In our morning reading: thoughts on the short fiction of Diane Oliver, exploring a secret Brooklyn bookstore, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Danez Smith on Poetry, Carrie Courogen on Elaine May, Dean Haspiel on “Weird Science,” and More
In our afternoon reading: an interview with Danez Smith, revisiting “Weird Science,” and more.
Presenting an Excerpt From Darrin Doyle’s “Let Gravity Seize the Dead”
We’re pleased to present an excerpt from Darrin Doyle’s new book Let Gravity Seize the Dead. This book follows a family who, in 2007, move into a secluded cabin and begin to detect evidence of another presence there — one with a connection to the cabin’s inhabitants a century earlier. Sara Lippman called the book “a moody, pitch dark novella that will linger in my nightmares for quite some time.” Read on for a glimpse inside.
Morning Bites: Elisa Gabbert on Essays, Stephen Kearse Nonfiction, Jeff Tweedy on Music, and More
In our morning reading: Elisa Gabbert on essays, recent horror fiction, and more.
Sunday Stories: “Epiphany”
Epiphany
by Russ Doherty
“This music is The Future of the Irish Culture.”
As dozens of fiddle notes flood the room, that phrase leaps out of my mouth. The music grabs me by the throat.
My wife, Therese, snorts, indicating her take on my epiphany. She tosses back her Irish whiskey and orange juice and says, “You always think your private insights are so important. That’s BS. This is nothing but the same folk music I danced to in high school.” Sinead, our daughter, keeps right on coloring with her newfound five-year-old friend, Caitlin.
Afternoon Bites: K-Ming Chang’s Novella, Gabino Iglesias’s Latest, Karen Jennings’s Playlist, and More
In our afternoon reading: reviews of books by K-Ming Chang and Gabino Iglesias, an interview with Puloma Ghosh, and more.
Joan Leegant on Writing “Displaced Persons”
I met Joan Leegant the first time I attended a writer’s residency—in 2017—at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. I was excited to read Leegant’s new short story collection, Displaced Persons, winner of the New American Fiction Prize, set half in Israel and half in America. Aside from elegant and accomplished writing, what grabbed me about these stories, especially the ones set in Israel, especially now, is the window into ordinary life. Israel has a large immigrant and refugee population; many people who live there have been displaced at one point or another. Meeting the characters in these stories, finding their humor and humanity on the page, was uplifting.
Morning Bites: Rita Bullwinkel’s Novel, Revisiting “Rumble Fish,” Claire Dederer on Laurie Colwin, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Rita Bullwinkel’s new novel, revisiting Laurie Colwin’s bibliography, and more.