Humanities
-
Why are so many Bay Area theaters staging ‘Dracula’ in 2026?
If you need a symbol for fascism, economic precarity or rapid technological advancement, try “Dracula.” Renee Fox, an associate professor of literature at UC Santa Cruz and a co-director of the school’s Center for Monster Studies, sees a throughline in the eras when vampire stories peak.
-
Luminous new historical fiction
The New York Times’ book columnist Alida Becker called Emeritus Professor of Literature Karen Tei Yamashita’s new book ‘luminous’ and listed it among the month’s best new book releases.
-
The Book That Plunges You Into Messy American History
The Atlantic Monthly ran a detailed feature story about Professor Emeritus of Literature Karen Tei Yamashita’s new book and how she “challenges readers to join her in deciphering a shameful moment from the nation’s past.”
-
Karen Tei Yamashita began with Japanese American History. Then She Made Things Up.
In her sprawling new novel, Professor Emeritus of Literature Karen Tei Yamashita sprinkles fanciful details (a trombone narrator!) into the bracing story of World War II internment.
-
7 Books That Use Family Archives to Break Generational Silence
Tamiko Nimura of Electric Literature named Emeritus Literature Professor Karen Tei Yamashita’s book Letters To Memory in its list of acclaimed books that tell untold stories by delving deeply into family archives. “It’s difficult to describe this inventive journey through family history, wartime incarceration and resettlement, but it’s poetic, funny, and deeply intelligent,” writes Nimura.
-
The 18 Best Books of 2026 (So Far) – Esquire
In an Esquire books roundup, reviewer Adam Morgan said that Emeritus Literature Professor Karen Tei Yamashita deserves to be a literary household name and that he “devoured” her ambitious fifth novel, Questions 27 & 28, titled after the “so-called loyalty questionnaire” that 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced to take during their internment in concentration camps.
-
Talking Talmud On Tik Tok
Nathaniel Deutsch, professor of Jewish studies, was quoted in a story about Shalom Landau, a 48-year-old Hasidic rabbi in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn who has become an unlikely star on Instagram and Tik Tok.
-
The Novelist Reimagining the Japanese American Internment
The New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu wrote an in-depth laudatory review of Emeritus Professor of Literature and Creative Writing Karen Tei Yamashita’s new book Questions 27 & 28, which “opens an inquiry into how the story of the past gets made.”
-
Five overlooked films you must watch
A group of experts experts including the directors Charles Burnett and Ava DuVernay recommended Distinguished Professor of The Arts and History of Consciousness Isaac Julien’s 2008 film “Derek” as one of the five best movies not enough people have seen.
-
Isaac Julien: All That Changes You. Metamorphosis
All That Changes You. Metamorphosis – Distinguished Professor of History of Consciousness and the Arts Isaac Julien’s UK premiere at Victoria Miro—was featured in the Brooklyn Rail’s Artseen column.
-
Isaac Julien and Mira Nair Among Cultural Figures Who Signed an Open Letter in Support of Former Barbican Director Devyani Saltzman
Acclaimed artist, filmmaker, and Distinguished Professor of The Arts and History of Consciousness Isaac Julien signed an open letter in support of Devyani Saltzman, the former director of London’s Barbican Centre. Saltzman left abruptly earlier this week, just a few weeks after Abigail Pogson was appointed chief executive.
-
The 10 exhibitions to see in February 2026
Acclaimed artist, filmmaker, and Distinguished Professor of The Arts and History of Consciousness Isaac Julien’s exhibition All That Changes You. Metamorphosis was featured in ArtReview’s roundup of the top ten exhibitions to see in February.