In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Jesmyn Ward’s new novel, recommended books in translation, and more.
Ecocatastrophe Science Fiction Was Supposed to be a Warning, Not a Roadmap
Ecocatastrophe science fiction was supposed to be a warning, not a roadmap. We need more hopeful stories of the future.
by Cat Sparks
A climate-rattled world, ravaged by extreme weather events, is now a popular backdrop for top-shelf fiction. From Booker shortlisted The New Wilderness by Diane Cook to The Coral Bones by EJ Swift, authors are exploring the dramatic possibilities of a post-apocalyptic future. There’s something decadent yet alluring about ruined landscapes littered with once grandiose, now crumbling structures – civilisation’s reset button having been well and truly punched.
Some reckon it’s no better than we deserve, but I’m not one of them.
Morning Bites: Paul Yamazaki’s Memoir, Justin Taylor’s Novel, Revisiting Creation Rebel, and More
In our morning reading: reviews of memoirs by Paul Yamazaki and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, an excerpt from Justin Taylor’s new novel, and more.
Sunday Stories: “From ‘Atta Boy'”
From “Atta Boy”
by Cally Fiedorek
Up and at ’em! No excuses. He needed to get out today, stay out. Enough of this sitting around and licking wounds. There was lead in his apartment, and his phone was doing him grave harm.
Rudy didn’t mean to sound alarmist about this—he’d seen one too many puff-piece headlines about screens and the internet changing people’s brains, transforming the whole social fabric, and he’d never cared too much for the philosophizing. Big whoop, he’d thought. Folks had probably felt the same unease about their TV sets back in the day. Maybe some beatnik wrote a pretty deep poem about it. But these last few days, cooped up in his apartment, scrolling, scrolling, waiting for a sign, he’d felt it too—that thing would be the death of him. The point of no return.
Weekend Bites: Shabaka’s Latest, “Reading Rainbow” Playlist, Caroline Leavitt’s Playlist, and More
In our weekend reading: thoughts on Shabaka’s new album, a playlist from Caroline Leavitt, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Nicholas Royle on Writing, Revisiting Joan Didion, Dave Fitzgerald’s Fiction, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Nicholas Royle and Water Damage, small press recommendations, and more.
Morning Bites: José Donoso’s Novel, Interviewing Salman Rushdie, Keith Haring’s Mural, and More
In our morning reading: revisiting a cult classic by José Donoso, an interview with Salman Rushdie, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Ben Chasny on Music, Literary Dallas, Colin Dickey on Grief, and More
In our afternoon reading: an interview with Ben Chasny, new writing from Colin Dickey, and more.