ARTS

The creative spirit, and how it moves us.

“We've Known What Police Brutality Feels Like”: Pussy Riot’s Tribute Song to Eric Garner
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Feb 20, 2015
In a new music video, two members from Russian punk band Pussy Riot get dirt shoveled over their faces and are buried alive. It's powerful and disturbing to watch.
A Brief History of Happiness: How America Lost Track of the Good Life—and Where to Find It Now
by Sarah van Gelder
Feb 05, 2015
For decades, we've been taught that economic growth and buying more stuff will make us happy—while trashing the planet. The good news is, there’s a better kind of happy: It starts with meaningful work, loving relationships, and a thriving natural world.
“Selma”: A Beautifully Shot Film Shows How Change Really Happens
by Kate Aronoff
Jan 17, 2015
Neither a “great man” history of Martin Luther King Jr., nor a tale of forgotten underdogs, Selma is about skilled activists building a movement.
A Baltimore Public School Teacher Explains Why It Pays to Put Kids in Control
by Andy Lee Roth
Jan 16, 2015
What do Shakespeare’s plays tell us about how to run classrooms in an unequal society?
Creeped Out by "Baby, It's Cold Outside"? Try This Feminist Version
Dec 24, 2014
In the original song, she wants to go home, he says no, and then he spikes her drink. Blogger Dara Laine replaces the uncomfortable Christmas refrain with the female-friendly "Baby, It's Consent Inside."
Book Review: After Landing Herself in ICU, This Woman Changed Her Lifestyle, and Built a Tiny House
by Abby Quillen
Dec 24, 2014
In building her tiny house, the author built a simpler and happier life.
When Christmas Dinner Gets Uncomfortably Political, These Cues From “House of Cards” and Other Shows Can Help You Out
by Kate Aronoff
Dec 22, 2014
This year’s most popular movies and TV series can be a tool to work your way out of a particularly bad conversation.
“Wild” Could Have Been a Standard Hollywood Weeper. Here’s How Reese Witherspoon Saved It
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Dec 19, 2014
To call “Wild” a redemption film is to minimize the wide range of emotions it works with—not to mention the subtlety of Reese Witherspoon’s performance.
Video: This Philly Beauty Salon and Rehab Clinic Helps People Heal—With a Little Magical Realism
by YES! Editors
Dec 19, 2014
A new documentary, "Hollywood Beauty Salon," lets people who struggle with mental illness and addiction tell their own stories in unexpected ways.
Ridley Scott's Weak Defense of "Exodus" Casting Will Help You Understand Why Hollywood's So White
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Dec 12, 2014
All the main characters are played by white people. It doesn't really have to be that way.
Everything You Need to Know About the Radical Roots of Wonder Woman
by Christopher Zumski Finke
Dec 10, 2014
Her enigmatic creator believed women were destined to rule the world. 10 facts about the iconic heroine.
Video: Remembering Nelson Mandela and His Reconciliation Process—Which Is Needed Now More Than Ever
by Kayla Schultz
Dec 05, 2014
A singing flash mob honors the passing of Nelson Mandela, who died one year ago this week and helped establish South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation process after apartheid.
The Radical Homemaker’s Reading List: 8 Books for Happier Families, Healthier Guts, and Saner Lives
by Shannon Hayes
Dec 04, 2014
A short list of books that have kept discovery alive and well in 2014 at Sap Bush Hollow farm.
Video: Instead of Paying Our Kids to Do Their Homework, Let’s Teach Them Gratitude
by Kayla Schultz
Oct 31, 2014
At this pay-it-forward restaurant, everyone's meal is paid for by previous guests—out of generosity. Karma Kitchen's founder on how kindness became contagious
Before the Zombie Apocalypse—These 4 Trade Deals Were Ravaging the World!
by James Trimarco, Marc J. Palm
Oct 29, 2014
Forget ghouls and goblins. From deregulating Wall Street to shredding environmental and labor protections—these policy monsters are way scarier.