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The Art Of Travel Writing

Travel writing, historically, has followed suit in expressing everything from performative adoration and exoticization to sheer racism and erasure. But at its best it can offer a sobering portrait of human folly, bias, humiliation, and desire for connection—those endlessly conflicted feelings that come with the experience. - JStor

When Edgar Allan Poe Was One Of Vietnam’s Literary Heroes

"(He held a) surprisingly major role in the early twentieth century, right at the dawn of Vietnam’s modern literature. For a period in Vietnamese history, Poe was 'America’s literary giant,' inspiring a generation of authors who would go on to take up arms and raise their voices in support of the struggle against imperialism." - Literary Hub

The Power Of Nobel Laureate Han Kang

This is the power of Han Kang: With little more than paper and ink, she acts as a conduit for the memories of generations that suffered state violence, passing them on to generations that inherited these traumas but not necessarily the long-suppressed facts beneath them.  - Yale Review

The African Diaspora And Reclaiming Narratives

The central task of writers of the colonial or the Black experience is to claim back their humanity. This profound urge runs through the literature of Africa and the diaspora, from the 18th century to the present day. And it will continue for decades to come. - The Guardian

UK Literary Festivals Are Collapsing

The basic costs of running a festival have all risen sharply, while potential audiences have less disposable income. Festival organisers have been faced with the conundrum of how to keep afloat – programming celebrity speakers at the expense of emerging literary talent, for example, raising ticket prices or seeking corporate sponsorship. - The Guardian

A Rare Books Dealer Calls For A Rewrite Of His Own Story

His mirthless laugh might have suggested Kafkaesque persecution, or Hardyesque inexorability of fate. Either way, he appeared determined to rewrite the ending. - The New Yorker

Remembering The Real Glory Days (The ’80s And ’90s) Of The Village Voice

Ed Park, who spent 12 years there in various editor positions before Craigslist destroyed its business model, recalls some of the many impressive writers, articles, controversies, feuds, and even a fistfight at the enormously influential, breathtakingly dysfunctional alt-weekly. - Harper's

The Ultimate Fan Find: A Long-Form Pre-Dracula Story By Bram Stoker

"Brian Cleary stumbled upon the 134-year-old ghostly tale while browsing the archives of the National Library of Ireland. Gibbet Hill was originally published in a Dublin newspaper in 1890." - BBC

Penguin Random House Adds Anti-AI Statement To Its Copyright Notice

It’s a notable departure from other large publishers, such as academic printers Taylor & Francis, Wiley, and Oxford University Press, which have all agreed to license their portfolios to AI companies. - Gizmodo

Writing Across Difference

Writing across difference is often maligned in contemporary conversations of literary craft—and for good reason—but I am of the opinion that the skill, in some form, is an essential one for any novelist. - LitHub

How Romance Novels Became A Hit In The Digital Age

“Why did romance writers, arguably the most mocked, maligned, and mistreated group of authors in history, become the most successful and innovative writers in the e-book revolution?” - Christian Science Monitor

Has Michel Houellebecq Truly Written His Last Book?

The French novelist “is such a sly and ambiguous writer that I’m not always sure when he’s kidding. I often identify with his characters, and even when I find certain pages repellent, Houellebecq challenges my perceptions.” - NPR

What It’s Like To Be A Poet Whose Home Is Gaza

Poet Mosab Abu Toha, who fled with his family last year: “My frightening childhood shaped me. And I'm still traumatized from childhood. And I'm also traumatized as a father who could barely protect his children in Gaza.” - NPR

How Navalny’s Prison Diaries Made It Into Print

“Navalny wrote about how it was becoming more difficult to get his messages and memoir pages out. 'Everything that I write and keep, or take along when I meet my lawyer … is both attentively read and photographed by my keepers.’” - The New York Times

Author Joy Williams Says The ‘Comfy Story’ Writers Enjoy Telling Must Change

“I’m always trying to convince myself that fiction will rise up and throw away the crutches that have been supporting it for far too long.” - The Guardian (UK)

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