Character Studies: Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance
Isle McElroy
Feb 25 2025
There are few experiences as disorienting as disliking a movie you believed you would love. No, not just love—a movie you thought might have been cooked up in a lab ...
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Character Studies
Isle McElroy
A novelist dissects the major and minor performances of the 2025 Oscar nominees
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Character Studies
Isle McElroy
A novelist dissects the major and minor performances of the 2025 Oscar nominees
Notes from Chicago: Martinez
Juan Martinez
A trio of poets, novelists, and critics travel to the Windy City to attend the Democratic National Convention
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Notes from Chicago: Martinez
Juan Martinez
A trio of poets, novelists, and critics travel to the Windy City to attend the Democratic National Convention
Notes from Chicago: Allen
Jeffery Renard Allen
A trio of poets, novelists, and critics travel to the Windy City to attend the Democratic National Convention
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Notes from Chicago: Allen
Jeffery Renard Allen
A trio of poets, novelists, and critics travel to the Windy City to attend the Democratic National Convention
Notes from Chicago: Scanlon
Suzanne Scanlon
A trio of poets, novelists, and critics travel to the Windy City to attend the Democratic National Convention
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Notes from Chicago: Scanlon
Suzanne Scanlon
A trio of poets, novelists, and critics travel to the Windy City to attend the Democratic National Convention
Take the W
Katie Heindl
A weekly column about women's professional basketball for both longtime fans and the casual observer.
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Take the W
Katie Heindl
A weekly column about women's professional basketball for both longtime fans and the casual observer.
Latest Columns
Character Studies: Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown
Isle McElroy
Feb 18 2025
I normally hate watching biopics. There is something inherently homework-y about the genre. The worst kind of homework, in fact—the kind that pretends to entertain as it ...
Character Studies: László Tóth in The Brutalist
Isle McElroy
Feb 6 2025
In the months leading up to the release of The Brutalist, I avoided learning anything about the movie. This was not an attempt to guard against spoilers: I simply had no ...
Character Studies: Cardinal Lawrence in Conclave
Isle McElroy
Jan 29 2025
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that one of the most common problems a novelist faces when creating fictional characters is the problem every person must face: the ...
Notes from Chicago: Scanlon, Part III
Suzanne Scanlon
Aug 26 2024
Thursday August 22 (Day Four of the Convention) McCormick Place, 10:00 a.m. I am once again at the Women’s Caucus meeting, where Nancy Pelosi, wearing a ...
Notes from Chicago: Martinez, Part II
Juan Martinez
Aug 23 2024
In her acceptance speech, Kamala Harris called for a ceasefire and acknowledged the suffering in Gaza, while also making clear that an arms embargo was out of the question—all ...
