La Luna

La Luna

POEM BY E. AMATO. TRANSLATED TO GERMAN BY ZISKA KILLAT. IMAGE BY JOANNA WINOGRAD.

E. Amato once overheard two people conversing in Spanish on the Tube in London, and the musical quality of their exchange captured her attention. So she listened in, though she is not a Spanish speaker. Among the few recognizable words were “la luna.” And thus, this Spanish moon gave birth to a poem recounting the conversation E. Amato imagined her fellow commuters were having. “La Luna” comes from E. Amato’s chapbook Will Travel and has been translated to German by Ziska Killat.

Contextualizing France's Yellow Vests Protests

Contextualizing France's Yellow Vests Protests

COLLABORATION BY KAMI L. RICE, OLIVIER PEYROUS, AND JC JOHNSON

 Since part of our Culture Keeper team is based in France, it seems appropriate to bring you a Culture Keeper take on one of France’s biggest news stories in the waning weeks of 2018: the Gilets Jaunes (“Yellow Vests” or “Yellow Jackets”) movement that made it into foreign news outlets when the protests turned violent in Paris. We’re not a breaking news outlet by any stretch of the imagination, but we are in the business of offering a bit of cultural context where we can. Which is what we seek to do here as we experiment with a new-to-us storytelling format that we hope to perfect over time.

Rotterdam’s Solko Schalm and His Art

Rotterdam’s Solko Schalm and His Art

ARTICLE BY MIRTHE SMEETS

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY SOLKO SCHALM

 Before being translated to English for our Culture Keeper audience, Dutch journalist Mirthe Smeets’s interview with painter Solko Schalm was first published in Vers Beton, a Dutch online magazine focused on engaging the people of Rotterdam in understanding their city as it changes and develops. Rotterdam is the Netherlands’ second largest city and Europe’s largest port. Enjoy this interview with one of its artists!

Sometimes Diplomacy Is Soft and Quiet

Sometimes Diplomacy Is Soft and Quiet

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAMI L. RICE

This week we’re joining the ranks of media outlets offering longer-read stories, because sometimes we all need a break from the sound-bite version of the world. So lean back, kick off your shoes, and tuck into this reminder of the less flashy ways the world’s countries interact with each other. No need to wait to be appointed as an ambassador, for you already are one.

My Kaleidoscopic Commute

My Kaleidoscopic Commute

STORY BY KORI WINTER

One recent Friday, Kori Winter Hutchinson, an American who has by now lived half her life in southeast London, was so struck by just how beautiful and fascinating her normal commute is that she made note of it. As a result, we all get to step inside this little slice of London life, and with Kori, we find hope there.

The Anatomy of David

The Anatomy of David

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TOBI AMOSUN

Physician Tobi Amosun takes us along on her recent trip to Florence, where her science knowledge helps us better understand just how magnificent an accomplishment Michelangelo’s David is.

I had dreamed for years of going to Italy with friends for my 40th birthday.

This past summer, that dream trip happened.

The View from Here: Khuruskhul, Cox’s Bazar

The View from Here: Khuruskhul, Cox’s Bazar

STORY AND PHOTOS BY NIHAB RAHMAN

Our View From Here series is back as Nihab Rahman takes us inside a little moment of Bangladeshi life.

Near Chowfol-Dondi Bridge in Khuruskhul, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, Ziyaul Haque, 21 years old, repairs his five-year-old boat for its next destination, which is Sundarbans, the only mangrove forest in Bangladesh.

Following the Coffee Trail to La Sierra

Following the Coffee Trail to La Sierra

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MEGAN FINCK AND MIKE PLUNKETT

La caminata de Megan Finck y Mike Plunkett a una finca de café en Colombia nos sumerge en la historia de las alianzas que han ayudado a una comunidad a transformar su pasado sórdido en un presente floreciente que marca un futuro lleno de esperanza.

Megan Finck and Mike Plunkett’s hike to a Colombian coffee farm plunges us into a story of the partnerships that have helped a community transform its sordid past into a flourishing present that marks out a hopeful future.