Rachel Cusk on Writing Shamelessly

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“If writing has rules, they are exactly the same as the rules of living.” In this Louisiana Channel interview, Rachel Cusk reads from her latest novel, Parade (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024), and talks about her approach to writing, which includes focusing on the interplay of instinct, discipline, and authenticity.

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Still Alive

8.19.25

In her elegiac poem “the rites for Cousin Vit,” Gwendolyn Brooks captures the aliveness of a loved one as she lays in her casket. Brooks writes: “Even now she does the snake-hips with a hiss, / Slops the bad wine across her shantung, talks / Of pregnancy, guitars and bridgework, walks.” Write a poem that captures the vibrant, unmistakable presence of someone you remember vividly, whether they are near or far, alive or gone. Focus on the small, lively details that make them unique: their gestures, their voice, the habits that linger in your memory. Consider how these fragments—imperfect, intimate, and raw—keep that person alive in your mind.

Bora Chung: Your Utopia

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In this Asia Society Switzerland event, South Korean author Bora Chung reads “To Meet Her” from her second story collection, Your Utopia (Algonquin Books, 2024), translated from the Korean by Anton Hur, and discusses how activism shaped her life and writing in a conversation with Serena Jung.

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