LitHub Daily: March 17, 2016

• David L. Ulin in conversation with John D’Agata about the art of the American essay. | Literary Hub
• Lisa Levy profiles Adrian McKinty, working-class hero of Irish crime fiction. | Literary Hub
• From Ireland to Iowa, Sara Baume tries to understand America one pattern at a time. | Literary Hub
• Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney on reimagining her career, the elevated location of fiction, and the appropriate reaction to a million-dollar advance (laughter, whiskey). | Vulture
• In the only news about an animate doll guaranteed to bring excitement, Elena Ferrante will be writing a children’s book. | Twitter
• “[H.P. Lovecraft] already gave his verse, I’m gonna give my verse, and then the crowd will just decide who blew who up.” An interview with Victor LaValle. | Time Out New York
• Beyond Ulysses and Brooklyn: Ten hidden gems of Irish literature, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. | Electric Literature
• Jessa Crispin on pre-constructing narratives, having an antagonistic relationship to the publishing industry, and having to deal with men. | The Rumpus
• “I don’t think any poets are successful in the way that this culture defines success.” An interview with Anna Moschovakis. | Flavorwire
• Love, loss, and neoliberal capitalism: On Beijing Comrades, a gay erotic novel that became a touchstone for queer men in China. | Broadly
• “I am using words to point to other words and it’s/OK with readers.” A poem by Lucy Ives. | Hyperallergic

Also on Literary Hub: Why we love dark, weird fairy tales: from The Tales of Tales to Angela Carter to Helen Oyeyemi… · The other Berlin: the city behind the hedonist curtain · Lisa Levy profiles Adrian McKinty, the man behind the Sean Duffy series · 30 Books in 30 Days: Karen Long on Paul Beatty · A family of the missing: From Michelle Hoover’s Bottomland