Longtime New York Observer editor Peter Kaplan has passed away. Doree Shafrir wrote a piece about working for him.

Worth reading again: Nathan Heller’s 2010 Slate piece on the Kaplan parody Twitter accounts. Elizabeth Spiers wrote about the advice Kaplan gave her.

“He was a thoughtful editor who valued prose and diligence in an era now marked by viral videos and breaking tweets.” – Michael H. Miller handles the tough duty of being The Observer writer to eulogize Kaplan.

Know anything about barbecue poetry?

Alissa Nutting went on The Bat Segundo Show.

Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball and other great literary parties.

Michael Robbins on poetry that caught his eye in 2013.

Jed Perl on the work of Balthus at The New Republic.

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