The newsletter is back for 2022! Check out a recap of my near-Pope experience in Cyprus last month, including a brief primer on the shared history between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. As always, thanks for reading!
Photo copyright Harrison Blackman, 2021.
You’ve heard of Spotify Wrapped. How about “The Usonian Unwrapped”? In this end-of-year post I recap 2021 and highlight some of my favorite articles from the first year of the newsletter.
Thanks for reading and see you in 2022!
“Cities are, by definition, the places where people find creative solutions to the dilemma of living together.”
I’m pleased to publish one last (!) interview this year—this one with the amazingly erudite Bruce Clark, whose new book “Athens: City of Wisdom” tells the story of the fabled city all the way from antiquity to present.
Do check out the interview and the book, which might just be a perfect last-minute stocking stuffer for your friendly neighborhood history buff or philhellene. Thanks for reading, and happy holidays!
In this week’s newsletter, I discuss the deep history behind the Cyprus problem in The Cyprus Files, the limited-run newsletter series from The Usonian. This is the second post in “The Two Nicosias” series; you can read the first post here. Thanks for reading about this important topic.
In my final newsletter interview of the year, learn about the work of speculative fiction writer Leanne Howard and her writing in the genres of fantasy and romance.
Be sure to check out Leanne’s wonderful storytelling on her website!
As the pandemic resurges to the top of the news, learn about how the situation is being handled in Cyprus, in the latest post in my newsletter series, The Cyprus Files.
Stay safe out there. Thanks for reading.
I was pleased to be a guest once more on the “Film at Fifty” podcast, which discusses films from 50 years ago.
On this episode, I join host Brian Rowe for a discussion of the extremely popular TV movie Brian’s Song (1971), which featured lauded performances by Billy Dee Williams and Jimmy Caan as football players for the Chicago Bears who form a lasting friendship despite their on-the-field rivalry and different backgrounds.
Though aspects of the film haven’t aged well, it’s still worth talking about due to the strong performances of the famous leads.
Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Why do we call turkeys by the same name as a prominent country in the Middle East?
Here’s a little holiday-themed post from my newsletter The Usonian. Happy Thanksgiving!
In this week’s “Cyprus Files” newsletter, learn about my adventures driving on the LEFT side of the road in Cyprus—and my experience at the local equivalent of the DMV.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow The Usonian for more dispatches from Cyprus.
I’m honored to have my review of Melissa Anderson’s book Inland Empire (2021) quoted by The Daily, the official blog of the Criterion Collection.
Check out my review of Inland Empire (and the David Lynch film of the same name) in the November issue of The Brooklyn Rail.
Harrison Blackman 