Actual pop music is a misappropriated commodity these days. More often than not, it’s polluted by the misplaced modifiers heaped upon it by critics in their drive to identify the “Next Big Thing.” Or even worse, the bands themselves hamper their sound, convinced in their pretentiousness...

Editor’s Note: Burnside will return next week with a full issue. In the meantime, make sure to check out Kim Gottschild’s and Penny Carothers’s interview with Noel Caeden, the author of this month’s series on racial reconcilation. Have a good Memorial Day. * * * I was...

“Sure,” you say. And hand Jason the rest of your chocolate bar. “Thank you,” he says, and swallows it in one gulp. — Third period literature is uneventful, and soon you are dressing out for gym. The weather is perfect outside, so your class meets outside on the football field. You dominate...

“No thanks,” you say. “Drugs are for losers.” You leave the ladies room and look for Jason. He is still in the sporting goods store, and doesn’t believe your story about the drug girl. Jason buys a new pair of Nikes and then drives you to your house. You sit at the kitchen table and do...