TODAY: In 1892, J. R. R. Tolkien, South African-born English novelist and scholar, is born.
- Ursula K. Le Guin does not like being famous (but still has a lot of fun making up stories). | Literary Hub
- We were mothers, daughters, and lovers: Danielle Jackson digs into the groundbreaking art of Kathleen Collins. | Literary Hub
- Alice Hoffman on Denis Johnson’s first book, “a terrifying book, a mixture of poetry and obscenity.” | Book Marks
- “It covers uncharted territory, it compels its readers to see part of the world anew, and it prizes exploration over pat conclusion.” Angela Flournoy on Langston Hughes’s radical debut novel. | New York Times
- “Even though I doubted it would offer any real insight into Stevie’s soul, why was I eager to read this and every other book ever written about her?” Emily Gould on a new, unauthorized biography of Stevie Nicks. | Bookforum
- Retracing John Steinbeck’s travels through Eastern Europe, 70 years later. | New Republic
- “Think of how readily we accept what a women writer is, or should be.” On our gendered expectations of authors. | Hazlitt
- “On the whole, 2017 was not a great year for the English language. Reality is running ahead of our vocabulary.” Or let’s put it this way: the Word of the Year is a hashtag. | The New Yorker
- Audiobook star Nick Offerman reads from Denis Johnson’s final book, Largesse of the Sea Maiden. | EW
- The first issue of Triangle House Review includes fiction by Larissa Pham, a year-long interview between Chelsea Hodson and Wendy C. Ortiz, and more. | Triangle House Review
Also on Literary Hub: Freak, geek, or cool kid? Sam Graham-Felsen on navigating the tribes of high school · Reading through death: David Giffels’ essential literature of mortality · New fiction from everybody’s favorite László
