At the Guardian, Alain de Botton, author of the forthcoming Religion for Atheists, considers whether “museums of art are our new churches” and says “modern museums of art fail to tell people directly why art matters.”
Why Art Matters
“No writer needs to be all the writers all the time”
Zadie Smith in conversation with Édouard Louis for the Document Journal. "Listening to the novelists Édouard Louis and Zadie Smith in conversation inspires a kind of hushed glee, a bliss familiar to eavesdroppers who encounter sublime discourse. " How can you resist?
Route Nine’s Alumni Omnibus: 50 Years in the Making
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University of Massachusetts Amherst MFA Program, the school’s literary magazine – Route Nine – gathered work from over 80 alumni to create a special Alumni Omnibus issue. The collection just went online recently, and it’s tremendous.
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Next Stop: The Perfect Book
"I don’t want to settle for distraction; I want to look forward to reading my book with the palpitating excitement of a second date with someone I’ve already fallen for. I want to miss my stop. Ideally, I’ll miss a few." While it can be easy to spot a beach, airplane, or cabin read, Adam Sternbergh's writes about finding the perfect "subway read" for the New York Times. From our archives: our own Nick Ripatrazone's essay on reading and writing on trains.
In The Kitchen
What's cooking? Just an interview with the author who's ghostwritten seemingly every bestselling cookbook out there.
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The Rooster Crows!
Tournament of Books fans: The official Tournament of Books bracket has been posted. Along with an introduction to this year's literary throwdown, readers can get a gorgeous bracket poster, sure to become the decorative centerpiece of any library wall.
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Haiti’s Resilience: A Literary List
Yesterday marked eight years since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti and a few days ago Trump put the country back in the news (but not in an reflective or uplifting way). Looking to learn more about Haiti sans racist rhetoric? The New York Times has "three books by Haitian writers that provide insight into the country’s history of struggle and resistance." Find the list here.