Max Watman

1 month ago | wsj.com | Max Watman

The influential musician and producer ponders the nature of human creativity. Art—as a field of work and study and as a matter of qualitative rather than quantitative value—is threatened, misunderstood and undervalued. No doubt this is because art is not an obvious form of self-advancement—it doesn’t make you thinner or, except in very rare circumstances, richer. It does, however, improve you, and Brian Eno’s “What Art Does: An Unfinished Theory” explains how.

Oct 4, 2024 | wsj.com | Max Watman

After buying a small farm in North Carolina, Harry Kavros gets an education in the balance between man and nature. When Harry Kavros moved to North Carolina from New York City, where he’d been a dean at Fordham and Columbia (at which he taught the famous “LitHum” great books seminar), he bought a small farm and looked out upon the acreage, dreaming of managed landscapes.

Jul 8, 2024 | virginialiving.com | Stephanie Ganz |Madeline Mayhood |Erin McPherson |Max Watman

George Washington, a Founding Father and one of the most famous Virginians, left a trail of significant legacies, his Northern Virginia home among them. Mount Vernon, on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, is full of these notable treasures.  Explore the mansion and the grounds; the estate offers in-depth tours, detailing the history behind the area, as well as a look into preservation efforts.

May 21, 2024 | virginialiving.com | Max Watman |George Tisdale |Susan Mitchell

Each year, as we gear up for the annual Best of Virginia (BoV) issue, our statewide guide brimming with reader favorites—from restaurants to inns, music venues, breweries, and much, much more—our editorial team wades through mountains of category suggestions and reader feedback to fine-tune the survey for tens of thousands of voters. But for our 2023 BoV survey, we switched gears.

May 3, 2024 | virginialiving.com | Max Watman |Dawn Klavon |Martha Steger |Meredith Lindemon

The artisanal lure of Deep Roots Milling. After nearly 200 years of operation, the water wheel at Woodson’s Mill in Nelson County is still turning. Water rises, falls, pushes the equipment of the old flour mill into motion, beginning a process that develops fine, fresh cornmeal and flour, ending with warm, fragrant loaves of bread on the kitchen table.