Posts by author
Ian MacAllen
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A Library of People
Books can teach readers quite a lot, but sometimes talking to expert might be easier. That’s why Ronni Abergel created a library of people, where users can borrow humans instead of books. The idea was launched in Denmark back in…
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Technology Gets Literary
Technology website CNET did something rather unexpected last week: it published fiction. “The Last Taco Truck in Silicon Valley” is the site’s first foray into literary fiction, part of a monthly series that editors hope will attract new readers to…
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This Week in Indie Bookstores
LAist takes readers inside Los Angeles’s iconic The Last Bookstore, a “sprawling temple” of books, and talks with owner Josh Spencer. A Hong Kong bookstore, one that hasn’t been closed by mainland China, cites bookstore cats and good music as…
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American Housewife by Helen Ellis
Ian MacAllen reviews American Housewife by Helen Ellis today in Rumpus Books.
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Notable NYC: 3/5–3/11
Saturday 3/5: Elizabeth Isadora Gold and Brenda Shaughnessy discuss The Mommy Group. BookCourt, 7 p.m., free. Lisa Jarnot and Lara Mimosa Montes join the Segue reading series. Zinc Bar, 4:30 p.m., $5. Sunday 3/6: Melissa Febos, Marie-Helene Bertino, and Leah…
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The Many Libraries of the New York Public Library
Not every library can be a grand palace. Consider for a moment the Mid-Manhattan branch of the New York Public Library, a far less glamorous workhorse than the more famous cathedral of books located at Bryant Park. Over at the New…
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A Prize for Small Presses
Novelist Neil Griffiths wants to celebrate indie publishers with a new literary prize. He plans on fronting £2,000 ($2,820) for prize money to be split between publisher and author in an effort to encourage small press publishing.
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Archives for the Future
Preserving information and data archives in the digital age presents a new kind of challenge. Physical books may degrade over time, but even a book in poor condition can be taken down off a shelf and read. Digital storage devices, however,…
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Notable NYC: 2/27–3/4
Saturday 2/27: Xaver Bayer, Sibylle Berg, Iris Hanika, and James Hannaham join moderator Siri Hustvedt and the Festival Neue Literatur for No Joke, a look at things that make people laugh. BookCourt, 7 p.m., free. Ian Heames and Kathleen Fraser…
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China Bans Foreigners from Publishing Online
China has issued a ban on foreign-owned media from publishing online within the nation. Global news agencies like Reuters, Dow Jones, the New York Times, and Bloomberg have invested considerable sums in building bureaus in the country. The foreign media…
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Pirating Research Papers
Academic publishers have been raking in huge profits, and their reluctance to giving open access to academic journals without collecting fees limits researchers. One Russian scientist has found a solution, a new website dubbed “the pirate bay for scientists.” Sci-Hub bypasses…
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This Week in Indie Bookstores
Chicago’s Wicker Park has been gentrifying, but Quimby’s, a quirky indie bookstore, remains a haven for alt lit. Amazon probably doesn’t care whether customers buy anything from its physical stores. The New Yorker takes a look at why China is cracking down…