In the Desert of the Heart
Paul Kingsnorth’s essay reflects on the Christian tradition of silence, tracing its roots from early desert fathers to the hesychastic practices of St Gregory Palamas. He argues that true inner stillness—essential for theosis—cannot be achieved merely by fleeing external noise, because the louder distraction often originates within. The piece links hesychasm’s Jesus Prayer to modern mindfulness, noting how personal identity narratives block spiritual depth. Finally, Kingsnorth suggests that Lenten discipline and childlike simplicity can reopen the heart to the Holy Spirit’s quiet presence.
The Orielles’ Only You Left: A Genre-Defying Embrace
The Orielles release their fifth album, Only You Left, recorded between Hamburg and the Greek island of Hydra. The record mixes grunge, psychedelic dream‑pop, electronic textures and occasional jazz‑inflected passages, showcasing the trio’s willingness to defy genre expectations. While the...
Sylvie’s Head Share Frankie + Announce Debut
Swedish indie outfit Sylvie’s Head announced their debut album, Everything is Free, slated for release later this year on the Welfare Sounds label. The band melds nostalgic 1990s alternative rock with underground techno rhythms, creating a heavier, club‑ready sound. Critics...
Lifetime Announces Two New "Ripped From the Headlines" Films for Spring
Lifetime announced two new true‑crime movies for its spring lineup, expanding its "Ripped from the Headlines" brand. "Rescued By Faith: The Connie and Larry Van Oosten Story" will debut on April 4, featuring Nancy Travis, Mike Pniewski and Jake Allyn....
Runo Plum Preps Bloom Again EP (SXSW Artist)
Indie singer‑songwriter Runo Plum is set to debut her new Bloom Again EP at SXSW. The EP, scheduled for release on May 8 through the Winspear label, showcases a minimalist, guitar‑centric sound that emphasizes intimate vocals. Critics note the track’s sparse...
The Ego Loves “Potential”
The article argues that the ego clings to untapped potential because it offers pride without requiring proof. It warns that lingering in possibility stalls performance, as effort exposes gaps and can turn promise into regret. The author urges readers to...
Emerald Cottage Trailer Drops From Filmmaker Jason Brown
Independent filmmaker Jason Brown has unveiled the trailer for his upcoming psychological horror, Emerald Cottage, set in rural England at the end of World War II. The film stars Charlotte Wallis, Sean Kanan and Kitty Sudbery, and follows an undertaker’s assistant...
Sun People X Other Worlds – Endophyte
Sun People’s All Things imprint releases “Endophyte,” a four‑track EP co‑produced with fellow Graz DJ Other Worlds. The record fuses experimental techno with Warp‑era aesthetics, highlighted by the Aphex Twin‑reminiscent opener “Sunnyview.” Tracks such as “Psychicemotus” and “June” push the...
Iceage Return with New Single "Star"
Iceage, the Danish alt‑rock quintet, released "Star," their first new song in nearly five years following 2021’s *Seek Shelter*. The track features gritty vocals, jangling guitars, and an animated video directed by Thinh T. Petrus Nguyen. Frontman Elias Rønnenfelt, who...
Touch Girl Apple Blossom Share Vacation Video
Touch Girl Apple Blossom is set to drop their new single "Graceful" on May 15, released through K Records in partnership with Perennial Death. The track marries bright, dueling guitars with Olivia’s lush vocal contrast, creating a dance‑floor‑ready yet tension‑filled...
Exclusive Interview With ‘Dead Zero’ Director/Co-Writer Andy Gray and Writer/Actor Lee Alan Donaldson
Andy Gray and Lee Alan Donaldson discuss their horror‑action short Dead Zero, which will premiere at the Southend Film Festival’s Horror Takeover. The film follows an elite mercenary squad confronting illegal experiments and zombie threats in an English research compound. Developed...
