For several years now I’ve been devoting November to reading nonfiction. In 2024 I discovered that Nonfiction November is an Actual Thing. I participated in organized Nonfiction November that year, but last year I chose to go back on my own. However, when I ran across the announcement and discussion topics for this year’s Nonfiction November, I
Week 1 – My Year in Nonfiction Read More »
Annie Dillard’s Subject Was the Whole World Robert P. Baird, former member of The New Yorker’s editorial staff, reports on the life and work of Annie Dillard, who died last week.
Author Focus: Annie Dillard Read More »
Who do you think you are? There are two answers We tell children that they can be whatever they want to be. But philosopher Joanna Lawson, an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University, remembers the moment her piano teacher told her that, in fact, she could not plan to attend Juilliard and become a professional
Literary Links: Life Stories in Literature Read More »
For August, we start with Maggie O’Farrell’s new release (and already a best-seller), Land. Set in 1865, Land features a man, Tomás, and his son, Liam, working on the Ordnance Survey project of mapping all of Ireland. first degree The book I read before picking up Land was The Last Murder at the End of
6 Degrees of Separation Read More »
You Must Remember This “On the nature of autobiographical memory” When we construct our life story, we tap into autobiographical memory, our remembrances of events that we’ve experienced over our lifetime. In this article Jonathan Weiner, the Maxwell M. Geffen Professor of Medical and Scientific Journalism at Columbia University, examines how different peoples’ memories function
Literary Links: Life Stories in Literature Read More »
A deepfake is the worst kind of character assassination if you are innocent. A video that uses the timbre and nuance and tone of your voice, that uses your lips and cheeks and laugh lines to convey a message that is the opposite of anything you would choose for yourself is a deep violence, not
Dervla McTiernan on How AI Deepfakes Are Changing the Rules of Crime Fiction Read More »
The Rise of Literary Tourism “Explore the rise of literary tourism worldwide and how book lovers are traveling to iconic literary destinations.” Adam Ryan looks at the various ways that readers are incorporating literary destinations into their traveling plans. While I’ve never planned a trip explicitly around a literary destination, I try to include literary-related
How To Kill a Mockingbird Got Banned and Became a Pulitzer-Winning Classic “Happy anniversary, To Kill a Mockingbird! Harper Lee’s classic turns 66—explore the story behind its lasting power and timeless relevance.” In this article from July 2025, Millie Ramm celebrates the anniversary of the publication of To Kill a Mockingbird by asking, “why has this
Introduction During the last three weeks in June my husband and I undertook a huge road trip to attend a family wedding: 3,000 miles from the West Coast to the East Coast of the U.S., then 3,000 miles back. That trip provided lots of time to listen to audiobooks. We had enjoyed a TV series
Author Focus: L.R. Wright Read More »
Think for Yourself “One of the most dehumanizing effects of AI is the short cuts it offers through the gaps and impasses intrinsic to the act of writing.” For those of us who write to discover what we think about a topic, Dan Chiasson, chair of the English department at Wellesley College, addresses a fundamental
