Literature

Cary Dubek becomes a gay icon overnight. He doesn’t do anything to earn his acclaim; his thirteen-year-old viral pop star brother, Chase Dreams, sings his second hit about him. “My Brother’s Gay and That’s Okay!” goes from gay hit to “no Moonlight” to Tomi Lahren catnip to camp. After a wild day of internet fame,

A longtime scholar, translator, and promoter of Ukrainian literature reflects on the existential crisis confronting Ukraine—and the West—today. In Pavlo Tychyna’s famous cycle of poems Instead of Sonnets and Octaves, written during the violence of the civil war in 1918–1920, the Ukrainian poet wrote: “Damnation to all, damnation to all who have become a beast!

[embedded content] Laura and Bunmi celebrate 41 books by Black authors. From Black joy to history to empowerment, the books on this list provide affirming messages for children and young adults with a special shout-out to NSK Neustadt Prize finalist Jason Reynolds. Which book “affirms Blackness like no other”? Which kept Bunmi and Laura on

Isaac Fellman’s novel Dead Collections is a sticky book. Content-wise, I mean: Its characters’ immediate concerns are largely driven by various liquids being too slow, too viscous, or in the wrong place altogether. Sol, the vampire archivist trans man protagonist—yes, all those things, keep up—needs regular blood transfusions to stay “alive,” or un-alive-but-sentient, however you

A Rock Collection Only a Mother Could Love Sindya Bhanoo Share article “Nature Exchange” by Sindya Bhanoo Behind the tennis courts, Veena finds the grassy clearing that has been fruitful for her. Since her move to the area a week and a half ago, she has found a dead monarch with its wings intact, and

Statue of renowned Kurdish historian, author, and poet Mastoureh Ardalan (1805–1848) in Erbil / Photo by Levi Meir Clancy / Unsplash Even though they appear to have a lot to say about the historical, political, cultural, and literary situation of the Middle East, Kurdish female novelists and short-story writers have remained unknown to an international

Winter can be a difficult season, but luckily I know the cure for the winter blues: cozying up with a great book. But with all these “Best Of” and “Most Anticipated” lists that just came out, it’s hard to pick the right read. What a relief for you that this horoscope contains the definitive, perfect

My husband likes to tell a story from when he was eight years old, in Los Angeles, in 1975: His parents dropped him and his seven-year-old brother at the movies to see Disney’s animated 1942 classic Bambi, then in its fourth re-release. Their parents drove home, and as they walked in the door, the phone

Houston’s Second Poet Laureate (2015–2017) and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters since 2019, Robin Davidson is the author of three books of poetry: Kneeling in the Dojo (2013), City That Ripens on the Tree of the World (2013), and Luminous Other (2013), for which she received the Ashland Poetry Press 2012 Richard

Houston’s Second Poet Laureate (2015–2017) and a member of the Texas Institute of Letters since 2019, Robin Davidson is the author of three books of poetry: Kneeling in the Dojo (2013), City That Ripens on the Tree of the World (2013), and Luminous Other (2013), for which she received the Ashland Poetry Press 2012 Richard

At some point you’ve likely read about swashbuckling explorers or intrepid sea-farers who’d made arduous but gutsy journeys into the vast dark unknowns, to sniff out spices, unearth precious metals, or to fight for their freedoms. The Americas, Asia, Australia, Africa—we have almost certainly once read (and learnt)—were discoverable.  With a growing sense of clarity,

This Mangy Mouth Could Swallow You Whole Spooks (the state who replaces religion doesn’t want to adopt a dog with me) As I grow older I like looking at chaos like the Westminster shows. You fight me with your omniscience—dogs who look like dogs are bred that way. Like I’m supposed to love a rescue

A playwright in Pune, India, considers the contemporary relevance of the fifty-year-old cult play that remains one of the most written about and discussed plays in the history of modern Indian theater. Ghashiram Kotwal (1972), the Marathi play written by one of the finest playwrights of modern times, Vijay Tendulkar (1928–2008), has been around for

Take a break from the news We publish your favorite authors—even the ones you haven’t read yet. Get new fiction, essays, and poetry delivered to your inbox. YOUR INBOX IS LIT Enjoy strange, diverting work from The Commuter on Mondays, absorbing fiction from Recommended Reading on Wednesdays, and a roundup of our best work of

When the narrator of White on White arrives at the apartment, they assume that they will have the rooms to themselves, a beautiful light-filled place to serve as home base while they conduct their research on Gothic nudes. But soon after arriving, their landlady Agnes suddenly appears and explains that, for unexplained reasons, she and

Poetry and astrology are both tools that can help us understand our lives. Astrology gives us a framework to better see ourselves and locate our gifts. Poetry gives us the freedom to dream and the invaluable reassurance that someone out there has felt our feelings before; we’re not alone in our sorrows, our happiness and

Debut poetry books are often forecasters of a poet’s potential but every so often, a true masterwork seemingly springs forth fully formed as if the goddess Athena, armor flashing and sword raised. Paul Tran’s full-length collection, All the Flowers Kneeling, arrived ready for war. This is an exquisitely crafted labyrinth of a book that deconstructs,

Grief is the Family Business Ella Baxter Share article At eleven a.m., the landscape already crackles on its way to reaching forty degrees before lunch, and the sound of Kathmandu water bottles being refilled ricochets between the three major holiday parks. Radiant heat beams off the coastline in long fumes, shuddering over highways and interstate