Though the looming threat of white supremacist violence is a good reason to dread Joe Biden’s inauguration, the roster of performers—including Tom Hanks, Lady Gaga, and Jennifer Lopez—is looking pretty good. Add to the list Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old who Read more >
In 1979, Highsmith joined Roy Plomley on Desert Island Discs, the BBC Radio show in which famous people choose exactly what the name implies. Plomley, of course, starts out with a softball: “Miss Highsmith, could you endure prolonged loneliness?” Ah, Read more >
Less than a month on from the movie poster controversy (Cherrk!) that rocked the internet to its very core, the first trailer for Cherry—the Tom Holland-starring film adaptation of Nico Walker’s 2018 semi-autobiographical debut novel about an Iraq War veteran turned Read more >
Yesterday, Twitter became aware of the fact that Noah Baumbach is working on an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s hipster classic White Noise. And boy, does Twitter have feelings about it. According to Production Weekly, Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig will star, Read more >
You can keep your Avengers spin-offs and your Twilight retellings and your Star Wars origin stories. The only bloated cash-in franchise i’m interested in is the Hannibal Lecter Expanded Universe (or HLEU, to those of us who frequent the message Read more >
The PEN Award for Freedom of Expression recognizes and honors a writer’s significant contribution and commitment to free speech around the world despite the dangers of political persecution. Previous winners include Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich, Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour, and Ugandan Read more >
Though it was published in the before-times, if you clear your mind, you may remember Elif Batuman’s New Yorker essay about Japan’s “Rent-a-Family Industry.” In the piece, “A Theory of Relativity,” Batuman reported on lonely singles in Japan renting actors to Read more >
…Frankenstein! According to Degree Query, which used information from the Open Syllabus Project to compile lists of the most commonly assigned books across disciplines, as well as compare what students at public versus Ivy League colleges are reading. At public Read more >
As the son of a Glaswegian I occasionally take a little pride in the goings on of the olde country, so I was pleased to see that Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, in the midst of increasing restrictions due to Read more >
Some pleasant news! In honor of “Peace Train”s 50th anniversary, Yusuf/Cat Stevens has announced that the illustrated children’s book Peace Train, using the lyrics of the famous song, will be published May 11th via HarperCollins. It will be followed by Read more >
Alas, Jane Austen’s right: everything is to be got with money. Ever, Jane—the only Jane Austen-themed MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game)—has announced that due to a shortage of funds, it is shutting down. Created by Judy L. Tyer and Read more >
This morning, while trying to trick myself into forgetting that I was about to leave the apartment to go running in the cold, I happened to watch Lizzo’s 73 Questions interview. (For the uninitiated, 73 Questions is a digital feature Read more >
Today, Haruki Murakami celebrates his 72nd birthday—and we’re celebrating by diving into his recorded interviews. Murakami rarely gives interviews, but the ones he does are packed with insight into how he approaches the writing process. His memoir What I Talk Read more >
Did you hear that a new Sally Rooney novel will be published in September? Personally, I am [HYPERBOLIC ADJECTIVE]. I [FEELINGS VERB] Sally Rooney’s novels because they’re easy and enjoyable to read. She writes in the tradition of [THIN, WHITE Read more >
Notorious fake journalist and target of deadly vegan milkshakes Andy Ngo has a new book coming out called “something something Antifa is under your bed” or some shit; after a small protest yesterday at Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon (where Read more >
Here’s some great literary news to start your morning: The Story Prize, established in 2004 and sponsored by the Chisholm Foundation, has announced the finalists for its 2020/21 prize, which honors the best short story collection published in 2020. The Read more >
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