Literature

In December 2024 (adjusted for the present rate of dystopic acceleration, several eons ago), T. M. Brown published an essay in The Atlantic whose title “You Might Be Worried About the Wrong Algorithms,” could double as a subtitle for William Lessard’s /face. Therein, Brown argues that our tendency to depersonalize the algorithms feeding us recommendations—that

The phrase “teenage girl” tends to conjure up images of hormonal bodies and see-sawing emotions—not focused and powerful brains. And yet, some of the most famous girls in literature gain exceptional mental gifts when they hit adolescence. Carrie White, for example, Stephen King’s telekinetic teenager, develops her cognitive power when she gets her period and

Both Mahreen Sohail and Dur e Aziz Amna’s work reflects a turning point in Pakistani literature: a move toward portraying lives as they are, unburdened by Pakistan as an ontological subject. Together, they represent a new guard of writers probing ambition, morality, and selfhood with nuance and precision. Sohail’s debut novel, Small Scale Sinners, is

Her Life in Seattle Doesn’t Translate to Beijing M Lin Share article “Yulan” by M Lin Yuchen sat in the back of the taxi as it turned onto Chang’an Avenue. Seventeen years ago, she had biked to high school on this ten-lane boulevard every day. So, so wide, she thought then. It had made her

I met Nora Lange in the dream space of the Brown Creative Writing MFA Program where I was teaching and she was a graduate student. As a student, she seemed all possibility, all wonder, and I, the witness to that nascent, vulnerable state of becoming. There was an openness, a tenderness and hope, an optimism, an irreverence,

Two years ago, I decided to end my career as a teacher to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing full-time. I was suddenly thirty-five in a kindergartner’s shoes again, fearful in anticipation of the first day of school. I sharpened my pencils, prepped my new notebook, and nervously registered for classes. Then, just before the

We all have that person in our life, the one who combines ambitious intentions with crippling self-sabotage. Often, they are unaware of this and perceive themselves as perfect, if only external circumstances didn’t prevent them from reaching their potential. A bad boss takes credit for their work; a realtor costs them a deal that would’ve

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of Blow Yourself Up by Ankur Thakkar, which will be published on September 15th, 2026 by Triquarterly Books. You can pre-order your copy here. Blow Yourself Up is a story of first love across cities, spanning the decade that transformed the internet. In the halls of an elite East Coast high

The Gauntlet: Observations from Immigration Court by Laurie Lathem “Aquí estoy,” reads the text from the man I am supposed to meet. I am here. All I know of him is that his name is Dani, he is from Ecuador, and he is scared. It is a cold, damp morning in November, and we have

This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. ————— Look to your left. Now

Hairballs Are My Love Language This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. —————

This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. ————— As a child growing up

This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. ————— A student recently asked, looking

This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. ————— This list won’t be a

A Visit to Our Meanest Relative Can Only End in Tears Katie Schorr Share article This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep

This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. ————— Dear Reader, This is my

This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. ————— I spent two years trying

This article is free to read. So is every article Electric Literature publishes. No limits, no paywalls—now or ever. But we rely on your support to keep it that way. We need to raise $35,000 by April 15 to keep the lights on, and time is running out. Donate today. ————— Recently, I was texting with