PAULA BOMER is the author of the novels Tante Eva (Soho Press, 2021) and Nine Months (Soho Press, 2012), the story collections Inside Madeleine (Soho Press, 2014) and Baby and Other Stories (Word Riot, 2010), and the essay collection, Mystery and Mortality (Publishing Genius, 2017). She grew up in South Bend, Indiana, and has lived for over 30 years in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in Bomb, Full Stop, The Cut, Los Angeles Review of Books, TalkSpace, and elsewhere.
In our morning reading: delving into Bud Smith’s new novel, Natalka Burian’s book recommendations, and more.
The Punches: Some words on Giancarlo DiTrapano, on the 1 year anniversary of his death
Gian published me twice in his journal, affectionately known as the Tyrant. The first time I didn’t know him well, but by the second time, we were close. We stayed close until his death. I had a crush on him as we began to get to know each other, and on a cigarette break during some reading in Brooklyn —in, like 2007? — he had fucked a priest in Hell’s Kitchen — I think behind a building. I asked, how was it? He said it was great. That was how I realized we were not on the same team. We both were on team friendship and as our friendship grew, we agreed on so many writers and books — the journals of Cheever was a particular bonding moment. At the beginning of publishing the Tyrant journal, he’d publish the work of dead, unfashionable writers — F Scott Fitzgerald, Tennessee Williams.
In our weekend reading: an interview with Dennis Cooper, new writing from Shya Scanlon, and more.
In our afternoon reading: an interview with Kyle Lucia Wu, revisiting Albert Camus, and more.
Well, it’s May. The last two weeks have brought to mind both winter and summer; evidently, spring this year is going for more of a median than an actual season. Much like that fluctuation, May brings with it a wide-ranging cohort of books, encompassing everything from bold travelogues to surreal comics. What are we excited about reading this month? Here are a few of the books that caught our eye.
In our morning reading: new writing by Paula Bomer, great Halloween reads, and more.
In our morning reading: an excerpt from Jonathan Russell Clark’s new book about 2666, writing by Paula Bomer, and much more.