Peg Leg’s Calendar Year Triple Crown Gear List
In 2025 the author completed a Calendar Year Triple Crown, hiking roughly 8,500 miles across the United States while using a largely unchanged gear set from the previous year. The core kit featured a Pa’lante Ultraweave Desert Pack, Zpacks Plex...
Editors From The Sun, Ploughshares & Okay Donkey on What Makes Them Keep Reading
The Forever Workshop hosted a panel of literary editors from The Sun, Ploughshares, and Okay Donkey to dissect story pacing. Senior editor Derek Askey, poet‑editor Rachel Dillon, and fiction editor Steve Chang shared actionable techniques for moving narratives forward. Participants...
Cinema, Meet the Creator Economy
Creator Camp, a digitally native media company, is reshaping film production by converting online creator followings into theatrical audiences. Its debut feature, *Two Sleepy People*, generated 2.5 times its production budget within a week, driven by an organic campaign that...
New Release Review - THE HOME
Mattias Skoglund’s latest horror, The Home, adapts Mats Strandberg’s novel and places terror in a retirement home. The film follows gay son Joel, who returns to clear out his mother’s house after her stroke, only to confront a malevolent spirit...
Lozenge – For Lack of Trying
Leeds‑based shoegaze outfit Lozenge released the single “For Lack of Trying,” delivering a wall of Swervedriver‑style guitar riffs paired with a melodic undercurrent. The track showcases the band’s ability to blend abrasive textures with songcraft, creating an immersive listening experience....
How to Get by without a Music Director
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) in Geneva dismissed music director Jonathan Nott last season and chose not to name an immediate successor. Instead, the orchestra will operate under a "conductor in residence" model for the next two years,...
“If You Keep Your Mind Too Open, Your Brain Falls Out”: Interview with Theoretical Ecologist Chuliang Song
Song and Levine (2025) introduce a "covariance criteria" that ties the covariance of gain and loss processes to observed population abundance, providing a model‑structure test for ecological time‑series. Borrowed from queueing theory and later used in biophysics, the method works...
Resisting Mining Book Club: “Mining, Displacement, and Matriliny in Meghalaya: Gendered Transitions” With Bitopi Dutta
London Mining Network’s third Resisting Mining Book Club of 2026 will feature Bitopi Dutta discussing her 2023 Routledge India title, *Mining, Displacement, and Matriliny in Meghalaya: Gendered Transitions*. The book examines how development‑induced displacement from mining reshapes gender relations in...
Harry Styles - Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.
Harry Styles released his fourth solo album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., aiming for a dance‑floor vibe. The record leans heavily on indie‑rock references and synth‑driven production but often feels derivative and under‑cooked. While tracks like “Ready, Steady, Go!” and...
Everything I've Done So Far to Build My Nonfiction Proposal
Author Jami Attenberg announces a one‑hour Zoom workshop on May 9 to guide writers through nonfiction proposal development, with flexible Q&A. She will also appear at the New Orleans Book Festival on March 14 to discuss the pros and cons of publishing on...
One-Time Pest Turned Eco-Warrior Degrades Polystyrene
Researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology and Stanford University found that the tropical cockroach Blaptica dubia can rapidly degrade polystyrene. In a 42‑day experiment, 50 roaches consumed about 6 mg of plastic per day, removing 54.9% of the material and achieving...
New Release Review - HOW TO MAKE A KILLING
John Patton Ford’s second feature, *How to Make a Killing*, reimagines Roy Horniman’s 1907 novel in contemporary New York, starring Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley and an ensemble cast. The film attempts a black‑comedy crime thriller but falls short on both...
The Suffragists Still Demand a Hearing
The musical “Suffs,” written and scored by Shaina Taub, dramatizes the multi‑decade fight for women’s voting rights and has earned two Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score. The all‑female production, now on a national tour, reached Charlotte’s Belk...
Paper Sister – Dreamy
Austin‑based indie act Paper Sister dropped the single “Dreamy” in 2026, delivering a psychedelic‑tinged jangle pop track that feels both woozy and meticulously crafted. The song’s layered guitars and ethereal vocals create an entrancing soundscape that reviewers describe as a...
