“It seems like an alien world, but when I’m imagining where they are in the book, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I know that curve of rock around the edge of the island.’ It’s interesting to think about the different forms one place can take.” At Pitchfork, Phil Elverum and Brandon Stosuy talked about all kinds of things.

Of note: both this Malcolm Cowley letter on writing and Helen DeWitt’s response to it in the comments.

Mark O’Connell on David Rees’s book on sharpening pencils (and much more).

Scott Esposito and Benjamin Moser talked about Clarice Lispector.

Jim Guthrie: member of Human Highway, kickass songwriter, and video game soundtracker.

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