Columnists

10/19/2026 · Somerville

The Two-Beat Pause Before You Say Yes

A rushed “sure” can quietly turn into an afternoon of resentment. Try this small pause instead: it gives you room to make an honest choice without making everyone else guess what you need.

10/18/2026

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Column

The Tiny Bird That Refuses to Stop Singing

Emily Dickinson turns hope into a stubborn little creature with feathers—and somehow makes that image feel truer than a thousand motivational speeches.

10/18/2026

Column

The First Honest Step Is Not a Solution

James Baldwin had no patience for the comforting confusion between acknowledging a problem and solving it. His sentence is useful precisely because it refuses to promise that honesty will make anything easy.

10/18/2026

Column

Tariffs, Firings, and the Cost of Governing by Whiplash

Washington keeps turning policy into a daily surprise quiz. The country needs fewer announcements and more evidence that anyone has counted the bill.

10/18/2026

Column

The “Immersive Van Gogh” Room Is a Very Expensive Screensaver

I have seen the future of art, and it is a giant projection of wheat blowing in the wind while someone whispers, “Feel the color.” We need to talk about why “immersive” exhibitions so often confuse being surrounded by an image with actually seeing one.

10/18/2026