Arts

The Arts

Headshot of reporter Esmy Jimenez.

‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 18: Esmy Jimenez On Life As A Journalist And DACA Recipient

In this episode of “Traverse Talks with Sueann Ramella,” KUOW reporter Esmy Jimenez talks about her life growing up in a rural part of central Washington as an undocumented immigrant, being the first in her family to attend college, and the fun and hardship of reporting on the never-ending news cycle. Continue Reading ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 18: Esmy Jimenez On Life As A Journalist And DACA Recipient

Read More »
Jury members Mylène Farmer, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessica Hausner, Mati Diop, jury president Spike Lee, jury members Mélanie Laurent, Tahar Rahim and Song Kang-ho attend the Jury photocall during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 6, 2021, in Cannes, France. Kate Green/Getty Images

Cannes Rolls Out The Red Carpet For An Expanded, More Inclusive Film Festival

There will be 24 films in the official competition this year, a few more than usual over the festival’s almost two-week duration. There are dozens of additional films from around the world being screened out of competition. A new section called Cannes Premieres has also been organized to show selections from a year’s worth of cinema that were missed because of the pandemic. Continue Reading Cannes Rolls Out The Red Carpet For An Expanded, More Inclusive Film Festival

Read More »
Ruby and Sapphire get married on Steven Universe. Cartoon Network

After Decades In The Background, Queer Characters Step To The Front In Kids’ Media

The Peabody award-winning series Steven Universe, which broke barriers in queer representation by airing the first LBGTQ wedding in a kid’s series when Ruby and Sapphire (who are actually living rocks, yes, but feminine-coded rocks who use she/her pronouns and present as female) got married. Continue Reading After Decades In The Background, Queer Characters Step To The Front In Kids’ Media

Read More »
Singer and actor Leslie Grace stars as Nina Rosario (center), the beloved and brilliant neighborhood sweetheart in the film adaptation of the musical In the Heights. Macall Polay/Warner Brothers

The Limitations Of ‘Latinidad’: How Colorism Haunts ‘In The Heights’

On the Monday after the release of In the Heights, its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda posted not a congratulatory note but an apology. Over the weekend, the conversation around colorism and In the Heights reached a fever pitch as more viewers began to wonder why there weren’t any dark-skinned Afro-Latinos in any of the leading roles to represent a place as diverse as Washington Heights. Continue Reading The Limitations Of ‘Latinidad’: How Colorism Haunts ‘In The Heights’

Read More »
Two sea creatures go undercover as boys in a small Italian Riviera town in the charming Pixar film Luca. CREDIT: Pixar

FILM REVIEW: Dive Into ‘Luca’ And ‘Undine,’ 2 Under-The-Sea Films To Treasure

By curious coincidence, two of the lovelier movies I’ve seen so far this summer — the family-friendly animated fable Luca and the German art-house fairy tale Undine — tell stories about mythic sea creatures making contact with the human world. That’s hardly a new concept, as we’ve seen in films as different as The Shape of Water, Aquaman and countless versions of The Little Mermaid. But as Luca and Undine demonstrate, there are still fresh stories to be dredged up from these watery depths. Continue Reading FILM REVIEW: Dive Into ‘Luca’ And ‘Undine,’ 2 Under-The-Sea Films To Treasure

Read More »
Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma

‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 15: Chigozie Obioma On Finding Differences And Similarities Between Cultures

In this episode of Traverse Talks with Sueann Ramella, author Chigozie Obioma talks about how his time in Cyprus for school and growing up in Nigeria shaped his work, the types of racism he has experienced in his travels and the meaning behind his name. Continue Reading ‘Traverse Talks’ Episode 15: Chigozie Obioma On Finding Differences And Similarities Between Cultures

Read More »

BOOK REVIEW: This Family Saga Finds Grace And Beauty In Ordinary Lives, Fully Lived

Read at night, at the end of a too-long day, and characters will enter and exit the rooms of memory, trailing the scent of cigarette smoke and faded perfume. With Simon Van Booy’s new novel, Night Came With Many Stars, open in front of me, I know the smell of summer afternoons and the pattern of paint spattered on a workingman’s boots. I can hear the bugs in the dark and feel the spill of light from a house at the end of a long, dirt drive. Find a book that speaks a language you know and you can drown in it without even realizing. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: This Family Saga Finds Grace And Beauty In Ordinary Lives, Fully Lived

Read More »