Lit Hub Daily: August 2, 2023

• Julie Schumacher on 30 years of correspondence with her late friend, Melissa Bank: “I feel the impulse to write to her when I see the coil of postage stamps on my desk, or when I read a book that I wish she could read.” | Lit Hub Memoir

• When the Beatles found their voice. | Lit Hub Music

• Rebekah Bergman looks to Carmen Maria Machado, Kelly Link, and Alice Sola Kim for insights in structuring the strange. | Lit Hub Craft

• “A good photograph, like a good novel, represents a series of artistic choices.” J. Vanessa Lyon reflects on finding inspiration in the photography of James Van Der Zee. | Lit Hub Photography

• Mindy Mejia celebrates unlikely duos in detective fiction. | CrimeReads

• Renowned Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar is publishing a short story collection next year. | The Guardian

• “I think the publishing industry has an obsession with newness.” Imogen West-Knights spoke to Irish writers Megan Nolan, Naoise Dolan, and Nicole Flattery about their “difficult second books.” | The New York Times

• What happens when you ask AI to create fairy tale art? | Orion 

• “Perseverance is the prerequisite of all creativity. And pig-headedness, the determination to outride public neglect.” Jeremy Cooper on the perks of being an older writer. | The Bookseller

• What should you read (and watch) after Oppenheimer? | GQ

Also on Lit Hub: Jamel Brinkley on his writing practice, favorite books, and more • August’s best sci-fi and fantasy books • Read from Daniel Magariel’s latest novel, Walk the Darkness Down