Posts by author
Ian MacAllen
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Nell Zink, International Woman of Mystery
Nell Zink’s debut novel, The Wallcreeper, offers a dark coming-of-age story of a married woman not all that dissimilar from Zink herself. Zink has lived a global lifestyle, picking up and moving to various cities on a whim. Matthew Jakubowski…
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Gifts Continue Rolling in for Ferguson Library
Following the grand jury verdict in Ferguson, protests shut down local civic institutions like schools. However, the local public library continued to serve as a beacon of hope, providing area residents with access to books, Internet, and entertainment. Last week,…
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12 Days of Potter
Subscription website Pottermore, the Harry Potter-themed site run by author J.K. Rowling, is getting twelve days of new content. Widely reported as though Rowling is releasing twelve new stories, the new content is somewhat less elaborate, including such things as…
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Science Fiction Can Show Us How
In the wake of the events surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, science fiction can offer a particularly compelling alternative to illustrate a future without violence and inequality. Mary Hansen at Yes! talks with author and activist Walidah…
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Notable NYC: 12/6–12/12
Saturday 12/6: Nicholas Mugavero and Lawrence Giffin join the Segue Reading Series. Zinc Bar, 4:30 p.m., $5. Kristen Kosmas, Holly Melgard, and Romsey Scott read poetry. Wendy’s Subway, 8 p.m., free. Sunday 12/7: Diana Hamilton, Kim Rosenfield, Charity Coleman, and…
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Rolling Stone: A Rumpus Roundup
Last month, Rolling Stone ran an article by Sabrina Rubin Erdely detailing the gang-rape and attempted coverup of a student at the University of Virginia known as “Jackie.” . Today, Rolling Stone issued an apology. Editors at the magazine did…
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Eric Garner: A Rumpus Roundup
In July, unarmed black man Eric Garner died after he was placed in a chokehold by a white police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, on Staten Island, a suburban borough of New York City. This might sound eerily similar to the case…
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Changing Shakespeare
A French public library has discovered that the institution possesses a rare ‘first folio’ of the works of William Shakespeare. There are many first folios, but these earliest anthologies all contain variations in the texts. (The writing we have come…
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Diversity Matters
Daniel Handler’s (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) recent racist joke at the National Book Awards exposed an uncomfortable truth about the American publishing industry: its overwhelming whiteness. For the industry to survive, it must embrace diversity. Over at the Guardian, Carole DeSanti…
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The Optimistic Bear
Paddington Bear, the iconic British children’s book character, finds himself in a new film adaptation this year. The Guardian spoke with Paddington’s creator, the 88-year-old Michael Bond. With 35 million books in print in more than 40 languages, Paddington has…
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John Green Sends Books to Ferguson
Scott Bonner, the director of the Ferguson Municipal Public Library, answered questions on Reddit over the weekend and discussed the needs of the community in light of the ongoing protests. The Ferguson library has continued to function, even as schools…
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Notable NYC: 11/29–12/05
Saturday 11/29: Support your independent bookstores on Small Business Saturday. Monday 12/1: Daphne Merkin reads from her new collection of essays, The Fame Lunches: On Wounded Icons, Money, Sex, the Brontes, and the Importance of Handbags. BookCourt, 7 p.m., free.…