UAE Orchestra Pays Tribute to Nation’s Defenders
The UAE National Orchestra, launched in December 2024, released a tribute piece titled “Men, by God, Truly Men” based on President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s poem honoring the nation’s defenders. The composition, written by Mohammed Al Ahmed and arranged by...
The Teacher’s Noble Heart (Double-Dilemma Romance #5) by Susanne Dunlap
The Teacher’s Noble Heart, the fifth entry in Susanne Dunlap’s Double‑Dilemma Romance series, is published by Sharon Clayton. Set in Regency Cornwall, it follows governess Miss Wilkins and quarry captain James Pentarrant as their spirited rivalry evolves into unexpected love, while...
Arguing for PPARα Agonist Fenofibrate to Be Geroprotective
Researchers report that fenofibrate, a PPARα agonist approved for hyperlipidemia, extends lifespan and reverses cellular senescence in several mouse models, including D‑galactose‑induced, 18‑month‑old, and SAMP8 strains. The drug reduces age‑related lipid accumulation and restores mitochondrial function by up‑regulating CPT1C, a...
Teyana Taylor Wore Schiaparelli To The TIME 2026 Women of the Year Gala
Teyana Taylor arrived at the TIME 2026 Women of the Year Gala in a striking piece from Schiaparelli’s Fall 2026 "The Sphynx" collection. The ensemble combined a high‑neck bustier, a corseted bag, and a black velvet skirt embroidered with ostrich...
Periodontitis Alters the Gut Microbiome to Accelerate Osteoporosis
Researchers have shown that periodontitis reshapes the gut microbiome, accelerating bone loss in a mouse model of osteoporosis. Salivary microbiota from gum‑disease patients increased gut dysbiosis, suppressed tryptophan metabolism and reduced the osteoclast‑inhibiting metabolite indole‑3‑lactic acid (ILA). The altered microbiome...
How to Deal with Disappointment: 12 Helpful Steps
The Positivity Blog outlines twelve practical steps for handling disappointment, beginning with accepting the feeling and recognizing that disappointment does not define personal worth. It encourages reframing setbacks as learning opportunities, adjusting perfectionist expectations, and leveraging gratitude and social support....
Oral Habit Bring Psych-Garage Swagger to New Single ‘The Glove’
Brighton psych‑garage trio Oral Habit has dropped their new single The Glove on the DIY label Krautpop! Records. The track was recorded live to capture the band’s raw, fuzz‑driven intensity, blending 60s freakbeat, Krautrock, and a Josh Homme‑style swagger. The...
When the Comments Section Is Challenging
Lea Page recounts a harrowing comment she received after publishing a Huffington Post piece on empathy, illustrating how women often endure gendered harassment online. Instead of silencing herself, she reclaimed the insult “sea hag,” turning it into a personal brand...
Sylvie’s Head Release New Single
Swedish quartet Sylvie’s Head released their new single “Frankie” on March 11, 2026 and announced their debut album Everything Is Free, slated for May 15, 2026 via Welfare Sounds & Records. The band, formed in Gothenburg in early 2024, blends hard breakbeats, synth‑driven rock...
Glob Deejay – Glob
London producer Stone Burletson, known for ethereal drones and trip‑hop, has debuted a new moniker, glob deejay, with the EP *glob*. The record leans into minimal techno, offering pastel‑colored synths, subtle drum taps and a whimsical, “minimal sweetness” aesthetic. Tracks...
Zoumer Explores Love and Roots on Genre-Blurring New Album E.a.l. (Euro Arab Lovergirl)
Danish‑Algerian producer Yasmina Derradj, under the alias Zoumer, has dropped her sophomore album e.a.l. (euro arab lovergirl) on the Big Oil label. The record expands on her debut Green World by weaving electro‑pop, alt‑pop, and North African percussion into a...
