Arts & Culture

From teen penning fan mail on family farm to Pulitzer Prize-winning author: ‘He needed to write the way most of us need to breathe or eat’

In new guide to writing, novelist details value of being able to live with failure — and why she no longer sings in public

Pop culture portrayals tend to favor the lone mastermind. These faculty faves are more realistic.

125 years ago, a Harvard expedition drew 1,200 Cuban educators to class

New collection traces life of courage, caution from Northern Ireland to Harvard

Ideally over a lifetime, says New Yorker’s Kevin Young

Scholars detail how disciplines offer value in cultivating mind, character but also enable fresh perspectives on societal, practical problems

Athletics, arts collaboration riffs on anthem that inspires patriotism and ‘personal flair’

Displacement and forced migration trigger alarm about language attrition in Cameroon

GenEd class takes students to Weissman Preservation Center to see what they do about it

But argues ‘radical’ kindness depicted in musical version of bestseller — making world premiere at A.R.T. — might be just what we need right now

Students workshop TV script ideas in course designed as writers room ‘bootcamp’

‘Blank Space’ author says pop culture of 21st century has mostly been a dud

A.R.T. plans ‘immersive’ adaptation of bestseller about African American cuisine

Two-time U.S. poet laureate recalls her national project to encourage ‘notion that your life must be as important to you as mine is to me’

Philip Roth biographer, in Harvard talk, digs into novelist’s contradictions, ‘true loves,’ and recurring themes from lust to Jewish life

Exhibit peels back layers to reveal raw expression in monochrome

Harvard celebrates 150th anniversary of art history department, the nation’s first

Touring cast visits to offer students insights into theater and representation, gain some into U.S. history around campus

New history traces nightmare voyage, high-profile British trial over insurance claim to collect for jettisoned ‘cargo’

Take our quiz to test your knowledge of Harvard Art Museums’ eeriest works

How a fake medical paper sparked novel once optioned by director of ‘Night of the Living Dead’

Megha Majumdar pushes characters to emotional extremes in follow-up to ‘A Burning’

Former Kennedy Center president urges steps to preserve vitality of the arts

In podcast, professionals share tips on technique, process — and tapping ‘deepest part of yourself, even if you’re writing something that is set on a spaceship’

Gish Jen’s ties with her mother were important, difficult. She examines why in new novel, ‘Bad Bad Girl.’

Authors of new translation dig into lasting impact of epic that Virgil wanted burned

Professor Stephanie Burt examines star’s influence, work ethic, why her music matters

Aphorism lover and historian James Geary reflects on how ancient literary art form fits into age of social media

Stephen Greenblatt finds a tragic strain in the life and work of Christopher Marlowe