At Time, poet Kevin Young discusses his new role as director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, as well as the ways poetry can help those grieving in the midst of the pandemic. “People have written to me a lot more in this time around The Art of Losing,” Young says. “Poetry can be a balm, but it can’t wipe away those feelings. It’s more like a companion. Sometimes it’s loud—in a good way—and distracts you, and sometimes it’s quiet and accompanies you.”
Kevin Young on Poetry as a Companion to Grief
Nein, nein!
Bad news, guys: the longest word in the German language is officially no longer a word.
Step Aside Shakes
Hold on to your starched collars: In breaking Shakespeare news, Oxford University Press announced that in its new edition of the complete works of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe will receive credit as co-author on the Henriad plays. And if you’re really tired of Will getting all the credit, you’ll enjoy our recent piece about the surge of interest in Ben Jonson, who’s basically the Third Tenor to their more famous voices.
Tressie McMillan Cottom Is a Public Intellectual
For Guernica, Roxane Gay interviews Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom about her new essay collection, Thick.
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This is the title for an object that arouses interest, as by being novel or extraordinary.
From HTML GIANT’s ongoing Oulipo craft notes series comes a technique so simple that anyone can do it. All you need is a dictionary.
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How Do You Illustrate Footnotes?
Seven Stories Press is publishing three volumes of a Graphic Canon, which will illustrate and panel everything from The Epic of Gilgamesh to Infinite Jest. Their first volume, Gilgamesh to Shakespeare to Dangerous Liaisons will be released on May 22nd.
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