TODAY: In 1960, Zora Neale Hurston dies.
- “The amount of unhappiness is extraordinary at the moment.” When the dismal science tries to study happiness. | Lit Hub
- “Write, Yeats seems to say, even when Death has brought your suit.” Gabrielle Bellot on W.B. Yeats, and the twin writerly virtues of arrogance and humility. | Lit Hub
- Enjoy some literary eye candy with January’s 15 best book covers. | Lit Hub
- Moody moors, seaside cliffs, and a legacy of great writers-in-residence: a guide to literary Yorkshire. | Lit Hub
- A.F. Brady takes us on a literary tour of New York City’s most badly behaved citizenry, from “The Great Gatsby” to “The Godfather” to “American Psycho.” | CrimeReads
- The first reviews of ever J. D. Salinger book, from The Catcher in the Rye to the posthumously-published Three Early Stories. | Book Marks
- “Everything I wrote about Alice was true.” Rebecca Traister talks to Calvin Trillin about true love, Instagram, and his new play, About Alice. | The Cut
- “There are things being done on a global scale in my name as an American. It’s a tricky position to be in because, as a black American, it feels like those same things are being done to black people in this country.” Read an interview with Lauren Wilkinson. | The Believer
- From fellowship applications to “delinquent emails” to A Question of Silence: a week in the life of our Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith. | The New York Times
- “Has Jenkins succeeded in one medium where Baldwin failed in another?” How Barry Jenkins’ adaptation uncovers the genius in If Beale Street Could Talk—which flopped when it first came out. | Slate
- Jamel Brinkley, R.O. Kwon, and more on how they translate the political moment in their writing. | Aspen Words
Also on Lit Hub: Dana Czapnik on seeing her novel’s protagonist walking across the street • Can environmental activism succeed in China? • Read a story by Azza Rashad (tr. Jonathan Wright)
