New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

All content by Katherine Williams
A black and white photo of visual artist Beth B. leaning against a wall.

Q&A: Beth B on tackiness and transcendence

The filmmaker — a pillar of the New York underground arts scene in the ’70s and ’80s — spoke with WSN about New York City, alternative filmmaking and representation on screen.
Katherine Williams, Contributing Writer March 27, 2023

“You may call the Bs punks,” wrote Jim Hoberman of Beth and Scott B in the Village Voice in 1979. “I think they're space-age social realists.” Beth B is skeptical of...

David Lynch: Big Bongo Night. 540 W. 25th St., Nov. 4-Dec. 17. (Courtesy of Pace Gallery)

For the first time, David Lynch gets weird on canvas

David Lynch’s “Big Bongo Night” is a mixed-media approach to the filmaker’s signature style. The exhibit is on view at Pace Gallery until Dec. 17.
Katherine Williams, Contributing Writer November 30, 2022

Before he was a renowned filmmaker, David Lynch just wanted to paint. He only started making films out of a desire to see his paintings move; thus, his debut short “Six Men Getting...

A collage of three photos. On the left, Professor Sanford Gordon, dressed in a white shirt and a plaid navy blue blazer. He wears a pair of glasses with black frames. In the middle, Professor Bryant Moy, dressed in a blue shirt and a navy blue blazer. On the right, Professor Julia Payson, dressed in a gray shirt. She is wearing gold earrings and a thin gold necklace.

How Republicans could take control of Congress, according to NYU politics profs

Faculty experts in NYU’s Politics Department spoke to students about the importance of voting and the potential consequences of the 2022 midterm elections.
Katherine Williams, Contributing Writer November 4, 2022

NYU politics professors encouraged students to vote in this year’s midterm elections, which have seen Republican candidates lead in many races across the country, at a panel...

Two speakers sit on a stage, in front of an audience with a projector screen displaying “Sports and the Metaverse” against a white background.

‘Metaverse Boot Camp’ draws intrigue and ire

Metaverse experts and NYU students convened to chat about virtual reality, NFTs and the blockchain at a two-day event sponsored by the School of Professional Studies.
Katherine Williams, Contributing Writer October 19, 2022

More than 100 students and faculty made their way to the Metaverse Boot Camp last Friday, on the second day of a two-day event organized by NYU’s School of Professional Studies...

A middle-aged woman holding the hand of a boy in the middle of a desert.

Review: In ‘Time is a Mother,’ Ocean Vuong explores grief through the prisms of time and space

Published on April 5, 2022, Ocean Vuong’s new collection of writing situates the death of his mother within the remnants of memory and the potential of language.
Katherine Williams, Contributing Writer May 2, 2022

“I used to cry in a genre no one read,” Ocean Vuong writes in “Time is a Mother,” his most recent collection of poetry and prose. One of the most critically acclaimed contemporary...

Filmmaker Márta Mészáros offers a feminist outlook in her 1975 film “Adoption,” which depicts the friendship of two Hungarian women. (Image courtesy of Janus Films)

Review: ‘Adoption’ examines the interiority of feminism

“Adoption” depicts the hardships of two women in Hungary in the 1970s. The film played as part of Film at Lincoln Center’s retrospective on the famed Hungarian feminist filmmaker Márta Mészáros.
Katherine Williams, Contributing Writer February 3, 2022

Though Márta Mészáros is known primarily for her masterful feature films, she began her career making documentaries. She was originally oriented, perhaps, toward depictions...

Miklós Jancsó reimagines an ancient Greek myth in his 1974 film currently playing at the Metrograph. “Electra, My Love” uses an ancient narrative as a statement on contemporary politics. (Image courtesy of Metrograph and Kino Lorber)

Review: ‘Electra, My Love’ embodies the limits of revolution myths

Miklós Jancsó’s revolutionary 1974 reimagining of the ancient Greek myth of Electra is currently playing at Metrograph as part of a retrospective on the Hungarian director.
Katherine Williams, Contributing Writer January 26, 2022

In 1974, Hungarian director and screenwriter Miklós Jancsó said, “I used to think that humanity could be saved.”  But “Electra, My Love,” his film from the same year,...