“Maybe I’m not outraged. I’m exhausted and open and exposed and a lot of other people are too because we are wounds that get picked at and picked at and picked at one day, there won’t be anything left to heal.” At The Rumpus, Roxane Gay writes on the sexism and racism of Seth MacFarlane’s Oscars jokes.
Wounded
Update on Timbuktu’s West African Relics
Many feared the permanent loss of thousands of precious manuscripts and relics after insurgents razed Timbuktu’s Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research. The Institute was home to over 30,000 manuscripts dating back to the 13th century. Or was it? In a fascinating report, Rukmini Callimachi details the extraordinary efforts of the some passionate locals that wound up saving much of the collection.
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Unlocking the Doors
How does Karl Ove Knausgaard delve into some of the oldest parts of his memory for his writing? "I remember every single room that I have been in from the age of seven. What I did was to place myself in those rooms, and when I started to write about them it was like unlocking a thousand small doors, all leading further into childhood," he told Cressida Leyshon at The New Yorker. Knausgaard also has a story, "Come Together" (behind the paywall), in the current issue. Pair with: Our essay on My Struggle.
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Holy the First Pitch!
Beat poet Allen Ginsberg once threw out a surprisingly decent first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game while wearing a pocket protector. Seriously. Here’s our own Bill Morris with a little more on Ginsberg, Beats, and film.
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Oylmpics: A Cautionary Tale
Remember, everybody. Running with the Olympic torch is temporary, but a misspelled tattoo is forever.
A.O. Scott on Sidney Lumet
A.O. Scott discusses the gritty, realistic films of the recently deceased Sidney Lumet, and his influence on current work such as Spike Lee's films and The Wire.
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Tuesday New Release Day: McSweeney’s, Ross, Brown
We're surprised McSweeney's didn't think of this sooner: A handsome large-format volume called Art of McSweeney's; Chris Ware and many more. There's also a debut that's been getting some notice, Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross. And finally, sometime Millions interviewee and interviewer Nic Brown has a new novel out: Doubles.
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