In our weekend reading: book recommendations from Kiese Laymon, an interview with Alex DiFrancesco, and more.
Morning Bites: Janet Malcolm Remembered, Marlon James on Podcasting, Kevin Young Nonfiction, and More
In our morning reading: a remembrance of Janet Malcolm, an interview with Marlon James, and more.
Weekend Bites: Janet Malcolm on Joseph Mitchell, New Saeed Jones Essay, Rosie Schaap, Janet Weiss and Meredith Graves in Conversation, and More
In our weekend reading: a new essay from Saeed Jones, Janet Malcolm on Joseph Mitchell, conversations between Janet Weiss and Meredith Graves and Sarah Gerard and Daniel Schoonebeek, and more.
#tobyreads: Myths Abound
I’ve been reading a lot of mythologically-oriented work lately. Sometimes that’s been explicit; at other times, it’s more implicit, found in a metaphor or a passing reference. A little while ago, I read Anders Nilsen’s graphic novel Rage of Poseidon, which brings together irreverent takes on Greek mythology, eventually blending them with irreverent takes on Christianity; for a piece that should show up elsewhere in a couple of weeks, I read Jo Walton’s The Just City, which blends Greek gods, Plato’s The Republic, […]
Morning Bites: A Laurie Penny Excerpt, Stanislaw Lem, Brooks Headley Interviewed, Janet Malcolm Revisited, and More
An excerpt from Laurie Penny, new writing from Meredith Graves, interviews with Brooks Headley and Sarah Lipstate, the National Book Awards longlists for YA and poetry, and more.
#tobyreads: Three Collections, From the Cerebral to the Horrific
And we’re back. Three collections this week: one memorable selection of essays on artists, one group of realistic stories of cultures intersecting, and one gripping dose of cosmic horror. Stating that I’m a fan of Janet Malcolm’s writing is not exactly a groundbreaking comment, I realize. I was eager to read her newly released nonfiction collection Forty-One False Starts in part because I’ve largely encountered her work at book length; reading more focused examples of her writing was definitely appealing.
Afternoon Bites: “Seinfeld” Art, Janet Malcolm, Tim Harrington’s Children’s Book, and More
“As a critic, Malcolm owns her biases, and allows the reader to join her as she interrogates what these predilections reveal about gender, race, class, and the other thorny issues.” At The New Republic, Cara Parks on the career of Janet Malcolm. MobyLives interviewed J.A. Tyler about the end of Mud Luscious Press. Richard Prince’s Seinfeld-inspired composite. Would you like to hear a song from Tim Harrington’s upcoming children’s book? Claire Messud: interviewed. (And here’s some commentary from David Daley.) Amelia Gray: also interviewed! […]
Indexing: An Abundance of Lawrence Weschler, Michael Roemer’s “Nothing But a Man,” Preparing For Moby-Dick, Screamy Bands, And More
A roundup of things consumed by our contributors.