“Wendell Berry’s Right Kind of Farming.” Gracy Olmstead interviews Wendell Berry for the New York Times.
“Gardeners and Pilgrims: Reviving Place in the Christian Imagination.” Wilfred M. McClay writes a long, thoughtful reflection on Christian modes of relating to our places.
“Kavanaugh is One More Step in America’s Cycle of Self-Destruction.” Elizabeth Bruenig writes one of the only readable essays about the current Supreme Court nomination battle: “In American life, politics unfolds almost entirely in a language of lies, and people know when they’re being lied to — and they hate it. . . . The reason for all the lying is, at least in part, nonpartisan, and it has to do with the limitations of classical liberalism.”
“The Art of Translation: An interview with A.E. Stallings.” A. E. Stallings describes how her work as a translator of classical authors relates to her work as a poet as well as her work helping migrants.
“Keeping Technology in Its Proper Place: An Interview with Andy Crouch.” Alysse ElHage talks with Andy Crouch about how to order and limit screens and other technologies in our households. In reflecting on the way that smart phones have continued earlier trends, Andy says, “All of this has made us less dependent on one another. It means that, in particular, children don’t see their parents exercising skill in the context of the household.”
“‘New NAFTA’ Falls Flat for Farmers, Food Advocates.” Juliette Majot, the Executive Director of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, isn’t impressed with the newly-negotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“Christianity and Resistance: An Interview with Alan Jacobs.” Wen Stephenson talks with Alan Jacobs about his new book and how it might relate to our contemporary political and cultural situation.
“A Flyby Analysis of Flyover Country.” Bill Steigerwald reviews Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America by James and Deborah Fallows and isn’t terribly impressed: “The Fallowses’ aerial exploration was a good idea gone bad. Their flyby journalism turns 29 unique American places into a slow blur of progressive politicians, reclaimed Main Streets, and dry sagas of economic decline and renewal.”
“Plough Quarterly No. 18: The Art of Community.” There’s a new issue of Plough Quarterly, and it looks quite good.
“Homo Liturgicus: On the Persistence of Ritual in Contemporary Fiction.” James K. A. Smith considers the enduring power of ritual as he reviews two recent books of fiction. His consideration of a new collection of stories by Adam Schuitema, whom he calls an “intentionally regional writer—by which I do not mean provincial but rather placed, reflecting the west Michigan of his formation,” is particularly interesting.
