infamous” by Mobb Deep on its 25th anniversary.
Oliver WangMay 22, 2020
- Music
Less Is More: The Evocative Film Posters of Akiko Stehrenberger
Sophia Stewart talks with movie poster illustrator and designer Akiko Stehrenberger about her work, her creative process, and her book “Akikomatic.”
Sophia StewartMay 21, 2020
- Art & Architecture
- Film