As we hope you’ve noticed, with our new redesign in January, we’ve expanded our culture coverage in the magazine, and to that end, Father Christiansen has asked me to serve as America’s first "Culture editor."  ("Does that mean you’re going to have to cultivate a British accent?" asked a friend.)  Culture, at least as we see it, includes film, television, music, theater, fine arts and the amorphous "New Media."  All of this has been folded into the brand new "Books & Culture" section.  You’ve already seen several film reviews by our reviewers Richard A. Blake, SJ; Richard Leonard, SJ; and Michael V. Tueth, SJ; as well as reviews of art exhibitions by Leo J. O’Donovan, a piece on the history of Motown, an overview of representations of St. Patrick in art, and our Lenten reflection series, in which Catholic authors have reflected on pieces of art with a Lenten and Easter theme.

But a problem.  There are often some fine pieces that we can’t fit into the magazine for reasons of space, or that we can’t publish on a timely basis--especially reviews.  All the more reason for you to check out our online coverage for supplemental coverage or early coverage.   So, for example, check out our review of "Jerusalem," the PBS series here.   And a superb (as ever) review by Richard A. Blake, SJ, of "The Reader," which will appear soon in print.  (That pesky Centennial issue bumped a good deal of other articles.)  And under the heading of "New Media," this review of Amazon’s Kindle 2.

In short, for all of America’s Culture Vultures, the web is a must.  Just check on on the homepage under "Books & Culture."  And check regularly.

James Martin, SJ