In our afternoon reading: new writing from Kaitlyn Greenidge and Ali Eteraz, thoughts on a Samuel R. Delany-inspired anthology, and more.
Morning Bites: Alexis Coe on the Gold Rush, Tanwi Nandini Islam, Darryl Pinckney Interviewed, Vijay Iyer, and More
In our morning reading: new nonfiction from Alexis Coe, interviews with Jonathan Lee and Tanwi Nandini Islam, and more.
Morning Bites: Paula Fox Interviewed, Chloe Caldwell, Lidia Yuknavitch’s Latest, Beach Reads, and More
In our Monday morning reading: interviews with Paula Fox and Samuel R. Delany, a look at Lidia Yuknavitch’s new novel, notes on beach reads, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Samuel R. Delany, New Protomartyr, Natalie Eilbert Poetry, and More
In our afternoon reading: a look at the works of Samuel R. Delany, new poetry from Natalie Eilbert, notes on Protomartyr and Fist City, and more.
Morning Bites: Samuel R. Delany’s Birthday, New D. Foy Fiction, Paul Beatty, Janaka Stucky Televised, and More
In our morning reading: celebrating Samuel R. Delany’s birthday, thoughts on Paul Beatty’s new novel, Maura Johnston on Tidal, a trailer for a Jonathan Franzen-produced film, and more.
Notes on Fictional Cities Forbidden and Strange
For some readers, there’s a romance to reading about cities or countries that never were, or have vanished, or exist only in the most conceptual way. Not far from my desk is Lonely Planet’s guide to micronations, which features profiles of theoretically sovereign states ranging from Sealand to British West Florida. The title of the first collection of the G. Willow Wilson-written comic book Air neatly summarizes the romance of geography disappeared and nonexistent: Letters From Lost Countries. If you […]
#tobyreads: Societal Rules and Their Deconstruction
I’ve always had a fondness for narratives in which a character gradually comes to understand a culture that’s initially alien to them. This might stem from coming to reading via science fiction and fantasy, where such a thing can be handled literally, but I’m happy to see these wherever they may come: realistic or fantastic, literal or metaphorical. The title of Sofia Samatar’s A Stranger in Olondria tells you, on one level, what to expect: there’s a place called Olondria, and the […]
Afternoon Bites: Billy Childish’s Art, Alena Gradeon, Lost Velvets, Samuel R. Delany Interviewed, and More
Notes on Billy Childish’s art, interviews with Alena Gradeon and Samuel R. Delany, searching for a lost Velvet Underground song, and more.