So what the hell is cracks in Postmodernity? People keep asking me what this esoteric title means. I wish I could explain it to you. But the problem is, the cracks in pomo is something you have to experience. So for context, here’s a little background about me. I grew up in a dreadfully bourgeois, upper middle class suburban neighborhood. Most of us were ethnic whites whose families had assimilated by that point to the bland, indistinct waspy monoculture that… Read more
Mental health and the alarming rise of suicides among young people–most wouldn’t consider these to be the most romantic of topics to discuss on a date. But Valentine’s Day 2021 is like no other–we’re in the middle of a global pandemic that has already shaken up the norms that we’re accustomed to. So, hey, why not? A Valentine’s Day New York Encounter panel of speakers took up the question of what mental illness is and is not, how it can… Read more
The school where I teach spent the summer debating whether or not to attempt a hybrid teaching model or to go totally virtual. Although our decision to opt for the latter made me feel safer, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to forge meaningful connections with my students through the screen. Senior year is already a dramatic one for high schoolers, and I make it my goal every year to be intentional about accompanying them through that drama…. Read more
“I used to distract myself,” writes James Baldwin in his 1964 essay Nothing Personal, “some mornings before I got out of bed, by pressing the television remote control gadget from one channel to another. This may be the only way to watch TV: I certainly saw some remarkable sights.” Baldwin, renowned for his commentary on race and American culture, was not one to parse words. His sharp critiques of American culture scraped away at the hypocrisy and superficiality that covered… Read more
“The Pope said something about gay.” *cue media firestorm* As the author of Ecclesiastes reminds us, “there’s nothing new under the sun.” We were reminded once again today of what the Church proclaimed in the 1986 “Halloween Letter”: that the Catholic Church affirms the dignity of all people, no matter how their erotic desire happens to manifest, and that we are called to orient our sexuality toward God, in a manner that conforms to his creative design. While the Popes… Read more
As a teacher at (what used to be) an all boys Benedictine high school, I’m often confronted with the common pitfalls of Gen Z males. I constantly have to remind them to take pride in their work and in the way they carry themselves, to stop goofing around and procrastinating. The more I engage with them in one on one conversations, I realize how much many of them lack discipline. For some, it’s due to the lack of a father… Read more
For reggaeton artist Ozuna, life is an “odyssey.” In a genre that tended to uphold bravado, domination, and hedonism as ideals, this metaphor distinguishes his image and artistic vision from those of earlier reggaetoneros. Ozuna is not alone, though–his lack of fear of bearing his vulnerability and the introspective tone of his lyrics reflects a growing trend within “musica urbana,” (which I wrote about at length in this article) which combines the traditional dem bow rhythm of reggaeton with the… Read more
A letter to my students at our Benedictine high school Picture this–you’re sitting in the middle of a class that you find to be even more boring than a phone with a dead battery. You keep checking the time, praying that it will all finish faster. “When is this going to end?” you think to yourself, as your head starts to droop onto the desk. Your teacher shakes you awake and tells you to pay attention. “For what?” you wonder…. Read more
“With God, there’s no one who can keep the phoenix from flying.” Puerto Rican Reggaeton artist Nicky Jam’s popular biographical Netflix series centers on the symbol of the mythical bird who rises from the ashes. The show weaves together his life story from his tumultuous childhood in Massachusetts, to the beginning of his music career in Puerto Rico, to his struggle with substance abuse, and his eventual career comeback. We first meet Nicky as he wakes up from sex with… Read more
Originally Published in Convivium Journal, available for purchase at Amazon My grandfather grasped the chant stand with both hands, the rest of his body vibrating along with the timbre of his voice. His soaring notes and roller coaster-like melismas painted a luscious, colorful backdrop against the stage set before me. It was Good Friday, the day in the Orthodox liturgical calendar I’ve always awaited anxiously, because of its sacredness and theatricality. As the priest bolted down the main aisle flinging… Read more
