Over at The New York Times Magazine, Katrina Tan finds a creative community in Manila. Pair with this Millions essay on creating a DIY literary scene.
Dispatch from the Phillipines
Sentimental Education
Recommended Reading: On sentimentality in literary fiction and commercial novels.
Even longer reads
Smithsonian takes a look at Byliner and The Atavist and what the success and innovation of these two companies can tell us about the hopeful state of longform narrative journalism. Fast Company's Co.Design ran an image heavy interview with The Atavist's developer, Jefferson Rabb. I'd add Long Reads to the list too.
The Business of Books
"Publishing is a word that, like the book, is almost but not quite a proxy for the 'business of literature.' Current accounts of publishing have the industry about as imperiled as the book, and the presumption is that if we lose publishing, we lose good books. Yet what we have right now is a system that produces great literature in spite of itself." Twenty-first century publishing works in mysterious ways.
By the Book
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mind behind Hamilton, joins The New York Times to talk about the literature that has inspired him. Check out Janet and Mike’s thoughts on Hamilton in our Book Report.
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E is for Edward who mailed you some art
How jazzed would you be if you received mail in one of Edward Gorey's illustrated envelopes?
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Craft Work
It’s the kind of niggling question that drives a writer mad: is it best to edit a piece after you finish a draft, or is it better to edit while you write? At Electric Lit, Lincoln Michel argues for the latter, on the grounds that it lets writers fix endemic problems before it’s too late. You could also read Lincoln’s 2010 Millions review of the movie Avatar.
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God, CEO of Heaven
Here’s the story of one entrepreneur so intent on disrupting the antiquated status quo within his industry that he quit his organization and set out to found his own start-up. You’ve heard this story before. It’s John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and supposedly it can help your career in ways you haven’t even realized.