For Grist, Aura Bogado writes on recent developments in localized action against climate change. Bogado profiles the work of WE ACT (West Harlem Environmental Action) and its work in moving forward with a city-approved climate action plan to benefit these primarily black and Latino neighborhoods.
...moreThe New York Times has released their list of notable books. If we all start reading now, we might get through at least half of them by the release of next year’s list.
...moreWe posted earlier about Björk working to prevent a pipeline in Iceland, and she is continuing to lobby this point while working to raise support of climate change activism across the board. Today, world leaders are meeting in Paris to discuss how to address climate change, and many creative icons have signed a petition speaking for […]
...moreAt Hazlitt, novelist Orhan Pamuk discusses the influence of food and food vendors on his latest work, the ritual of drinking boza, and the inspiration that the city of Istanbul provides: I walk in the city all the time. It’s not because of research; it’s a lifestyle. I like it. I belong to that city […]
...moreBetter to say “I’m bad” and hope the reader responds “No, not bad, just human.” For the Guardian, Blake Morrison explores the reasons writers are so attracted to the confession, whether it be narcissism or catharsis.
...more
My uncle and Rosemary Kennedy were born within nine years of one another. They both suffered from mental illness.
...moreSaudi Arabia, an American ally, sentenced a poet to death for renouncing Islam, although it may have been retribution for posting online a video of police lashing a man in the street. Poets around the world criticized the execution. One Twitter user even compared Saudi Arabia to ISIS. Now the kingdom plans to sue that […]
...moreAt the Public Domain Review, Sharon Ruston examines contemporary influences on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, specifically with regards to scientific developments in discovering the line between life and death.
...moreFirst, Brandon Hicks allows us a peek into psychological disorders of the animal kingdom, the most elite bars in the world, and more in “Just Some Jokes.” Then, in the Saturday Interview, our own Arielle Bernstein talks with blogger Josie Pickens about identity, gender, race, and class politics. The “uplifting” influence of readers on social media provides […]
...moreIt doesn’t seem right to write a novel set in the contemporary that isn’t shot through with all this craziness. For Electric Literature, John Freeman profiles Ben Lerner, MacArthur genius and author of books written by accident that revel in “privileged American self-involvement” and win both awards and the hearts of many.
...more
Elizabeth Byrne reviews The New and Improved Romie Futch by Julia Elliott today in Rumpus Books.
...moreMartin Kirk writes for Aeon on the paradoxical connection between economic growth and eliminating poverty. Kirk illustrates that increasing the size of the economic pie, by spending the world’s finite resources, with no change in distribution to impoverished populations, will not only not eradicate poverty in the near future, but will only accelerate the depletion […]
...moreOf particular note these days: the Statue of Liberty was originally a Muslim woman. We have now witnessed a black hole burping back up a bit of star. Way to go everyone! A short history of dinosaurs in science fiction. But seriously, what is up with all these blue tarantulas? And now the magnificent bears […]
...more
Legendary technomodernist William Gibson, author of Neuromancer, talks about his latest book, The Peripheral, predicting the future, and how writing about Silicon Valley today feels like his early work.
...more
Traveling abroad, of course, the world insists, asks, Where are you from?
...more
Monday 11/30: Simon Van Booy presents his story collection Tales of Accidental Genius. WORD Brooklyn, 7 p.m., free. Matt Hart and Darcie Dennigan join the Monday Night Poetry series. KGB Bar, 7 p.m., free. Molly Crabapple launches Drawing Blood with Matt Taibbi. Powerhouse Arena, 7 p.m., free. Richard Foreman, Ken Jacobs, and George Hunka celebrate […]
...more
Josie Pickens talks about building relationships through blogging, changing the narrative around black women in America, and eradicating silence through storytelling.
...moreSunday 11/29: June Huitt and Nicole Hollander share stories for Sideswiping Normal. $15 at Martyrs’, 3 p.m. Tuesday 12/1: First of the month? deadline. Back to Print hosts the release and open mic at Uncharted Books, 7 p.m. Tuesday Funk-y! This month’s featured readers: Clayton Smith, Gint Aras, James Gordon, Bill Savage, and Britt Julious. […]
...more
This holiday season, give the gift of The Rumpus. We have plenty of holiday gift options for the well-read optimist or literary child in your life, and we’re kicking things off with a Black Friday sale!
...moreFriday 11/27: A new free pop-up art school is coming to Portland. home school provides welcoming contexts for critical engagement with contemporary art and its issues. The launch will feature an exhibition of visual works by Victoria Reis, Taj Bourgeois, and poet manuel arturo abreu, who will also provide an amotivational speech. There will be […]
...more
Linnie Greene reviews M Train by Patti Smith today in Rumpus Books.
...moreIf it seems that “lost” books, short stories, and everything else are coming out of the woodwork, well, they are. The Strand magazine has just published Twixt Cup and Lip, an early play by William Faulkner written in the 1920s: The Strand describes the play as “a light-hearted jazz age story.” Prohibition is under way, and […]
...moreLike the glaciers that cover much of the country, Iceland is covered with thick layers of stories. And like the volcanoes that roil beneath that icy crust, more stories are forming, ready to create a new geography. The New York Times travel section featured an article about Iceland’s culture of storytelling, Reykjavik’s literary scene, and […]
...moreSince the release of 25, Adele has—unsurprisingly—dominated music news. The singer has been breaking records all month. First her single “Hello” smashed record views on Youtube and, at release, the album sold over 900,000 copies on iTunes in its first day, and 2.5 million in its first week. Billboard projects the sales of 25 to […]
...moreFor Book Riot, Vanessa Willoughby explores the benefits of writing fan fiction, and how notable works are often imitations of timeless stories: Literature that is unforgettable incites a dialogue at the very least, and a conversation at its best. Novels can serve as responses to pre-existing literature. Some of the best pieces of literature are works […]
...more
And every life that moves, or dies, or multiplies will have an effect of some sort on the lives around it, a different effect than the one it had before.
...moreI wouldn’t be a songwriter if it wasn’t for the books I read as a kid. … When you can escape into a book it trains your imagination to think big and to think that more can exist than what you see. Taylor Swift doesn’t just sing about books (You know the words: “Here I […]
...more
It’s long past time to explode some myths about Indigenous Peoples, whites and Thanksgiving. For many of us in the US, Thanksgiving has become a day to reunite with friends and family, watch football and gorge ourselves on an enormous feast. Giving thanks has taken a back seat and the truth about the massacres and […]
...moreThanksgiving week is a slow time for notable events, but what we’ve got is as good as pecan pie! Happy holiday! Wednesday 11/25: Lunada Literary Lounge, the monthly full moon bi-lingual reading and open mic at Galeria de la Raza in the Mission District presents poet Suzana Huerta and harpist María José Montijo plus ten five minute […]
...more