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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

A portrait of Stephanie Wong.

Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor

Stephanie Wong is a junior double-majoring in Media, Culture and Communication and Journalism, with a minor in English Literature. In her spare time, she loves watching bad movies and curating esoteric Spotify playlists. You can find her at @_stephaniewong_ on Instagram, @normalstephanie on Spotify, and unfortunately, on Letterboxd as @emima.

All content by Stephanie Wong
A woman with black hair, wearing a black shirt and black leather jacket, stands in front of a gray tiled wall.

Q&A: Miki Berenyi on ‘Fingers Crossed’ and the new chapter of her life

WSN sat down with Berenyi to talk about her memoir, the impact of music as she ages and what it was like navigating the ’80s alternative music scene as a biracial woman.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor April 22, 2024

Best known as the frontwoman of the band Lush, Miki Berenyi was an icon of the shoegaze scene back in the ’80s and ’90s. Her red hair is instantly recognizable to any veteran...

On a bright magenta background is a neon red-headed girl in a red and black dress, black sheer tights, and black ankle boots, sitting on the ground reaching for a white teacup filled with a dark, coffee-colored liquid.

Review: ‘Fingers Crossed’ is a stripped portrait of a shoegaze icon

Miki Berenyi’s memoir, “Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me from Success” recounts the seasoned musician’s complicated upbringing and tumultuous journey navigating the British alternative music scene in the late ’80s to ’90s.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor April 19, 2024

Amid the current shoegaze resurgence brought on by nostalgia-fueled TikToks, new fans of the 30-year-old subgenre are indulging in its ethereal soundscapes by way of Cocteau Twins...

In the background is the Letterboxd website window, which shows three films in the “Popular Films This Week” category: “Dune: Part Two” “La La Land,” and “Spirited Away.” To the lower right, there is a phone screen showing the overview for the film “The First Omen.”

Inside the Boxd: ‘Monkey Man,’ ‘Dune: Part Two,’ ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and more

Inside the Boxd is a column documenting WSN staffers’ recent film reviews on Letterboxd. Grab some popcorn and get that watchlist ready!

With roughly 10 million site-wide users in 2023, including the likes of NYU alumni Martin Scorsese and Ayo Edebiri, Letterboxd has become the premier social media platform for...

A man tending to a grill wearing a white shirt and blue button up.

The case for Charles Melton

As the 96th Academy Awards ceremony closes in, the exclusion of the “May December” star from this year's nominations is one of the most egregious snubs in the Academy’s history.
Mick Gaw and Stephanie Wong March 1, 2024

In a year of multimillion-dollar blockbusters and critically acclaimed arthouse films, supporting actors took center stage. Whether it was Ryan Gosling’s iconic performance as...

A blonde woman wearing a white dress stands outside a restaurant at night.

Review: ‘How to Have Sex’ is not a tutorial, sadly

Molly Manning Walker’s directorial debut is a raw examination of our youth’s troubling sexual culture.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor February 14, 2024

Content warning: This article contains discussions of sexual assault. Asking your friends if they’d want to come see “How to Have Sex” with you is a surefire way to get...

A woman with dark skin and brown curly hair wearing a red sweater, a pair of blue jeans and red sneakers smiles as she lounges back on a pale pink couch. A bucket of popcorn is in her right arm and a book named “Love Stories” lies on her leg.

Staff Recs: Mwah!

WSN’s Arts Desk spotlight their favorite swoon-worthy books, tunes and films to celebrate this Valentine’s Day.

Whether you’re excited for or dreading Valentine’s Day, we at the Arts Desk have compiled a wide range of romance-related media to get you through the holiday. We’ve got...

Two beams of light from a spotlight around a man covered in red light standing on a stage with a guitar. In front of him stands a crowd of people.

Q&A: Current Joys shifts into hyperpop mania in ‘LOVE + POP’

WSN sat down with singer-songwriter Nick Rattigan to talk about his latest album’s stylistic shift, current musical influences and future projects.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor November 14, 2023

Since the release of his debut solo album “Wild Heart” in 2013, Nick Rattigan — also known as Current Joys — has cemented himself in the hearts and playlists of angsty,...

Two men are performing on a stage with orange lighting. One of them is holding a guitar and standing in front of a mic (Will Taylor). The other man is sitting on a chair in front of a mic and holding a guitar (Nick Hill). The crowd is looking at them.

Review: ‘Flyte’ explores the bittersweet beginnings of new love

The indie-folk duo Flyte performed in New York City last Friday. The musicians’ self-titled third album — a beautifully raw and intimate ode to relationships — is now available to stream on all platforms.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor November 3, 2023

It’s easy to forget where you are at a Flyte concert. The British indie-folk duo of Will Taylor and Nicolas Hill somehow melt away the innate grandeur of the East Village’s...

A multimedia piece of an “Only Murders in the Building” poster, a portrait of musician John Maus, a red book cover titled “Berlin” by Bea Setton, a blue book cover for “In The Miso Soup” and a Yeah Yeah Yeahs album cover of a hand cracking open an egg.

