Art by Christian Branch/Book Cover Design by Suzanne Dean By Quinn Kinsella Ocean Vuong is the poet laureate of our time. His deeply empathetic nature and honest writing have won him the trust of readers worldwide and the best-selling status he boasts at 37 years old. His latest novel, The Emperor of Gladness, is a quiet epic, tackling themes of identity, addiction, and family, both found and born into. Vuong’s prose soars and dips through the peaks and valleys of the human e

Image Courtesy: A24/Square Peg Films By Quinn Kinsella Ari Aster is a polarizing director. With his one-two punch horror releases Hereditary and Midsommar , he revolutionized the horror genre. His follow-up was the 3-hour nightmare-comedy Beau Is Afraid , which became a box office bomb and a cult classic overnight. And with his fourth feature, Aster proves himself as confident as ever in his searing commentary on the modern day division of America and the COVID-19 pandemic. T

Credit: Image Courtesy Proximity Media By Quinn Kinsella Sinners  is a modern masterpiece. At its heart, Sinners is a love letter to the blues, and the transformative power of music. Written and directed by Ryan Coogler and starring an ensemble cast led by Michael B. Jordan playing twins, Sinners  melds genre and style, creating something wholly new and unique. It is a film made to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Shot with IMAX and Ultra Panavision 70 film, Coogler’s

Photos Throughout by Quinn Kinsella By Quinn Kinsella The CCNY theater department kicked off the spring semester with the comedy Beyond Therapy . Originally penned in 1981 by renowned playwright Christopher Durang, Beyond Therapy follows two characters, Bruce and Prudence, who seek romance amid a bustling landscape of sex and confusion: Manhattan. A farce of cinematic emotional scope, Durang’s dialogue weaves in and out of the profound beauties of love and sexuality with biza

Image Courtesy Focus Features  By Quinn Kinsella “Does evil come from within us or from beyond?” Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu seeks to answer this question posed by Lily-Rose Depp’s character, Ellen Hutter. Director Robert Eggers is no stranger to lavish period pieces steeped in the occult, envisioned by the devout research that makes his films so compelling.  Nosferatu is a passion project; Eggers first saw F. W. Murnau’s classic 1922 silent film as a child. Of his first encount

Photo by Quinn Kinsella By Quinn Kinsella The theater department of the City College of New York’s most recent production was the much-anticipated adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic play, Romeo and Juliet . It is a story ingrained in the pop culture psyche and has been retold countless times. CCNY’s production of the classic account of star-crossed lovers is an inspiring and heartfelt interpretation with a talented cast and superb production. Written by Jon Jory and

Photo by Quinn Kinsella By Quinn Kinsella October 1st, 2024 Sally Rooney’s fourth novel, Intermezzo , is her most nuanced and moving work to date. Centered around the Koubek brothers, this novel tells the complex story of brotherhood and the relationships they find themselves engaged with in the wake of their father’s death. Peter, the elder brother, is a successful lawyer. Ivan is a skilled and celebrated chess player. The title comes from a chess move of the same name and t