At Catapult, author Nadia Owusu, in a column titled “Exit Interviews,” gives voice to the grief of people of color—grief that is so often silenced. “We can choose to permanently change how we view each other,” Owusu writes, “how we work together, validating each other’s experiences and fears and losses—not just in the current moment, but into and through whatever comes next. And the change that is possible within the microcosm of a workplace might also be possible in other workplaces, in a society, in the wider world.”
Nadia Owusu on Validating Each Other’s Experiences
Hanif Abdurraqib on the Generous Music of Protest Chants
Poet and author Hanif Abdurraqib reflects on the empowering sound of protest chants and the ways it gives purpose to movements.
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Murakami on 1Q84
A blogger translates a long Murakami interview about 1Q84 (scroll down for parts I, II, and III). (via)
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A Sense of Danger
Recommended Listening: Renata Adler’s Longform podcast on writing routines and the need for acquiring a sense of danger.
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Tuesday New Release Day: Adebayo; MacLaverty; Martin; Salter; Pamuk
Out this week: Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo; Midwinter Break by Bernard MacLaverty; Caca Dolce by Chelsea Martin; The Surveyors by Mary Jo Salter; and The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk. For more on these and other new titles, go read our most recent book preview.
Infographic: Summer Reads
This week in book-related infographics: Electric Literature has recommendations for summer reading, organized by location and required concentration level. Going to Italy? Try A Room with a View. Craving a tropical get-away? Read The Beach, obviously.
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Struck by Lightning
“Once certain hurdles are cleared (a bit of talent, years of work), being a writer is like flying a kite in a storm in a field full of people flying kites in a storm.” Garth Greenwell on writing his first novel, the importance of failure, and giving oneself privacy to make mistakes. Pair with Meredith Turits’s Millions piece, featuring six writers looking back on their first novels.
iWalser, iBradbury
David Wright recommends five works perfectly suitable for smartphone reading.
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