Staff Recs: BOO!

With the Halloween season officially starting, WSN’s Arts Desk highlights books, songs and more to get you in the holiday spirit.

Trick or treat from WSN’s Arts Desk! We can’t give you candy, but we can give you something even more delicious — our Halloween-themed favorites.  In case you haven’t...

A still image from the film “Stop Making Sense” with lead vocalist David Byrne singing on stage and pointing a microphone to the camera.

Review: ‘Stop Making Sense’ immortalizes a band in its prime

A24's restoration of the concert film featuring Talking Heads cements the legendary band's legacy as a pioneer of New Wave music.
Stephanie Wong, Arts Editor September 22, 2023

In 1984, director Jonathan Demme first released his concert film “Stop Making Sense” featuring the seminal ’80s New Wave band Talking Heads. In 2023, many still consider...

An illustration of two women’s faces overlaid upon one another, with two pairs of half-closed lips visible. There are also illustrated black text bubbles, which read, “Closer baby closer,” and “Poems,” along with a white text bubble which reads “Savannah Brown.”

Review: The pain and beauty of modern intimacy in ‘Closer Baby Closer’

Savannah Brown’s third poetry collection is an exploration of the existential horror of knowing and being known. Fittingly released on Feb. 14, Brown’s newest title contains her most intimate work yet.
Stephanie Wong, Film & TV Editor February 14, 2023

Savannah Brown is 26 years old, and has already accumulated an impressive literary career. From her first collection, “Graffiti,” which features poems about adolescent fears,...

An illustration of two figures, one dark purple and one dark crimson, sitting on the rear bumper of a vehicle. Bumper stickers read “Reagan Bush ’84” and “My wife yes, my gun no.”

Review: ‘Bones and All’: Unequivocally romantic, unconventionally cannibalistic

Luca Guadagnino’s latest release, “Bones and All,” starring Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet, is a deft fusion of the romance and horror genres. The film was released in select theaters in New York City on Nov. 18.
Stephanie Wong, Film & TV Editor November 22, 2022

Spoiler warning: The following article contains spoilers for “Bones and All.” Luca Guadagnino’s latest feature film, “Bones and All,” is a visceral, alchemic fusion...

A man with a plastered right arm wraps his hand around a girl who leans her back against the man. The two are on a couch in a convenience store.

NYFF 60 Review: ‘Aftersun’ is a tender exploration of the intimate space between a daughter and father

Charlotte Wells’ debut film poignantly recounts a woman’s memory of a summer spent with her father during childhood. “Aftersun” screens at the 60th New York Film Festival on Oct. 8 and will be released in select theaters on Oct. 21.
Stephanie Wong, Film & TV Editor October 7, 2022

Spoiler warning: This article includes spoilers for “Aftersun.” Charlotte Wells' feature film debut, "Aftersun," drifts through the avenues of childhood, parenthood and...

Professor Jack Gladney, played by Adam Driver, stands with his family. Their facial expressions are anxious and worried.

WSN’s guide to the 60th New York Film Festival

In anticipation of this year’s New York Film Festival, WSN put together a list of must-see movies being premiered that you will want to secure tickets for before they sell out.
Stephanie Wong, Film & TV Editor September 23, 2022

This year's New York Film Festival, running from Sept. 30 to Oct. 16, will be celebrating its 60th anniversary. One of the longest-running film festivals in the United States,...

An icon of the Emmy Award is on the left with a black-and-white New York University logo on the right.

4 NYU alumni take home 2022 Emmys

As seen in the results of the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, NYU’s significant impact across the entertainment industry makes itself evident once again.
Stephanie Wong, Film & TV Editor September 20, 2022

Four NYU alumni and Lorne Michaels, a member of the Dean’s Council of the Tisch School of the Arts, an advisory group comprised of professionals in the arts and entertainment...

Matt Maltese sings into a microphone while sitting down and looking away. Red lights glow onto him and the stage.

Q&A: Singer-songwriter Matt Maltese uses acerbic lyricism to articulate heartbreak and apocalyptic fears

Matt Maltese, best known for “As the World Caves In,” talked with WSN about his lyrics, the possibility of venturing into film and TV soundtracking, and his new EP, “Quiet Recordings.”
Stephanie Wong, Staff Writer April 22, 2022

If you’ve been on TikTok at all in recent years, chances are that you’ve come across Matt Maltese’s unexpectedly viral apocalyptic ballad “As the World Caves In.” Despite...

A shirtless man wearing blue shorts lays down on a bed with beige sheets. Below him, lying on a gray carpet is a girl wearing a beige shirt and blue jeans next to a window with gray curtains.

Review: ‘Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy’ explores the beauty of fate

‘Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,’ currently on view at Film Forum in the West Village, circles the ups and downs of love’s tumultuousness. 
Stephanie Wong, Staff Writer April 19, 2022

“Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” is a patient, thoughtful rumination on the complexities and oddities of love and intimacy. Playing for a week at Film Forum in the West Village,...