Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now
Emily St. James

Emily St. James

Former Critic at Large

    Latest articles by Emily St. James

    Culture
    The past 11 presidencies, explained by the TV shows that defined themThe past 11 presidencies, explained by the TV shows that defined them
    Culture

    Barack Obama is Parks and Recreation, and other presidential administration/TV mash-ups.

    By Emily St. James
    One Good Thing
    One Good Thing: Detransition, Baby lays bare the innermost thoughts of trans womenOne Good Thing: Detransition, Baby lays bare the innermost thoughts of trans women
    One Good Thing

    The book’s hot-button premise could only be handled by a trans novelist.

    By Emily St. James
    Culture
    A close read of Promising Young Woman’s brilliant, divisive endingA close read of Promising Young Woman’s brilliant, divisive ending
    Culture

    How you feel about the ending likely depends on what genre you think the movie is in.

    By Emily St. James
    Culture
    The profound grief and terrible puns of Harrow the NinthThe profound grief and terrible puns of Harrow the Ninth
    Culture

    Two critics spiral on how much they love Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb Trilogy.

    By Constance Grady and Emily St. James
    One Good Thing
    One Good Thing: FX’s A Teacher depicts a teacher and student’s affair with pain intactOne Good Thing: FX’s A Teacher depicts a teacher and student’s affair with pain intact
    One Good Thing

    The 10-episode miniseries tells the story of a teacher-student affair — and the trauma it causes.

    By Emily St. James
    Culture
    Is the country falling apart? Depends on where you get your news.Is the country falling apart? Depends on where you get your news.
    Culture

    Cable news couldn’t get me inside a Capitol under siege. But Twitch could.

    By Emily St. James
    Culture
    Would Wonder Woman 1984 work better as a season of TV?Would Wonder Woman 1984 work better as a season of TV?
    Culture

    It couldn’t have hurt!

    By Emily St. James
    One Good Thing
    One Good Thing: The existential horror and hope of The Leftovers, the perfect show for 2021One Good Thing: The existential horror and hope of The Leftovers, the perfect show for 2021
    One Good Thing

    It’s a great choice for your first binge-watch of the year.

    By Emily St. James
    The Lost Year: A quiet year, alone in one’s head
    Politics

    “Your to-do list, some days, it has just the one thing on it: Stay alive. And if you can do that, it’s a successful day.”

    By Emily St. James
    Stories from a Lost Year
    Culture

    2020 was a hard, hard year. Here are the stories of people who lived through it.

    By Emily St. James