Katherine Needleman Oboist's Substack
A Substack post uses Michael Tilson Thomas's NYT obituary as a lens on classical music's gender problem — 63 professional men named, three women. The MTT piece runs 2,600 words; Wayne Moss's obituary, 750. The numbers do the arguing.
Look What You Made Me Do
Eugene S. Robinson uses a clothing-store encounter to frame something sharper about racial performance and complicity. The retail anecdote does real work — it's a slow-burn reversal that lands the argument without announcing it. Substack.
Low Maintenance
A personal essay marking the author's 42nd birthday and reflection on life during a seven-year cycle. The piece discusses the author's experience with a writing sabbatical, attending Phish shows in Las Vegas, and exploring psychedelics and sobriety.
Projections
Projections dispatches from Cannes with a question worth sitting with: what do film festivals actually do for the people who attend them? The piece probes the gap between industrial strategy and artistic encounter — useful framing for anyone thinking about how live or curated events create…
Unfit to Print
A personal essay about experiencing writer's block and creative funk while working on finishing songs for an audio book project. The author reflects on the paralysis of self-imposed deadlines and how dancing and movement offer an escape from the mental corner she's painted herself into.