Digital
Digital remains still very much the new frontier in storytelling; here is a sampling of some pieces I’ve done. And since the digital readership of the New York Times now eclipses that of print, I have included some of my reviews for the Book Review here as well. (Note: Some entries are paywalled.)
Review: A New View of Alice Coltrane
February 2025
A museum retrospective reveals the untold story of one of jazz’s most mysterious women.
Review: A Soapy Tale of Three Lives
April 2024
A review of Caroline Leavitt’s latest melodramatic novel, Days of Wonder.
The Young Turks Creating the Digital Etsy
February 2024
How a quest for pricey sneakers brought together two Chicago kids looking to create the Next Big Thing in marketplaces.
The Choreographer Who Changed American Dance
June 2023
The story of Agnes deMille, who combined rodeo and ballet to create an entirely new art form.
The Man Trying to Save America’s Lawns
May 2023
A scrappy entrepreneur attempts to teach a nation of hopeless gardeners how to actually curate a green lawn.
Review: Joan Didion Exhibit at The Hammer Museum
October 2022
A critique of the Hilton Als–curated show detailing the life and influence of one of America’s most fascinating midcentury writers.
Review: The Alexander McQueen Exhibit at LACMA
April 2022
An analysis of a retrospective of the British bad boy of fashion, who died tragically at the age of 40 in 2010.
Remembering the Legendary El Morocco
January 2022
The untold story of the rise and fall of New York’s most fashionable nightclub.
How A Christmas Carol Came to Define the Yuletide
December 2021
Examining the timeless pull—and message—of the Dickens classic.
Shere Hite, Muse
October 2020
An appreciation of the relationship between legendary illustrator Robert McGinnis, the man behind some of pop culture’s most famous book covers and movie posters, and Shere Hite, the leggy model who showed up in more than a few of them.
Review: The Mysterious Death of Mary Meyer
February 2020
Reviews of two new novels, each one plumbing the dazzling life and violent death of one of JFK’s most famous mistresses.
The Incredible Life of Harold Robbins
July 2019
The story of America’s first and greatest trashy novelist, whose life was as sweeping and scintillating as those in his books, and who died almost penniless in 1997.
Sergio Gonzalez, Waiter to the Stars
June 2019
A tribute to the late waiter at the legendary Musso & Frank restaurant, who was almost as famous as the people he served.
The 50th Anniversary of Name of the Game
September 2018
An appreciation of the landmark NBC television series Name of the Game, a glamorous and prescient forerunner of what we now call water-cooler television.
Why Every Pro Athlete Wants to Win Dancing with the Stars
May 2015
The odd compulsion of our sports stars to master the cha-cha.
Michael Callahan 