What a week it’s been for blogs! First the re(re)turn of Gawker, and now the restoration of Ursula K. Le Guin’s full blog archive! Le Guin, who died in 2018 at 88, started her blog at age 81, writing in Read more >
Deadline reported today that Mel Brooks has written a memoir, to be published November 30th by Random House imprint Ballantine Books. All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business will also be released as an audiobook, narrated by Brooks Read more >
Today is the 57th death day of Flannery O’Connor, sardonic queen of the Southern Gothic sub-genre (whose long-overlooked racist tendencies have been more widely discussed of late), devout Catholic, and lifelong ornithologist. O’Connor’s The Complete Stories won the 1972 U.S. National Read more >
All of a sudden, scores of people on Twitter are speculating about the late Terry Pratchett’s feelings on gender. This discourse hasn’t arisen spontaneously—it’s because Neil Gaiman weighed in on a transphobic Facebook post and angered anti-trans activists. Since then, Read more >
This year’s PEN America Literary Gala has an unexpected yet exciting guest: Golden Globe-winning actor, writer, producer, rapper, and comedian Awkwafina. The gala, scheduled for October 5th, will take place in person at the American Museum of Natural History in Read more >
Some Tuesday book news: Publishers Marketplace reported today that Nell Zink has sold a new novel to Knopf—following editor Daniel Halpern to Knopf from Ecco Press, which published her novels Mislaid, Nicotine, Private Novelist, and Doxology. According to the blurb, Read more >
The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing—a charity whose aim is to bring African writing to a wider audience through, among other programming, an annual £10,000 literary award for an exemplary published short story by an African writer—has named Meron Read more >
Today, the National Book Foundation announced a new initiative: the Science + Literature program, which is supported by a $525,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, already known for their support of books that increase public understanding of science Read more >
What time is it?! If you’re a young millennial, you might’ve sung “Summertime! Anticipation!” out loud, and now the songs from High School Musical will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day, and I’m sorry. If Read more >
When we talk about Raymond Carver, we talk about the short story. Despite having published eight poetry collections before his death (33 years ago to the day), he’s known for works like “Cathedral” and “Why Don’t You Dance.” But, as Read more >
Into every generation, a remake is born. Today I learned that in January 2022—just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the show’s premiere—Disney Hyperion will publish the first novel in a new YA trilogy set in the Buffy the Vampire Read more >
There are two things Twitter loves: ruining people’s lives and lavishing praise upon incredibly anodyne humor. I’m pleased to report that this is a blog about the latter! Over the weekend, a Twitter account claiming to be that of Cormac Read more >
Sunjeev Sahota’s China Room, Grady Hendrix’s The Final Girl Support Group, S. A. Cosby’s Razorblade Tears, Kristen Radtke’s Seek You, and The Letters of Shirley Jackson all feature among the best reviewed books of the month. Bought to you by Read more >
The Internet has opened up new modes of self-publishing for writers: subscription services like Substack and Patreon, online releases on platforms like Gumroad, and even NFTs. Now, we’re seeing the debut (to my knowledge) of a new self-publishing model: writer Read more >
Today, dear readers, is Paperback Book Day! It’s the anniversary of the day that the first Penguin paperback was published in England. Good! Personally, I’ll take paperbacks over hardcovers any old day. Don’t @ me! They’re more affordable. They’re lighter. Read more >
This Sunday marks Herman Melville’s 202nd birthday, and I decided to honor him by looking through a scholarly book of his correspondence to find something noteworthy to write about (beyond, of course, his passionate love letter to Nathaniel Hawthorne). Why, Read more >
It’s a great day for bibliophiles, as I have some exciting news to share that doesn’t involve homophobic rappers named DaBaby, whose antics have been clogging my social media timeline. (Of course, I realize a lot of you dear readers Read more >
It’s been a week of good news for globe-trotting American novelist and travel writer Maggie Shipstead. On Tuesday, Shipstead’s latest novel, Great Circle, made the star-studded longlist for the 2021 Booker Prize, and Deadline has today reported that the book is also set for a Read more >
For all the Internet’s horrors, it’s occasionally nice to appreciate the sheer access to information it gives us. One instance: the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s digital collections, which are mostly open to the public, and allow users to Read more >
Apparently, there is only one known recording of J.D. Salinger’s voice. Also apparently, the woman who recorded it never plans to release it. In fact, the 30-year-old recording will die with her—when she has it cremated along with her body. Read more >
