Articles
76 results
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'Theme and Variations: Musical Notes by a Neurologist,' by Dr. Carl Ellenberger
Listening in
Neurologist and flutist Dr. Carl Ellenberger's new book about the effects of music on the brain continues in the vein of the great Oliver Sacks. Maria Corley reviews.
Articles
3 minute read
Black Hollywood is (and has been) ready for its closeup
Helping Hollywood help itself
When black people are given the opportunity to take charge behind the camera, they can diversify every other aspect of a film. When that happens, everyone benefits. Maria Corley considers.
Articles
4 minute read
Humans going ape
It's time for us to evolve
The mass shooting in Las Vegas was just another sign that something in our culture is fatally flawed. Maria Corley thinks she knows what that might be.
Maria Thompson Corleyand Illustration by Hannah Kaplan
Essays
3 minute read
Confederate monuments down, racists still standing
Beyond sheetcaking
Maybe the nation's Confederate monuments will all come down, but what will we do about the racists who are still standing? Maria Corley considers.
Essays
5 minute read
Hedy Weiss, Antoinette Nwandu, and taking ownership
What language does critique speak?
When a reader from the U.K. reviewed Maria Thompson Corley's new novel, it reminded her of the Hedy Weiss/Antoinette Nwandu reviewing controversy.
Essays
5 minute read
Lilli de Jong: A Novel, by Janet Benton
For Mother's Day, a mother's tale
Janet Benton's debut novel, 'Lilli de Jong,' offers a view of single motherhood in late-19th-century Philadelphia. Maria Corley reviews.
Reviews
4 minute read
When fake news invades real life
God help us, every one
When a fake news story took over the headlines in Maria Corley's Lancaster County town, people suffered, which was bad enough; but even worse, she believed it.
Essays
5 minute read
Gaining citizenship, losing confidence
Yearning to breathe free
Maria Thompson Corley, a Canadian citizen, got her long-awaited U.S. citizenship after the election ended. So, now what?
Essays
4 minute read
Why Prince was special
‘Better live now’ — and so he did
Why did an entertainer like Prince inspire a classical pianist like me? Because he refused to be pigeonholed or controlled by any force except the Almighty.
Articles
4 minute read
Lennox Randon's 'Memoirs of a Dead White Chick'
Experiencing another life
Memoirs of a Dead White Chick is a lively, entertaining read. It considers issues around gender and race — and the darker side of America's history of them — without delving too deeply into their horrors.
Articles
5 minute read
Meet Jeanne Krausman
A long musical life
She gave herself a “musical Bat Mitzvah” at 83, followed, at 85, by seven consecutive daily performances of a short living room recital. Jeanne Krausman was preparing for her final concert, at 89, when fate intervened.
Articles
4 minute read
An autistic artist communicates
The power of art
I was moved by seeing all of those little brown faces become more animated as the half hour went by and all pretense of cool faded away. They were so excited about art and life.
Essays
4 minute read
Does sexy have an expiration date?
I will, on occasion, pull together an outfit purely for the fun of pleasing myself aesthetically, but when I'm dressed that way, I don't assume anyone is deciding whether I'm “toothsome” or not — I figure that, at nearly 50, I'm pretty much invisible, and at this point I don't care if people are assessing me or not.
Essays
4 minute read
The many kinds of success of Venus and Serena Williams
Raising champions
That Serena and Venus are excellent, well-adjusted, and curious about things outside their area of expertise is phenomenal. That they are best friends on top of that is even more amazing; the investment Oracene Price and Richard Williams made in their children has paid many important dividends.
Essays
5 minute read
Help! My daughter is a music major!
Despite my best efforts to guide her, my daughter's love for music wore me down. Now I'm hoping for the best.
Articles
4 minute read