Simple Complexity
People are complex. So are believable characters. Much of what comprises our characters stems from the writer’s knowledge of the universe and writing’s miraculous universality. Think of Don Quixote de...
View ArticleRadical Politics in Contemporary Fiction, Favorite Literary Punching Bags,...
Evan Smith Rakoff Random House will release eight Norman Mailer e-books for the first time; GalleyCat details a nonfiction query that was rejected seventy-five times before it landed an agent; Pankaj...
View ArticleAttic Inspiration
Attics are often the most compelling rooms in our homes. Attics are where we store important parts of the past that are only tenuously connected to the immediate present. Visit your attic, rummage...
View ArticleNorth Carolina School Board Bans Ralph Ellison, Life and Death of an Adjunct...
Evan Smith Rakoff The Randolph County, North Carolina, board of education voted to ban Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man from school libraries; the life and death of an adjunct professor; novelist Cari...
View ArticleShane Salerno Answers Critics of Salinger Doc, Ralph Ellison Ban, and More
Evan Smith Rakoff Shane Salerno answers critics of his Salinger documentary; Steve Almond looks at the career of bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert; a professor of English has solved the mystery...
View ArticlePoet Kofi Awoonor Among Victims in Kenya, Banned Books Week, and More
Evan Smith Rakoff Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor was among the victims of the ongoing seige at a shopping mall in Kenya; this afternoon PEN American Center is hosting a live Google+ hangout with Sherman...
View ArticleDebut Novelist Joins Lahiri, Pynchon on National Book Award Longlist
After a week of longlist announcements in the categories of poetry, nonfiction, and young people’s literature, the National Book Foundation wrapped up its announcements late last week with the...
View ArticlePoetry Appreciation
Revisit one of your favorite poems by another poet. What appeals to you about this particular poem—the structure, the sound, the imagery, the subject matter? Write a poem dedicated to this poet and...
View ArticleSimple Complexity
People are complex. So are believable characters. Much of what comprises our characters stems from the writer’s knowledge of the universe and writing’s miraculous universality. Think of Don Quixote de...
View ArticleRadical Politics in Contemporary Fiction, Favorite Literary Punching Bags,...
Evan Smith Rakoff Random House will release eight Norman Mailer e-books for the first time; GalleyCat details a nonfiction query that was rejected seventy-five times before it landed an agent; Pankaj...
View ArticleAttic Inspiration
Attics are often the most compelling rooms in our homes. Attics are where we store important parts of the past that are only tenuously connected to the immediate present. Visit your attic, rummage...
View ArticleNorth Carolina School Board Bans Ralph Ellison, Life and Death of an Adjunct...
Evan Smith Rakoff The Randolph County, North Carolina, board of education voted to ban Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man from school libraries; the life and death of an adjunct professor; novelist Cari...
View ArticleShane Salerno Answers Critics of Salinger Doc, Ralph Ellison Ban, and More
Evan Smith Rakoff Shane Salerno answers critics of his Salinger documentary; Steve Almond looks at the career of bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert; a professor of English has solved the mystery...
View ArticlePoet Kofi Awoonor Among Victims in Kenya, Banned Books Week, and More
Evan Smith Rakoff Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor was among the victims of the ongoing seige at a shopping mall in Kenya; this afternoon PEN American Center is hosting a live Google+ hangout with Sherman...
View ArticleDebut Novelist Joins Lahiri, Pynchon on National Book Award Longlist
After a week of longlist announcements in the categories of poetry, nonfiction, and young people’s literature, the National Book Foundation wrapped up its announcements late last week with the...
View ArticlePoetry Appreciation
Revisit one of your favorite poems by another poet. What appeals to you about this particular poem—the structure, the sound, the imagery, the subject matter? Write a poem dedicated to this poet and...
View ArticleA Look at Banned Books, Leonard Cohen the Novelist, and More
Evan Smith Rakoff For Banned Books Week, the Los Angeles Times created a gallery of banned books; Forbes looks at how new digital tools are reinvigorating poetry; Jason Diamond consider the merits of...
View ArticleRemember Adventure
As children our imaginations ruled the land. However, years of life, love, and loss erode our creative shores and the rustling trees and vibrant animals that inhabited them. The unstoppable dinosaurs...
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Robin Black
“When I’m stuck, I paint or I draw. Or I cook. Or I garden—or I redecorate a room. I get away from words, but not away from creativity. It’s a way to keep those energies moving and alive, without the...
View ArticleOn Self-Promotion, New Peter Matthiessen Novel, and More
Evan Smith Rakoff Amazon announced upgraded versions of its Kindle Fire tablets; Zoë Heller and Mohsin Hamid debate whether fictional characters should be likable; Andrew Scott shares his thoughts...
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