Colonize
by Douglas Light
“Fun isn’t the right word,” the gravestone mason says, “but we can be creative.” He shows me a monument shaped like Disney cartoon character.
“You can do that?” I ask, running my fingers over the granite. Its cold smoothness reminds me of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and the job that went sour. They still haven’t found the body.
“With computers,” he says, “I can pretty much carve a slab into anything. Once, I had a request—”
In our morning reading: revisiting the writings of Ann Quin, new poetry by Leah Umansky, and more.
In our afternoon reading: Dianca London on Lorraine Hansberry’s writings, nonfiction by Rachel Lyon, and much more.
Welcome to February. When looking at the books we’re most excited about for this month, it’s difficult to find a common thread. There are revelatory books that help explain some of the most contentious issues of our time; there are also surreal works of fiction that turn the familiar into the utterly bizarre. These are narratives that unfold in unexpected ways, whether real or imagined–and whether the corners of the world that they illuminate are urgent or obscure, they offer […]
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Douglas Light and R.O. Kwon, thoughts on a new edition of a Barbara Comyns novel, and more.
Roadie by Douglas Light Muddy, the golden lab, is deaf. “I wouldn’t pet her too hard,” her owner says. Friday. Chicago. The city is named after the French translation of the Native American word for wild garlic. Winter Storm Bella is on the way. Micah Ling is on tour for her poetry collection, Flashes of Life. I’m the roadie, of sorts. “She doesn’t like to be pet?” I ask of Muddy. In exchange for a place to stay, we’re […]