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Brendan John
Brendan John

67 Followers

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May 4, 2022

Making Sense of Covidsomnia

I was hospitalized because of severe insomnia during the pandemic. Why do I, and so many others, struggle with sleep in the time of Covid? On my first day at a psychiatric hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, I tested positive for Covid-19 and was confined to a small room with two…

Sleep

6 min read

Making Sense of Covidsomnia
Making Sense of Covidsomnia
Sleep

6 min read


Apr 13, 2022

Q & A With a Russia Analyst

The managing editor of Meduza English, an independent Russian news outlet, discusses media coverage of the war in Ukraine Below is an abridged transcript of my conversation with Kevin Rothrock, a Russian analyst and the managing editor of Meduza English, an independent Russian news online outlet based in Latvia. …

Russia

8 min read

Q & A With a Russia Analyst
Q & A With a Russia Analyst
Russia

8 min read


Published in Age of Awareness

·Mar 26, 2022

City Parks Are Salad Bars for Some New Yorkers

On a cold December morning, 30 people left their homes and descended upon Central Park. Wrapped in winter coats, the group of strangers, many of whom carried empty shopping bags and notepads, quietly congregated at the West 86th Street entrance. Everyone here paid to see the park through a new…

Sustainability

18 min read

City Parks Are Salad Bars for Some New Yorkers
City Parks Are Salad Bars for Some New Yorkers
Sustainability

18 min read


Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)

·Mar 13, 2022

A Matchmaker Looks for Her Own Match

Despite the sub-zero temperature, throngs of people waited in lines outside flower shops around town. It was Valentine’s Day in New York City, and Amy Van Doran, a well-established matchmaker with a bright orange bob, was joining the last-minute spree. But unlike most buyers, her purchases would be gifted to…

Dating

4 min read

Dating Can Be Hard When You’re a Matchmaker
Dating Can Be Hard When You’re a Matchmaker
Dating

4 min read


Mar 11, 2022

‘Playground’ Review: More Public Service Announcement Than Story

Playground, an Oscar-shortlisted 2021 Belgian drama directed by Laura Wandel, portrays schoolyard bullying from the vantage point of a seven-year-old girl. The subject matter is admirable, and the cinematography is certainly unique, but the film feels like an uncomfortably long public service announcement. When the credits rolled, I half-expected to…

Film

3 min read

‘Playground’ Review: More Public Service Announcement Than Story
‘Playground’ Review: More Public Service Announcement Than Story
Film

3 min read


Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)

·Oct 6, 2020

I’ve Never Met My Best Friend

I swear I’m not crazy. I’m not untethered from reality like the folks on MTV’s Catfish who are brave enough to broadcast their fictitious relationships to the world. I’m also not socially awkward. That being said, I’ve never met my best friend. We’ve known each other for three years, we…

Friendship

3 min read

I’ve Never Met My Best Friend
I’ve Never Met My Best Friend
Friendship

3 min read


Jul 22, 2020

Review: “Jackie” Begs the Question: What Makes a Legacy?

Pablo Larraín’s “Jackie” takes place in the moments and days following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and is the story of the former first lady’s attempt to suppress her shock and grief so that she might hastily construct her husband’s legacy. At the opening, a reporter (Billy Crudup) approaches…

Film

3 min read

Review: “Jackie” begs the question: What makes a legacy?
Review: “Jackie” begs the question: What makes a legacy?
Film

3 min read


May 18, 2020

Review: Tom Hardy’s “Capone” is Wasted in Retelling the Most Boring Year of the Mobster’s Life

Director Josh Trank’s “Capone” stars Tom Hardy as the eponymous American mobster in the twilight year of his life. Capone, who is referred to almost exclusively as “Fonse,” has recently been released from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on account of his late-stage syphilis, and lives in exile, and under government surveillance…

Film

3 min read

Review: Tom Hardy’s impressive portrayal of “Capone” is wasted in retelling the most boring year…
Review: Tom Hardy’s impressive portrayal of “Capone” is wasted in retelling the most boring year…
Film

3 min read


May 15, 2020

Review: “Becoming” Gave Us a Roundtable Discussion Instead of a Story

What is the role of the first lady of the United States? Technically? Nothing. She is not mentioned in the Constitution, nor does she have any explicit, official duties. She is not a public servant. But, practically speaking, she acts as an unofficial advisor to the president; hosts state functions…

Film

4 min read

Review:  “Becoming” gave us a roundtable discussion when we wanted a story
Review:  “Becoming” gave us a roundtable discussion when we wanted a story
Film

4 min read


May 13, 2020

Review: “Call Me by Your Name”

I recently watched Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name” and was struck by its uncanny resemblance to life during the coronavirus pandemic. It is unhurried, isolated, and seemingly suspended in time. The film’s protagonist, Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), is a 17-year-old bored, angsty Italian-American who is spending the summer…

Film

5 min read

Review: Call Me by Your Name
Review: Call Me by Your Name
Film

5 min read

Brendan John

Brendan John

67 Followers

Student at the Columbia Journalism School

Following
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