In our morning reading: an interview with Chandler Klang Smith, revisiting the works of Langston Hughes, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Noveller, Selena Chambers Interviewed, Madison Smartt Bell’s Playlist, Molasses Books, and More
In our afternoon reading: music recommendations from Noveller, interviews with Selena Chambers and David James Keaton, and more.
Adrian Van Young’s “Shadows in Summerland” and the Art of the Book Trailer
A recent interview with director Jamieson Fry about his experience directing book trailers went into some interesting territory regarding his guiding principles for coming up with concepts for trailers. “[T]he way a book sticks with you is a weird limbo between a dream and a real memory,” Fry said, and it’s that sensation that many a trailer can convey. There are good bad trailers and mediocre ones; some seek to condense the book into a short time frame, while others […]
Afternoon Bites: Helen DeWitt Interviewed, Adrian Van Young, Inside Europa Editions, SJ Watson, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Helen DeWitt and Adrian Van Young, new nonfiction by Eve Ewing, and more.
Morning Bites: Morgan Parker Poetry, Chicago Doughnuts, Adrian Van Young Interviewed, DIY Writing Retreats, and More
In our morning reading: new writing from Morgan Parker and Jason Diamond, an interview with Adrian Van Young, and more.
Morning Bites: Mick Harvey Interviewed, Adrian Van Young, Francesca Lia Block’s Influence, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Mick Harvey, news of a bookstore in the Bronx, thoughts on spiritualism in literature, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Yaa Gyasi Interviewed, Justin Torres Nonfiction, Janice Lee on Fritters, Karen Russell, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Yaa Gyasi and Karen Russell, nonfiction from Justin Torres and Janice Lee, and much more.
Spiritualism, Trance Speaking, and the “Legacy of the American Confidence Man”: An Interview With Adrian Van Young
We’ve been admirers of Adrian Van Young‘s fiction since we first encountered his debut collection, The Man Who Noticed Everything. This year has seen the release of his first novel, Shadows in Summerland, which was inspired by the real-life history of 19th-century spirit photographer William Mumler. (We ran an excerpt from it last year.) Told via multiple narrators, the novel follows the convergence of the lives of Mumler, trance speaker Fanny Conant, and a young woman named Hannah in Boston […]