Maggie Smith and Patricia Lockwood on Viral Poems

Maggie Smith discusses her new book, Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change, and the pros and cons of having a poem go viral online.

John Banville on Pen Names and Pretension

Irish novelist John Banville discusses his latest mystery, Snow, and his decision to do away with his longtime pseudonym.

Sarah Kasbeer on Writing About Trauma

Sarah Kasbeer on her debut essay collection, A Woman, a Plan, an Outline of a Man, and how much of a role writing plays in processing trauma.

Agustina Bazterrica on Cannibalism and Dystopian Fiction

Agustina Bazterrica discusses her novel, Tender Is the Flesh, and reflects on fiction’s ability to raise questions and open minds.

Embracing the Mysteries in Beverly Cleary’s Ramona Quimby Books

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Adrienne Raphel looks back at Beverly Cleary's beloved Ramona Quimby series, and notes that the books are riddled with odd discrepancies that are both puzzling and charming.
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Isabel Allende on the Many Dimensions of Reality

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Isabelle Allende discusses her newest book, A Long Petal of the Sea, and how the world’s inexplicable nature drives her writing.
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Matthew Salesses on Calling Language Into Question

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Matthew Salesses discusses how he shaped the language of adoption to fit his own experience.
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Robin Coste Lewis on the Comfort of Literature

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Robin Coste Lewis shares how she makes her students feel safe during uncertain times by providing refuge in art.
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Roxane Gay on How Audre Lorde Honored the Lived Realities of Women

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Roxane Gay pays tribute to Audre Lorde's contribution to contemporary feminism and her ability to value differences as strengths.
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Revisiting Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘Speak Memory’ During the Pandemic

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Ryan Chapman recounts how Vladimir Nabokov’s Speak, Memory resonated with him during the pandemic and helped him navigate our new abnormal.
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Claudia Rankine on Seeking Shared Realities

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Claudia Rankine discusses how her newest book of essays, poems, and images, Just Us: An American Conversation, does not seek out easy answers.
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Decoding Moments of Tension in Edith Wharton’s ‘The Age of Innocence’

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Sam Jordinson reflects on the many moments of sexual tension found in Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Age of Innocence.
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Baking Pies Inspired By Italo Calvino

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Valerie Stivers takes on a literary baking challenge: crafting pies inspired by Italo Calvino, using ingredients culled from his books and family history.
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Alyssa Cole on Leaning Into Anxiety

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Alyssa Cole discusses her new book, When No One Is Watching, and the difference between writing romances and thrillers.
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Kali Fajardo-Anstine on Representing Different Realities

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Kali Fajardo-Anstine and Mieko Kawakami interviewed each other with the help of translators, discussing their books Sabrina & Corina and Breast and Eggs.
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Elena Ferrante on Bold Adventures, Both Near and Far

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Elena Ferrante believes in bold adventures, whether you go to the other side of the world or the other side of the street.
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Leah Hampton on the Bifurcated Vantage Point

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Leah Hampton discusses her debut collection, F*ckface: And Other Stories, which takes a closer look at lives in the modern-day American South.
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Raven Leilani on the Vulnerability of Hope

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Raven Leilani discusses her much-anticipated debut novel, Luster, the product of years of balancing work and art.
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