Independence Day Tears: The Memphis Blues of Furry Lewis
“On July 5, 1968—just three months after King’s assassination and the April 16th settlement that ended the strike—blues musician Furry Lewis was quietly shedding tears while entertaining friends at a party in his Memphis home. … The previous day had marked the nation’s first Independence Day since King’s death, yet for many black Americans in 1968, the Fourth of July offered little cause for celebration.”
Fiction: Blood Orange
I wonder where these guys are from. I wonder if they’re far from home. I wonder if they have kids or wives or parents or dogs who miss them. Or, maybe, who are glad they’re gone. Which would be worse?
Maya Deren: The Magical Woman as Filmmaker
“In At Land, and in Meshes also, domestic interiors signify the world of human society in which the protagonist is contained and trapped, but here there is also an exterior world of landscape and seashore, in which she becomes empowered and where she acts with confidence and certainty.”
The Art of Dancing in the Storm: A Philosophical-Practical Approach to the Enigma of Suffering and Existence
“You cannot command the oceans, nor can you dictate the trajectory of the winds. But the mastery of the helm—the art of adjusting the sails—is, and forever remains, your sovereign right.”
Recognizing Beauty: An Interview With Patrick Joust
“Much of what has the most meaning relates to small stories and moments. This isn’t all there is to it, but recognizing beauty is really a big part of that too, especially if it can be highlighted in places that are unexpected or overlooked.”
Movement and Memory: Oluwapelumi Fagbemi’s Photographs of Ballet
“Whether this movement is the careful pattern and madness of dance, the search for meaning, or the apotheosis of the human as spirit, the essence is always the act of becoming.”
On Finding My Grandmother’s Portrait
For generations a formal portrait wasn’t a mere document but an assertion of self-hood: I’m here. Remember me.
Thoughts on Photography: Walker Evans’ Polaroids
“People ask me what camera I used. It’s not the camera. Its—.” He tapped his temple with his index finger: it’s the eye and the brain.
June Issue, 2026
A collection of all the articles we’ve published over the past month, for those who like to savor their Magpies’ tidings as an issue.
They could transform at will the very air they breathed into a variety of sweet songs. Letter from the editor, June, 2026
June ramblings.
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