“Why should Serena not respond to racism? In whose world should it be answered with good manners? The notable difference between black excellence and white excellence is white excellence is achieved without having to battle racism. Imagine.” Claudia Rankine writes for The New York Times Magazine about tennis player Serena Williams, racism in sports, and white privilege. Pair with our own Michael Bourne’s list of books that “shed light on the history and evolution of racism in America.”
Not Just Any Body
Either/Or
“An artist you love occupies a weird in-between place, where they’re somehow a little more than a father, but a little less than a neighbour. They can permanently re-organize your consciousness but they can’t sell you a Coke. You feel you know them more than anyone you actually know, which means that you don’t really know a damn thing. I feel I know Elliott Smith, but if I picture him in front of me, I find myself picturing a tiny figurine, or Mount Rushmore.” Sasha Chapin has written an intensely personal essay about Elliott Smith for Hazlitt. Here is The Millions’ own Torch Ballads & Jukebox Music column to satisfy any lingering musical urges.
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Reading In The Future
Over the years, Maria Popova (aka Brain Picker) has provided readers with thousands of hours of diversion. But how, exactly, does she think we will read years from now?
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“If there was ever a people that knew how to handle a hangover, surely it is we.”
John Banville looks at the “persistently grim cheerfulness” of the Irish people.
“A rabbi…once said all Western literature was commentary on the Torah. I’ll buy that exaggeration”
Seventeen Jewish authors weigh in on the question “is there such a thing as Jewish fiction?,” recalling Gabriel Brownstein’s excellent inquiry, “Are You, Or Have you Ever Been, a Jewish Writer?”
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A Peek Behind the Curtain
Want to learn more about our acclaimed, annual Year in Reading series? At Electric Literature, I talk about how it started, how we put it together, and some of my favorite entries from years past.
Best of Full Stop
Sure, you could look ahead to the happenings of 2012, but that’s only half as fun as recapping Full Stop‘s 2011 “Best of the Blog” archives. (Part 2 here)
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