Jump to navigation Skip to content
Summer is officially over, and the time has come to drag our sweaters out of storage and sip warm beverages (pumpkin-spiced or otherwise). There are many things about autumn to look forward to: bountiful produce, gorgeous foliage, comfortable temperatures. In a short personal essay, pick out some of your favorite things about this time of year and describe how and why they bring you joy. If you don’t consider anything about autumn enjoyable, write about that instead.
Valeria Luiselli talks about the inspiration for her books Sidewalks and Faces in the Crowd, both translated from Spanish by Christina MacSweeney and published earlier this year by Coffee House Press. Luiselli was recently named one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 for 2014.
The soothing sound of water pouring over rocks, the spray that mists your face as you stand at the bottom looking up—waterfalls have such power and grace. This week, write a short scene in which one of your characters discovers a waterfall on a walk through the woods. What’s her first instinct? Does she dive into the pool at the bottom for a swim? Or does she stand back in awe?
Finalists for Kirkus Prize announced; National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35; Lee Child on why the Amazon-Hachette battle matters; and other news.
This poem from Chris Tse tells the story of a Cantonese goldminer murdered on a Sunday in 1905, a year of the snake. Tse's first full-length collection How to Be Dead in a Year of Snakes (Auckland University Press, 2014) revisits the historic event, piecing together narratives of the dead and the guilty.
This week, think of something that has happened to you recently that was stressful, traumatic, or unpleasant. Write a poem about this event as you experienced it, regardless of anyone else’s perspectives or feelings on what occurred. Then rewrite the poem from the perspective of someone else involved in the situation. This new poem may not reflect the truth, but sometimes it’s important to remind ourselves that everything has a flip side.
Amazon and Perseus strike a new deal; Paul Theroux on the short story; Thomas Pynchon rumored to make an onscreen appearance; and other news.
This novel by Emily St. John Mandel, published by Knopf this month, tells the story of a theatre troupe and their survival through a deadly plague. The book is longlisted for the 2014 National Book Award in Fiction.
Three small presses to start indie bookstore and beer shop; Sheryl Sandberg stars in comic book; a sneak preview of Murakami's forthcoming novella; and other news.
The author of the best-selling novel The Alchemist sits down with Oprah Winfrey for a rare television interview. Coelho discusses the idea of the "personal legend" and how this guided his path to become a writer.
