The essay is more than just a literary genre but a lifestyle, and it’s dominating American society, Christy Wampole argues. “The genre and its spirit provide an alternative to the dogmatic thinking that dominates much of social and political life in contemporary America,” she writes.
The Commitment-phobe’s Genre
“And I know my rights so you gon’ need a warrant for that”
Just what you’ve always wanted: a “line-by-line analysis of the second verse of ’99 Problems’ by Jay-Z, from the perspective of a criminal procedure professor!” (PDF)
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The Aural and Visual Feasts of Margaret Wise Brown
Anna Holmes reflects on the radical life of Margaret Wise Brown, and how she pushed the boundaries of children's books.
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The Literate Frontman
Some of Jeff Tweedy‘s favorite writers: “I like Henry Miller a lot. I like William H. Gass a lot. Donald Barthelme, Robert Coover, Kurt Vonnegut. . . . I used to walk into bookstores when I was a kid and get the stuff that looked the craziest and the most free.” (In a Rolling Stone interview, unavailable online.)
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Beverly Cleary Turns 100
This week, Beverly Cleary turned 100. Revisit some of her famous characters like Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins at NPR. Our editor Lydia Kiesling writes on Cleary’s memoirs, which “transcend time.”
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I Guess There Could Be More Intersections, Too
Imagine a Venn Diagram with two circles: Paul Murray and John Jeremiah Sullivan. Now imagine its intersection. Did you think of Axl Rose? You should’ve.
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The Women
Director Jamieson Fry follows up–and perhaps surpasses–his incredible book trailer for Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply with this one for The Women by T.C. Boyle
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