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Where you read it first | Wednesday, January 28, 2026
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Claire LeCates

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Arts

‘The Rest of Our Lives’ is a meditative reflection on midlife

By Claire LeCates | January 28

The travelogue is a unique subgenre of American literature: A man goes on a journey, spiritual and physical, across America’s sprawling highways, and his trip is documented — either as fiction or memoir. Some of the most famed American authors, including John Steinbeck, Mark Twain and Jack Kerouac published, within these parameters and helped define the genre (publishing “Travels with Charley: In Search of America,” “Roughing it” and “On the Road,” respectively).

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Arts

Top recruiter: How the military uses entertainment as a recruiting tool

By Claire LeCates | November 17

Many of those who settled into the red-cushioned seats at their go-to movie theaters in 2022, armed with buttered popcorn or slushies, would have been met with an ad for the U.S. Air Force between movie trailers for upcoming blockbusters. In came the droning of a fighter jet and a cinematic shot of it swooping around mountaintops and through arid plains spotted with cacti. The advertisement barely shows any faces under the helmets, possibly to encourage viewers to imagine themselves in the cockpit. The command to “aim high” lingers on the screen at the end of the ad, followed by the URL of the Air Force website.

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Arts

‘Palaver’ is a stunning portrait of a relationship on the verge of collapse

By Claire LeCates | November 3

Despite his choice of title, Bryan Washington certainly isn’t palavering in his third standalone novel. The book delivers 336 pages of routine moments conveyed with great momentum. From Jamaica through Houston and Toronto, all the way to Tokyo, “Palaver” gently leads readers through moments that may seem inconsequential individually, but ultimately comprise all the life-altering decisions and important relationships that define us.

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Arts

The politics behind country music’s comeback

By Claire LeCates | October 28

Lately, country music has felt somewhat inescapable. Songs from Morgan Wallen’s new album hold multiple spots on the Billboard Hot 100 while echoes of a country twang have made their way into Sabrina Carpenter’s recent music. Country’s spreading influence is visible in Beyoncé’s Texan homecoming, Noah Kahan’s seemingly overnight fame or the success of Shaboozey’s hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” In a 2023 study on popular U.S. radio content, songs falling into the genre of country composed 41% (second highest to the grouped category of rock, alternative and indie) of music on the radio. That’s a percentage even higher than pop. 

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Theater

The Hollywood-ification of Broadway

By Claire LeCates | October 2

Recently, strolling down Broadway has felt more like scrolling through Netflix. Names like Daniel Craig, Keanu Reeves, Sarah Paulson, Eddie Redmayne, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Daniel Radcliffe, Rachel McAdams, Lola Tung, Nick Jonas and countless others have all been written in Broadway’s flashing lights over the past few years. MTA subway advertisements urge commuters not to miss Steve Carell in “Uncle Vanya” or George Clooney in “Good Night, and Good Luck” while Sandra Oh waltzes around the stage of a star-studded Shakespeare in the Park production for those lucky enough to possess coveted tickets.

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