The Hub

News, Notes, Talk

Follow along with Viet Thanh Nguyen's recommendations for Asian Pacific Heritage Month

Brilliant and dashing novel-writer/essayist/very-good-reader Viet Thanh Nguyen is using his Twitter power for good and not evil by recommending a book a day for Asian Pacific Heritage Month (which is now, people). The first two recs are Jessica Hagedorn’s Dog Read more >

By Jonny Diamond

In honor of short story month, exquisite corpse fiction by MCD's writers

If you are unfamiliar with the Surrealist parlor game art form of the Exquisite Corpse*, MCD is offering you an introduction of sorts, as they’ve asked their writers to contribute daily bursts of fiction, each one in the sequence written Read more >

By Jonny Diamond

Watch the trailer for the new Toni Morrison documentary The Pieces I Am

“Navigating a white, male world was not threatening—it wasn’t even interesting,” says your queen and mine Toni Morrison in this trailer for a new documentary about her life, directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. “I was more interesting than they were. And Read more >

By Emily Temple

When white nationalists protest your bookstore

Since a brief protest by white nationalists interrupted a reading this past Saturday at bookstore Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., a flurry of news stories has made the incident—which occurred during a reading by Jonathan Metzl—seem “worse than it Read more >

By Corinne Segal

Apparently, May is Short Story Month—perhaps you would like some related content?

May is Short Story Month. It is also, according to Wikipedia, Celiac Awareness Month, Better Hearing and Speech Month, National Pet Month (UK), National Smile Month (UK), South Asian Heritage Month, Bicycle Month, National Burger Month, National Gold Month, Jewish Read more >

By Emily Temple

Dante Micheaux wins $20,000 Four Quartets Poetry Prize

Congratulations to Dante Micheaux who has been awarded the prestigious Four Quartets Poetry Prize for his 2018 collection, Circus. The Four Quartets Prize, which comes with a $20,000 purse, is awarded by the Poetry Society of America for “a unified and Read more >

By Dan Sheehan

For May Day, listen to America's poet laureate of work, Philip Levine, tell us "What Work Is"

Hey, it’s May Day, so here’s America’s poet laureate of work*, the late Philip Levine reading his iconic poem, “What Work Is,” which begins: We stand in the rain in a long line waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work. Read more >

By Jonny Diamond

Climate change and the journalists who are trying to save you.

You don’t want to read about how sad I am. Most of the journalists in this room with me know that, but my seatmate is the one to say it out loud, to another person sitting nearby during a break. Read more >

By Corinne Segal

Happy birthday, Joseph Heller! Here's a gift: a classic review of Catch-22.

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you. Joseph Heller was born on this day in 1923. His most famous work, Catch-22, is still being read in English classes across America every year. In case it wasn’t required reading Read more >

By Katie Yee

Did you know that Maya Angelou wrote the poetry in John Singleton's Poetic Justice?

Director John Singleton died Monday at 51. He’s best remembered for his Academy Award-nominated debut Boyz n the Hood, but it’s his second movie, Poetic Justice, that might have the most crossover appeal for readers of this site. Janet Jackson, Read more >

By Jessie Gaynor

Audiobooks are not lesser versions of reading and are not only for "successful people."

One of the welcome developments of the recent audiobooks boom, particularly for those of us with visual impairments or print disabilities, has been fewer people asking if they count as reading. Friends on social media still apologize for listening to Read more >

By James Tate Hill

Today, to Celebrate Alice B. Toklas's birthday, try her famous recipe for pot brownies :)

Alice B. Toklas was born on April 30, 1877. To celebrate the anniversary of her birth, or just to celebrate the fact that it’s Tuesday and we’re all tired already, why not try her recipe for “Haschich Fudge (which anyone Read more >

By Emily Temple

Amy Sedaris has multiple copies of this book about rabbits.

Today, when The Strategist published a list of “50 Things Amy Sedaris Can’t Live Without,” I immediately went through it, looking for books. After all, underwear recs are nice and all, but as an editor at this here Literary Hub, Read more >

By Emily Temple

Celebrate Wolf Hall's 10th birthday by reading this Olivia Laing review from 2009

It is the absence of facts that frightens people: the gap you open, into which they pour their fears, fantasies, desires. Wolf Hall, the Booker Prize-winning first volume in Hillary Mantel’s magnum opus Cromwell trilogy, hit shelves ten years ago Read more >

By Dan Sheehan

As the White Horse Tavern closes for reno, locals fear ghost of Dylan Thomas may never return

The White Horse Tavern, beloved of literary tourists and finance bros alike, has been closed for renovations after a change in ownership. As Gothamist reports, locals are concerned enough about the new regime (namely landlord Steve Croman and restaurateur Eytan Read more >

By Jonny Diamond

Everything you've ever wanted to know about Lit Hub social media but were afraid to ask

It is we, Lit Hub’s social media editor! Actually, I’m going to use the first person singular here. On this, the inaugural day of Lit Hub’s thoroughly modern web log, I wanted to share with you my answers to some Read more >

By Jessie Gaynor