People love labels that break from the past: the New Deal, the New South, the next big thing, post-rock, post-modernism, post-everything. And music critics — myself included — are maybe the worst...

The new year not only brings many opportunities to realize that you wrote the date incorrectly at the top of your notebook, but also ushers in a fresh batch of television shows for the coming spring season....

Every time I am at an airport, somehow in between body scanners and three-ounce bottles of shampoo, I find myself in the nearest bookstore with an uncanny urge to buy a book, in spite of any insurmountable...

Even with races still left to be decided, last Tuesday's elections are already being considered to be of great historical significance. I agree. Yes, these elections mark the largest gain of House seats...

The silver lining of President Obama's midterm "shellacking" may well be an improvement in political cooperation, as former President Jimmy Carter cautiously predicted in an interview with comedian Bill...

My whole life I have marveled at the English language. More often than not I find myself amazed by just the sheer number of words we have created - with new ones being added all the time. How is a person...

I know this much is true: I had to travel 4,600 miles to finally understand it. Four months ago I was arriving at a very different kind of Hilltop. Nestled on the outskirts of Florence, Italy, I spent...

Back in Rhode Island for winter break, I made the mistake of referring to D.C. as my home. Perhaps it was a Freudian slip, but my mom certainly did not find it amusing. Although my parents allowed me to...