13/12/2025
Reading cultural journalism today can feel paradoxical. One article calls for more critical writing, chased by another showering a new, plastic pop release with the kind of praise usually reserved for canon. Some pieces paint a picture of a golden age across every creative medium, while others decry the commodification, corporatization, gamification, and meme-ification of art and culture.
There must be a middle ground, and in her Substack ‘Holy Rants,’ Palestinian writer Salma Mousa () has been trying to walk that fine line between calling for more teeth and actually biting. She writes like a 70s gonzo rock critic, unbothered by today’s post-isms, from post-reality to post-truth. She still believes there is an objective truth to be found through critique and analysis, and she still believes in saying it, especially when it’s inconvenient.
Today, we share the inaugural installment of her monthly Rolling Stone MENA column, In Bad Taste. Head to the link in bio to read Salma’s first submission, where she lays out the drive behind the toothy writing she’s bringing to our pages.
