One hundred and twenty-six year ago today, H. G. Wells’ seminal science-fiction novella, The Time Machine, was first published. The story of an Victorian English scientist (and gentleman inventor) who builds a big ‘ol steampunk time machine and uses it Read more >
If so, you’ve come to the right place. Someone (who goes by the name of MysigMind) is making long playlists of classical music—we’re talking Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Vivaldi, all the greats—geared specifically for 19th century villains in (slightly) different situations. For Read more >
Exciting archival news: University of Kentucky professor Herman Farrell recently discovered a letter from Tennessee Williams to Eugene O’Neill, previously only rumored to exist. Farrell unearthed the letter in a collection of O’Neill-related documents at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Books and Read more >
Stacey Abrams has had a busy year: on May 11th, Doubleday will publish her political thriller While Justice Sleeps, and Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, has just picked up her three out-of-print romances for re-publication. (And that’s not Read more >
Exciting news: Deadline reported yesterday afternoon that Greta Lee (Russian Doll, Girls, The Morning Show) will write, star in, and executive produce a series adaptation of Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, an “intimate and devastating” essay Read more >
The Clio Awards, which recognize innovation in advertising, design and communication, have just awarded their grand prize to “The Uncensored Library,” a library that houses books and articles censored in their country of origin—a library built entirely in Minecraft. Reporters Read more >
Members of Britain’s publishing industry have written an open letter to the British publishing news site The Bookseller stating that “transphobia is still perfectly acceptable in the British book industry” and calling on publishers to educate themselves on trans issues Read more >
On this, the 94th publication anniversary of Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, I invite you to do the opposite of reading To the Lighthouse, and watch a video. (You could also re-read To the Lighthouse, but let’s assume time is Read more >
St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, is gearing up for a new album release in ten days, which—in classic St. Vincent form—means a completely reinvented sonic and visual palette via teasers and singles. Clark’s new album, Daddy’s Home, wears its ‘70’s Read more >
While I have been known to violently roll my eyes at the news of a child getting a book deal because of their parents’ relentless Twitter promotion (preschoolers should not have side hustles!), I’m not immune to all forms of internet Read more >
On April 30th, the Los Angeles Times reported that Joshua Wolf Shenk had resigned from his positions as editor-in-chief of The Believer magazine and artistic and executive director of the Black Mountain Institute, The Believer’s publisher, after Shenk exposed himself Read more >
After a decade of seeking publication, Stacey Abrams’s political thriller While Justice Sleeps will be published by Doubleday later this month. And the larger publishing world is finally recognizing Abrams’s work: the Associated Press reported today that Berkley, an imprint Read more >
You know what they say: April showers bring May… books. Or something like that. This week, we’ve got new titles from Alison Bechdel, Maggie Shipstead, Olivia Laing, Rachel Cusk, Joy Harjo, and so many more! May you find something that Read more >
Kundiman has just announced this year’s cohort of fellows for the Kundiman Mentorship Lab, an annual program supporting nine NYC-based emerging Asian American artists per year. Mentorship Fellows will receive a $1000 stipend, craft classes and genre workshops, individual mentorships, Read more >
Ah, the elusive muse of creativity. Even the best writers struggle with finding their muse. Of course, there is no one way to capture the spark of inspiration. For some people, being productive means getting up at the crack of Read more >
Alan Moore is back, baby, and he’s positively bursting with fiction (his words, not mine). Yes, two years on from his much-publicized comic book world retirement, the mercurial, cantankerous, adaptation-hatin’ creator of Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell, and The League Read more >
Legendary comedy writer John Swartzwelder, famous for his prolific work on The Simpsons and considered one of the greatest comedy minds of all time, is also famously reclusive—but after decades of silence, Swartzwelder has finally given an interview to Mike Read more >
Jhumpa Lahiri’s Whereabouts, Martha Wells’ Fugitive Telemetry, Kate Summerscale’s The Haunting of Alma Fielding, and Amy Klobuchar’s Antitrust all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.” Read more >
Annie Dillard, one of our best writers, is also one of our best teachers. We know because her students—and her readers—keep telling us. In Alexander Chee’s How to Write An Autobiographical Novel, Dillard appears as a generous, galvanizing teacher urging Read more >
The emoticon was invented on September 19, 1982, by Dr. Scott Fahlman, a professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh. He and his colleagues were looking for a solution to misunderstandings of tone on an “electronic bulletin Read more >
