Literature

“When you say ‘departure,’ what does that mean?” Marie-Helene Bertino asks me.  This question launches our conversation about her new novel, Beautyland. Given that the story opens with spaceship Voyager 1 leaving planet earth, it makes sense that the author is attentive to the semantics of “departure.” I’d used the word as I referenced Bertino’s
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We’re thrilled to announce that Electric Literature is opening for submissions across all categories on Monday, April 1st. This includes our acclaimed literary magazines, Recommended Reading, and The Commuter, as well as the daily site. Below we’ve posted our handy flow chart to help you find the best fit for your writing. Get your submissions
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The Bible and fairytales are the oldest stories we have in the West. They serve as our culture’s myths, providing a familiar, guided path for centuries of writers.  Retellings can breathe a new life into what was once flat and staid. Characters from the Bible and fairytales can feel one-dimensional. With retellings, the writer has
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“AM I A LESBIAN?” by Rachael Marie Walker Well, well, well. Look at you, @teen-w00lf, back again. You’ve taken this quiz sixteen times. How many times can quiz creator @leavebritneyalone696969 tell you what you are? What are you so afraid of?  It’s up to you if you want to continue. Remember: These quizzes are just
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Your Body Is a System of Caves Naufragios Does anything really begin. The house, clinking window frame in the last of canyon wind. Does anything begin. * The day a room becomes a field. The day a field fills with water. The day you fall through yourself— this is how you say it— and how
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The biting cultural commentary that emanates from the pages of Alexandra Tanner’s debut novel Worry is like the too-bright light of a smartphone screen at night, pulling you closer and keeping you absorbed late into the night. One year following a secret suicide attempt that only Jules, our narrator, knows about, her sister Poppy moves
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Putting the words “fun” and “murder” next to each other in a conversation is a great way to give off the impression that you are gleefully maladjusted. But I’d wager if you tried it (the conversation starter, not the murder)—go ahead, show up at a party and say, “Isn’t murder fun?”—people would know just what
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All thrill seekers are different. Some need to bungee jump or chase tornadoes to experience a rush of adrenaline but for me, there is nothing more exciting than opening a book and meeting a brand-new fictional character for the very first time. And the best characters are the ones who make me feel…something. Because they’re
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Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover for the poetry collection Book of Kin by Darius Atefat-Peckham, which will be published by Autumn House Press on Oct. 25, 2024. Preorder the book here. A debut collection that draws on the poet’s Iranian heritage to process life-altering loss and grief. Darius Atefat-Peckham’s debut poetry collection follows a boy’s coming of age
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