Interviews Archives - Page 2 of 53

Politics in the Arts: Interview with Raye Zaragoza

Hanna Klingbeil CanaleJanuary 28, 2026January 28, 2026

Raye Zaragoza is a singer-songwriter and proud Japanese-American and Indigenous artist based in Los Angeles. Her music challenges traditional expectations of women and explores themes of self-discovery, strength, and joy. Her latest album, Hold That Spirit, explores the female experience and emotional healing, featuring collaborations exclusively with female artists. Zaragoza writes for Netflix’s Spirit Rangers, a Native-led animated series, and recently toured nationally in the reimagined Broadway production of Peter Pan.

Portraits of Displacement: Photojournalist Tomas Ayuso on Capturing Violence and Joy in Latin America

Chantal de Macedo EulensteinJanuary 12, 2026January 12, 2026

Tomas Ayuso’s images are jarring distillations of humanity. His pictures are reflections of intense violence, depicting machine guns, police, and bullet wound scars. Yet his photos also contain something unexpected: joy.

The Illusion of Closure: Mikhail Zygar’s Challenge to Myth and Empire

Yegor RubanovDecember 3, 2025December 3, 2025

Mikhail Zygar is a journalist, historian, and one of the leading figures in the Russian opposition over the past decade. He was the founding editor-in-chief of TV Rain, Russia’s leading independent news outlet. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Zygar was forced into exile and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for disseminating “fake news” about the Russian army in 2024.

The Faces of Power: Platon on Capturing Presidents, Dictators, and the People Who Stand Up to Them

Eliza DauntOctober 23, 2025October 23, 2025

Platon is one of the world’s most celebrated photographers, renowned for his portraits of world leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Muammar al-Qaddafi, and Bill Clinton, as well as iconic cultural figures including Muhammad Ali, Edward Snowden,…

Ten Years After Love Won: Jim Obergefell on Marriage Equality Then and Now

Baala ShakyaOctober 20, 2025October 19, 2025

Ten years ago, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, declaring that same-sex couples had a constitutional right to marry in all 50 states. For many Americans, it felt like the close of a bitter chapter—the end of a long legal and cultural war. And for Jim Obergefell, the man whose name now sits atop one of the most significant civil rights rulings in United States history, it felt like the first step toward healing.

The Politic Episode 11: Texas Democrats Fled the State to Avoid Redistricting—Where Does America Go From Here?

Lily SchecknerOctober 20, 2025November 30, 2025

In August, Democrats in the Texas House fled the state to break quorum in a special session. For two weeks they stayed in Illinois, hoping to delay a redistricting motion put forth by House Republicans, which could gerrymander five seats in the midterm elections.

The Architect of the Ballot: A Conversation with Greece’s Secretary General of the Interior

Katy ScottJuly 3, 2025July 3, 2025

Dr. Athanasios Balermpas is the Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior and former Secretary General of Citizenship in Greece (2019–2023). He has over 40 years of experience in politics, serving as a senior member of the New Democracy Party….

Words Under Siege: Paata Shamugia on the Role of the Poet in a Repressive State

Eliza DauntMay 9, 2025

Paata Shamugia is one of Georgia’s most acclaimed contemporary poets and literary voices. Born in Abkhazia in 1983, he has received the SABA Georgian National Literature Prize twice and served as president of PEN International Georgia from 2018 to 2022….