Practice Is the Work
The article argues that true work happens in the quiet, repetitive act of practice rather than in the pursuit of a final outcome. It contrasts cinematic, breakthrough‑focused narratives with the steady rhythm of showing up, trying again, and making small...
A Surprising Way Daily Moisturiser May Slow Brain Ageing
Recent research suggests that a simple daily habit—applying moisturiser—may help slow age‑related cognitive decline. The study followed 200 adults over 65 for three years, comparing a group that moisturised their forearms and lower legs twice daily with a control group...
French Exit Are Sublime On ‘Waited a While’
French Exit, a four‑piece alternative rock outfit, released their fifth single “Waited a While,” praised for its bold guitars, silky bass and cinematic production. The track was produced by Roger Andrew Humphrey, known for the Twin Peaks sound, marking their...
Teaching Toward Slow Hope
Douglas Haynes’s new book *Teaching Toward Slow Hope* argues that the prevailing transactional model of higher education undermines student agency and well‑being. Drawing on place‑based learning experiments at regional colleges, the book showcases how community, collaboration and a slower, reflective...
The Pretty Flowers – “To Be So Cool”
Los Angeles‑based indie outfit The Pretty Flowers is set to release their new album Never Felt Bitter on March 27 through Forge Again Records. The campaign kicks off with the power‑pop single “To Be So Cool,” which mixes early‑2000s nostalgia...
Lucid Express – “Setback”
Hong Kong shoegaze band Lucid Express dropped their sophomore LP, Instant Comfort, on February 20 via Kanine Records. The album’s standout track “Setback” channels 1990s dreamy fuzz with lush vocals, creating a blend of frantic noise and comforting melody. Accompanied...
Club 8 – “Travel Back In Time”
Swedish indie pop duo Club 8 has dropped their latest single, “Travel Back In Time,” on Bandcamp. The track blends the breezy charm of 1960s French pop with the atmospheric textures of early‑2010s dream pop, creating a hopeful yet melancholic...
Past Model Share “Memory” Music Video
Austin‑based darkwave duo Past Model, twin brothers Kevin and Kyle Garcia, have released the official music video for their single “Memory.” The track, featured on their 2023 EP *In Light*, blends 80s‑era synth textures with haunting vocals. Directed and edited...
Dylan James – “Arcana”
Philadelphia indie musician Dylan James has released his second single, “Arcana,” a track that fuses airy dream‑pop textures with a hard‑hitting 90s shoegaze climax. The song showcases his evolving production skills, balancing ethereal verses with a throat‑grabbing chorus that feels...
Publishing From the Fault Line
Publisher Lynn Gaspard reflects on Saqi Books' 40‑year legacy as Middle East conflict escalates. She argues that independent presses preserve nuanced narratives that mainstream headlines erase, turning cookbooks, memoirs, and scholarship into lasting testimony. While commercial returns are modest, the...
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
Tiffany Crum’s debut, *This Story Might Save Your Life*, landed with Flatiron Books in March 2026, entering a market eager for genre‑blending narratives. Drawing on her film background, Crum delivers cinematic pacing around a podcast‑centric premise that feels instantly contemporary....
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance sprang from the Great Migration and World War I labor shifts, turning Harlem into a cultural epicenter for Black artists, writers, and musicians. Intellectuals like Alain Locke promoted the New Negro ethos, encouraging pride and self‑determination. Jazz...
Wooden Dolls Game by Ivonne Hoyos
Ivonne Hoyos’s debut novel *Wooden Dolls Game* introduces handcrafted wooden dolls that conceal a time‑travel ability, anchoring a speculative premise in a modest Santa Ana household. Twins Mary Jane and Antonia Crowell are split by a trivial dispute over a pink bedroom,...
Justin Sconza – “Native Birds of Guam”
Chicago‑based indie rocker Justin Sconza has dropped "Native Birds of Guam," the lead single from his freshly released album Fantasy. The song fuses punchy, Ramones‑style guitar riffs with lyrical reflections on loss, inspired by the disappearance of Guam’s native bird...