In our afternoon reading: Steven Soderbergh on books, Lincoln Michel on book reviews, and more.
VCO: Chapter 3
Chapter 3
I arrive twenty minutes early to my interview.
As I wait for the manager to come interview me I make sure to not look like some insecure basketball-short-wearing douche who puts their ankles on their knees to make an obtuse triangle, like they’re stretching their hamstring. Those types don’t come to fancy coffee shops like Van Gogh’s Vase.
Revisiting the Rust Belt in Words and Pictures With Jay Halsey
To read Jay Halsey’s Barely Half in an Awkward Line is to be immersed in its author’s world and the places and people at their heart — sometimes literally. This book blends terse poetry, haunting prose, and mysterious images, all of which combine to bring the reader into the author’s history and the places closest to them. I spoke with Halsey about the book’s genesis and its new edition — as well as what the deal was with the masked figures that factor prominently into the book’s second half.
Morning Bites: Hisham Matar’s Latest, Lindsay Hunter on Crime Fiction, Moor Mother Returns, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Hisham Matar’s new novel, an interview with Lindsay Hunter, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Ruth Madievsky Interviewed, David Leo Rice Fiction, Brian Eno on Piano, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Ruth Madievsky and Annie Liontas, new writing by David Leo Rice, and more.
Pancakes
Pancakes
by Judith Sharlin
My husband David called them “Best Pancakes.” On Sunday mornings, we had my creation—whole grain pancakes with sliced bananas. Our son Hillel enjoyed them with chocolate chips. At times, he had them with both chocolate chips and sliced bananas.
I had handwritten the recipe on an index card that became soiled from the flour and eggs used in the pancake batter ingredients. Then, later, I typed it out because David urged me to make it more permanent and include it in my “next cookbook,” he said. I taped the recipe to an index card.
Morning Bites: Marie-Helene Bertino’s New Novel, Lee Ranaldo Revisited, Kate Brody’s Debut, and More
In our morning reading: an excerpt from Marie-Helene Bertino’s new novel, a reading by Kate Brody, and more.
Afternoon Bites: John Sayles on Filmmaking, Sigrid Nunez’s Latest, Tom Scocca on Journalism, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with John Sayles and Tom Scocca, how to move a comic book store, and more.