The Highest Office

When Colin Rafferty moved to Virginia in 2008 he didn’t know much about the presidents, so he set out to read a biography of each one. What began as a personal project eventually turned into his new publication - a collection of experimental, genre-bending essays on every U.S. president. Also: In 2016, Eric Drummond Smith guest-curated an art exhibit called The Cherry Bounce Show at the William King Museum in Abingdon, VA. He called on artists from all over Appalachia to create modern artwork, with one small stipulation… every piece had to be inspired by a presidential election. Later in the show: In grade school, many of us learned how the founding fathers carefully defined the office of the presidency. But Nathaniel Green argues that the presidency was shaped by ordinary people, not the political elite. Plus: Loaded with humor and biting satire, political cartoons have a long history of holding people in power to account. What makes political cartoons so effective? Fran Hassencahl says the answer lies in the magic of visual metaphors.