Slate’s New Language Podcast

Recommended Reading: Roxane Gay's short story about a summer romance, "The Year I Learned Everything," at Rookie. "He’s the best-looking of the bunch so you can imagine how ugly his friends are."

Tired of reading Mark O’Connell’s articles in silence? Check out his two pieces in The Racket, the first of which features attached audio from the author himself, and the second features an embedded video with Sam Bungey, the publication’s editor. Consider Mark’s reading Exhibit B in the case for Irish Accents Improving Everything, which I brought forth last week.

It’s a common saying among actors that the script does most of the work. Which raises an interesting question: is it possible for a great writer to make art out of a bad story? At The Kenyon Review’s blog, Amit Majmudar says it is, using Shakespeare as proof. Related: five experts on the Bard’s greatest plays.

At Tin House, an excerpt from A.N. Devers’ essay on pilgrimages to the homes of impoverished writers, including references to Edgar Allen Poe’s Baltimore house on The Wire.