Cachao, the bassist who created mambo, is now the subject of a documentary, Like His Rhythm There’s None Other. Throughout his rich career, he has cut across the boundaries between nations, musical forms and styles.

Susan Shacter interviews two British directors, Antonia Bird and Danny Boyle. Bird delves into the politics of being a female director, while Boyle expands on working closely with actors.

Susan Shacter interviews two British directors, Antonia Bird and Danny Boyle. Bird delves into the politics of being a female director, while Boyle expands on working closely with actors.

Critic to critic: Saul Ostrow speaks with Dave Hickey, author of The Invisible Dragon and the man who introduced Beauty as a social issue.

David Seidner’s photographic work is rooted in his search for the “right moment”—informed by his deep knowledge and appreciation of classical Greek art.

Bradford Morrow discusses his novel, Trinity Fields, growing up in the post-atomic era, and the themes of life and death in Los Alamos.

Singer/songwriter Juliana Hatfield discusses her solo career since the break-up of Blake Babies, her mid-’80s Boston-based garage pop band.

Director Liz Diamond talks about her behind-the-scenes strategies in this 1995 interview. 

Painter Ross Bleckner in conversation with Felix Gonzalez-Torres on the installation artist’s lost love, as well as the political implications of the “gay artist” label.

Questions of surface unite the diverse approaches to the paintings of Lauren Szold, Jill Baroff, and Ida Applebroog. The following statements by the artists were drawn from conversation with painter Suzanne McClelland.

What took three nights to write and five years to prepare for, Li-Young Lee’s memoir The Winged Seed: A Remembrance takes poetic thought and language to a whole new level.

Shirley Kaneda is a Japanese artist that studied painting and illustration at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan. Kaneda creates distinctly complex abstract paintings using bright colors and bold patterns.

Luminary William H. Gass speaks about his recently published epic The Tunnel, which took 26 years to complete.

Late February and smoke, mixing with the mist,
lifts from the salt mine across the lake.

Out there on the road we didn’t have much to do, so when the orange butterflies first appeared to us they were a welcome distraction. 

Saturnina came from a small village in the Andes called Tarata, a village so poor there was no electricity, no running water, not even a paved road to reach it. 

Chapter One

I am an early riser.