The second season of Chapters, the reading series I curate for Girls Write Now, begins this Friday, March 25, when our delightful first guest, writer and mentor Emma Straub, reads from her new story collection, Other People We Married. Join us at 6 p.m. at the historic John Street Church (no affiliation). Coming up: Anna North, America Pacifica, on April . . .
On a fine spring day a couple years ago, I met Michael Bierut for lunch at the Century Association. It was my first visit, and for once in my life I arrived early. After offering up my coat, I stood off to the side of the grand entryway, trying to pretend I knew what to do with my hands. Michael . . .
In December, Amazon changed its policies to allow borrowing of Kindle books. A friend had been wanting to read Freedom, so I set things up to lend her my copy. Or so I thought. The little note next to the book indicated that it was on loan, but what actually showed up in my friend’s account was The New Oxford . . .
In Mat Johnson’s satirical Pym, a “blackademic” refuses to sit on the Diversity Committee, fails to make tenure, and winds up in Antarctica searching for the origins of a Poe character.