TODAY: In 1952, novelist and short story writer Jayne Anne Phillips is born.
- “We never see Indians having sex on TV, which is odd, considering there are a billion of us on the planet and we did invent the Kama Sutra.” Neel Patel talks to Mira Jacobabout his new story collection, If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi. | Lit Hub
- Do great writers really steal? On plagiarism, publishing, and the myth of absolute originality. | Lit Hub
- Alexander Chee talks to Paul Holdengraber about his refusalto give in to hopelessness. (Unlike the guys below…) | Lit Hub
- Really, though, why bother: it’s the patron saints of literary pessimism! | Lit Hub
- Series, sagas, cycles… Kent Wascom thinks we should call them “river novels.” | Lit Hub
- Ron Charles says Maria Dahvana Headley’s The Mere Wife “may take its place alongside such feminist classics as The Wide Sargasso Sea” and 4 other book reviews you should read this week. | Book Marks
- “In the eight years I’ve been a bookseller, my book ESP has grown strong and accurate.” On the fine art of buying and selling used books. | Popula
- Forty-five years into his career, the creator’s shape continues to shift: Why we’re suddenly in the midst of a Stephen King cinematic renaissance. | The Outline
- “Her plays will make you flinch, but it’s hard to look away.” Parul Seghal profiles Young Jean Lee, the first female Asian American playwright on Broadway. | The New York Times Magazine
- A day in the life of Akashic Books, an independent press publishing literary fiction and political nonfiction by the likes of Amiri Baraka, Jamaica Kincaid, and more. | The Millions
- “I cut the long essays about Marx and so on when I read through the initial draft and found that it was totally unreadable, like by any human being, including me.” An interview with Keith Gessen. | Jewish Currents
- “When most translated novels come from a few nations and languages, and the prizes keep our attention fixed on the same places, many books are shut out.” The problem with prizes and translation. | Asymptote
- From a 48-hour biography of Michael Jackson to the current race to acquire the publishing rights for the story of the Thai cave rescue, a rundown of the fastest cash-in books. | The Guardian
