Afternoon Bites: Will Allison, The Sandwitches, Herman Melville, and more

“Though her criticisms are often less than gentle (“I’m going to throw up” is a representative margin note), she makes my work better. Much, much better. I save her marked-up manuscripts as an unluckier husband might save love letters.” –Will Allison on his wife and his editor, who are the same person.

  • “[T]here’s a strong intellectual through line in the book, and it’s brightest when Willis is debating herself—a quality that’s lacking from too many writers right now, when brute force seems to count more toward one’s intellectual heftiness than any sort of conviction or willingness to learn. ” Maura Johnston on Ellen Willis.