Who Cares About Democracy?
Some people consider democracy a good thing only if it gets them the outcome they want. Perhaps the US just needs more democratic reforms.
Read More
Society & Culture
Letters to You
In this epistolary, Melanie Han reflects on her experiences with racism, intergenerational family dynamics, and tensions surrounding identity.
Read More
‘Corona, Corona’: In the Cycle of Grief
Finding herself abroad during the early days of corona, a traveler recounts the uncertainties and grief that followed her home.
Read More
The Mythos of Pandemic
Without a shared mythos or communal rituals, we face not only the physical threat of coronavirus but also an epidemic of hopelessness.
Read More
All the Lonely People: The Atomized Generation
We’re not only facing a crisis of loneliness but we’re atomized. Our systems seem designed to further undermine social fabric and place.
Read More
The Locking Spine
Eating crab is a fitting tradition for an Appalachian community dealing with the intergenerational trauma connected to the opioid crisis.
Read More
Suspending Politics to Save Democracy
Just political systems secure the means of living satisfying private lives while political saturation crowds out key aspects of a good life.
Read More
America Needs to Build Strong Towns, Not More Infrastructure
The key to fixing our cities, to creating Strong Towns, is to treat them like complex, emergent systems capable of iterative change.
Read More
A Land Value Tax Fosters Stronger Communities
Not only is a land value tax economically efficient, it offers a development pattern and taxation philosophy that nurtures vibrant communities.
Read More
We’re Overdoing Democracy. But Why?
Society has become so politically-saturated that we’re now overdoing democracy. Here are a few reasons why it undermines our institutions.
Read More
On Their Home, Not Mine
A “third culture kid,” now an adult, reflects on the unrelenting yearning she has for home and the struggle we face to live in the present.
Read More
A Progressive’s Take on Ron Chernow’s ‘Grant’
Individuals don’t make history but there are the “best of us” people, like Grant, who withstand the crushing pressures of their times.
Read More