Madeline Leung Coleman

New York

Features Writer at New York Magazine

writer @nymag / i do THE CRITICS newsletter

Articles

‘Caught by the Tides’ Is an Epic Built From Scraps

4 weeks ago | vulture.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

Jia Zhangke’s odyssey through 21st-century China is mostly footage shot during the production of other films. The result is staggering. The man tells the woman he’s leaving. The woman runs out in tears. Though neither speaks a word, we read his message to her in a title card: “I want to leave and have a try outside. Once I get settled I’ll come to fetch you.” A train pulls out of the station, heading south with him on it.
Lucien Smith Brings Back Food

1 month ago | grubstreet.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

No one would accuse Lucien Smith of being original, least of all Smith himself. “I’ve always role-played as a painter, role-played as a fine artist,” he says, swiveling in a chair in his studio. “I don’t know how much of it is genuine and how much of it is an act. Maybe the whole thing.” His earliest public role was wunderkind, which he took on in 2011 when he shot out of art school, Supreme beanie askew, and started selling work that flipped at auction for nearly $400,000.
Trump Wants to Execute People Again

1 month ago | nymag.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

It wasn't a shock when U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced this month that the federal government would seek the death penalty for the most famous accused murderer in the country.
How a Gag Order Made ‘Careless People’ a Bestseller

2 months ago | vulture.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

Behind the making of Careless People, the Facebook tell-all its publisher insists is “not a book of news.” Careless People author Sarah Wynn-Williams stands behind former Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Mark Zuckerberg in 2014. Careless People author Sarah Wynn-Williams stands behind former Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Mark Zuckerberg in 2014. Sarah Wynn-Williams can’t do interviews. She can’t post on social media or go on tour or give a talk.
How Many Adult New Yorkers Are Secretly Subsidized by Their Parents?

Feb 10, 2025 | nymag.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

The first time it happens, you're surprised. One day, your friend with the roommates and the wobbly employment and the busted phone - they buy an apartment. They tell you they're moving, then they admit they're buying, and suddenly you're standing in the living room they own. It's not that you'd never talked about money, if you count the years spent passing $17 back and forth on Venmo; it's just that you thought you were on the same track.
The 30 Most Anticipated New Books to Read Coming Out in 2025

Jan 7, 2025 | vulture.com | Emma Alpern |Jen Chaney |Madeline Leung Coleman |Julie Kosin

In uncertain times, we look to our sharpest writers. A new year always brings some uncertainty, and that seems particularly true at the start of 2025. As America grapples with a new (yet familiar) political era, and the larger world faces challenges with few easy solutions, what better way to settle into our precarious existence than in the company of our sharpest writers?
How Does Maryam Nassir Zadeh Stay in Business?

Dec 19, 2024 | thecut.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

style The brand once defined how downtown girls wanted to dress. Now it’s a mystery how it survives at all. Recently, a blue puffer jacket made Maryam Nassirzadeh cry. She was trawling her storage when she found it, searching for things of her own that she could add to an upcoming sample sale she was planning at her store. For Nassirzadeh, who designs clothes and accessories and shoes, preparing for the sale was starting to seem like more than a business obligation.
Why Did Sean Baker Avoid Politics in His Films Until Anora?

Oct 20, 2024 | vulture.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

For a long time, Sean Baker has made movies where slippage with reality is the point. Whenever he starts a project, he talks his way into a social world where he’s almost guaranteed to be the only guy from upper-middle-class New Jersey, convinces its inhabitants to play ball, and gleans details from their lives to inform the film. He’s used this approach to tell stories about delivery guys, counterfeit-bag hustlers, wannabe porn stars, and desperate single mothers.
Trajal Harrell Pays Homage to Alvin Ailey and Katherine Dunham

Sep 30, 2024 | thecut.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

Photo: Dina Litovsky Trajal Harrell is a New York– and Zurich-based dancer and choreographer who infuses his work with rich dance history; most recently, this has included the Japanese modern dance form butoh. On October 4 through 6, he and his company will perform his piece Deathbed as part of “Edges of Ailey,” a major retrospective on dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey.
Joseph Gordon Wanted to Bring F-boy Energy to Lincoln Center

Sep 24, 2024 | thecut.com | Madeline Leung Coleman

Photo: Dina Litovsky Joseph Gordon was promoted from soloist dancer to principal at New York City Ballet six years ago. He was then the youngest principal at the company. Now, at 32, he feels he’s hitting his stride: experienced enough to finally let loose and confident enough to be vulnerable onstage.