TODAY: In 1897, English poet and novelist Jean Ingelow dies at 77.
- Colin Dickey investigates the pernicious influence of David “Lizard People” Icke on the 2020 Nashville Bomber. | Lit Hub Conspiracy Theories
- “Creating for more than the white gaze or the male gaze was always the goal.” Mikki Kendall remembers the indelible work and full complexity of bell hooks. | Lit Hub
- Ann Magnuson on the time her friend Keith Haring jumped onstage at a poetry open mic and just kept repeating the words “Fat. Boy. Lick.” in various combinations. | Lit Hub
- Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings has some thoughts about… John Milton’s depiction of the afterlife? | Lit Hub
- “This is a story of survival without redemption.” 5 Book Reviews You Need to Read This Week. | Book Marks
- “In a society that values whiteness, patriarchy, and capitalism above all, Black radical history is contraband.” Colin Kaepernick talks to Dave Zirin about his defense of Black studies. | The Nation
- Publishing your first book can be very stressful—and a few UK publishers are trying to provide better support and guidance to their new authors. | The Hub
- Tyler Foggatt considers the dueling memoirs of Caroline Calloway and Natalie Beach. | The New Yorker
- “What are Brooklynites getting in return for this dedication of their public library to a months-long shrine to Jay-Z?” Adlan Jackson reviews the Brooklyn Public Library’s “The Book of Hov” exhibition. | Hellgate
- Layoffs and buyouts have hit Penguin Random House. | The New York Times
- On the puzzling, increasingly rightward turn of Mario Vargas Llosa. | The New Yorker
