In our morning reading: an interview with Anne de Marcken, the making of a fundraiser album, and more.
Sunday Stories: “Girl Scout”
Girl Scout
by Elise Jeanmaire
Evie matched with Brad. His face was skinny, softly bearded, and kind. There was no brooding, flexing, signs of a fraught relationship with masculinity. Brad’s hair was perfectly coiffed, like a soft wave, poised to deliver a surfer back to the beach safely. In every photo, no matter what, his hair remained perfectly shaped. On top of a mountain, coiffed. Playing frisbee with his friends, coiffed. Attending a work conference, coiffed. At the barbershop, dazzlingly coiffed. What kind of miracle hair product was he using? Evie needed answers! The last picture she scanned was of Brad on a beach with his shirt off. His body was solid and hairless, which was nice because she wasn’t sure if she was ready to handle body hair. She wasn’t even sure she was ready for a man.
Afternoon Bites: Manuela Draeger Fiction, The Cure’s Latest, David Small on Adaptation, and More
In our afternoon reading: fiction by Manuela Draeger, a playlist from Nick Harkaway, and more.
Trash Alchemy & Wasteland Portals: A Conversation with David Leo Rice
At the start of the pandemic, Arundhati Roy, the author who introduced much of my country to the Booker Prize, declared that “historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.” After having lived four years inside this “next world” I wonder if we can say with certainty what kind of a portal 2020 was? Has whatever was supposed to have metamorphosed done so?
Morning Bites: Mike Fu’s Playlist, Mount Eerie’s Latest, James Reich Interviewed, and More
In our morning reading: a playlist from Mike Fu, an interview with James Reich, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Revisiting “Weird Tales,” Jesse Ball’s Latest, Jeff VanderMeer Interviewed, and More
In our afternoon reading: inside the “Weird Tales” archive, an interview with Jeff VanderMeer, and more.
Morning Bites: Tony Tulathimutte’s Latest, Comics Writers on the Election, Books in Translation, and More
In our Halloween reading: thoughts on new books by Tony Tulathimutte and Alan Moore, new books in translation, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Jeff VanderMeer on Writing, Bruce Springsteen on Screen, Revisiting M.R. James, and More
In our afternoon reading: an interview with Jeff VanderMeer, revisiting the works of M.R. James, and more.