New this week: The Dying Grass by William T. Vollmann; Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal; Gonzo Girl by Cheryl Della Pietra; How to Be a Grown-Up by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus; Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans; and The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart. For more on these and other new titles, check out our Great Second-Half 2015 Book Preview.
Tuesday New Release Day: Vollmann; Stradal; Pietra; McLaughlin & Kraus; Evans; Urquhart
Art For Free
This past week, The Guggenheim made 65 art catalogs available online. Open Culture‘s Dan Colman has written a “few handy instructions” to guide you through the treasure trove of records.
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That Rare Outlaw
Recommended Reading: Michiko Kakutani on a new biography of Johnny Cash.
Learning from Yiyun Li
Want a write a great short story? Here’s a chance to learn from MacArthur Fellow, New Yorker “20 Under 40” writer, and Year in Reading alum Yiyun Li. Her new 45-minute Skillshare class, Writing Character-Driven Short Stories, is now available and included with Skillshare membership ($10 per month). Better yet: the first 50 readers of The Millions to click here can sign up for free.
Camus’ Web
Have you ever wondered what Charlotte’s Web would be like if Albert Camus joined the farm creatures? Well, someone wrote it for you at McSweeney’s. Pair with our review of Camus’ American Journals.
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What Are the Chances?
James Tate’s final poem, which was discovered in his typewriter soon after his death, appears in the spring issue of The Paris Review. Pair with Andrew Kay’s Millions essay on the power of poetry.
Hallberg an NBCC Balakian Finalist
Congratulations to our own Garth Risk Hallberg, who was a finalist for the Nona A. Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, awarded by the NBCC. Critic William Deresiewicz took home the prize. We wrote up the finalists in the fiction and non-fiction categories yesterday.