The Idiosyncratic Socialism of Jack London
Hank Kennedy, August 29, 2025
Hank Kennedy profiles socialist novelist Jack London, taking stock of his literary contributions to the socialist movement while also reckoning with the right-ward, racist drift of his later politics. Read Article.
Hitsville USA and American Petrograd: The Motown Sound and Detroit Politics
Hank Kennedy, March 19, 2025
Hank Kennedy discusses the legendary Detroit-based recording company Motown Records, arguing that the label's history is one of contradictions between commercial interest, artistic expression, and political commitment. Read Article.
Yestergay's Man: Eric Orner's Smahtguy
Hank Kennedy, October 16, 2024
Hank Kennedy reviews cartoonist Eric Orner's biography of US politician Barney Frank. Read Article.
Seventy Years On the Waterfront
Hank Kennedy, September 20, 2024
For its seventieth anniversary, Hank Kennedy reflects on the history and legacy of Elia Kazan's classic trade union-themed crime drama 'On the Waterfront.' Read Article.
Peacenik?: A Socialist Perspective on the Libicki/VanCAF Controversy
Hank Kennedy, July 31, 2024
Hank Kennedy covers the recent ban (and subsequent retraction of said ban) of American-Israeli graphic novelist, Miriam Libicki, from the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival, using the controversy as a springboard for analyzing the contradictions implicit in the liberal Zionist politics of Libicki's work. Read Article.