Literature

Stage Door: February House

Fern Siegel | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Arts, Poets, Writers, W.H. Auden, Literature, Carson McCullers, February House, The Public Theater, NY Around Town, Public Theater, Arts News
Fern Siegel

The trials and tribulations, both artistic and personal, of this singular crew would make a compelling story. However, the characters of February House are drawn in brushstrokes; there isn't enough at stake.

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The Messiness of Love, Family and Identity: Q&A With Lysley Tenorio

Larissa Archer | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Literature, Short Stories, Filipino-American Artists, Author Interviews, San Francisco Writers, Books, Monstress, Lysley Tenorio, Books News
Larissa Archer

Monstress does what all the best art does: it reveals the nuanced depths of people one might otherwise overlook or casually judge and dismiss. And it does this without polemic or the tiresome earnestness some writers succumb to when doing or attempting to do the same thing.

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Review: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

Richard Z. Santos | Posted 05.22.2012

Read More: Literature, Texas, Iraq War, Satire, Ben Fountain, George W. Bush, Book Reviews, Novels, Dallas Cowboys, Books News
Richard Z. Santos

A day at Texas Stadium is more than enough time for 19-year-old, Silver Star-winning Billy Lynn to see all that's wonderful and troubling about America.

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In Memoriam: Aris Sevag -- Making a Great City Greater

Christopher Atamian | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Literature, Immigrants, Armenian Genocide, Peter Balakian, New York News
Christopher Atamian

Over the years, Aris Sevag was the most humble of voices as he penned numerous articles, translations, commentaries and essays -- many devoted specifically to the lives of Armenian-Americans.

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Writer Carlos Fuentes Dies

Mariela Dabbah | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Literature, Hispanic Heritage, Mexican Author, Carlos Fuentes Death, Carlos Fuentes, Latino Voices News
Mariela Dabbah

Whether you agreed with his point of view or not, Carlos Fuentes always had something to say about literature, culture and politics.

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On the Resurgence of Occupy Wall Street: Five Must-Read Books

Joe Winkler | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Literature, Politics, Occupy Wall Street, Slidepollajax, 99 Percent, Todd Gitlin, Lawrence Lessig, Janet Byrne, Books News
Joe Winkler

Not only do mainstream outlets simply disregard or grossly simplify important events and ideas in the Occupy Wall Street movement, but they also neglect to mention the publication of important books that clarify, criticize, buttress, and provide a holistic view of the movement.

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The Art of Passionately Hating at Least One Classic Author

Nick Kolakowski | Posted 05.15.2012

Read More: Literature, James Joyce, Ken Kesey, Intellectualism, John Milton, Comedy, How-to-Become-an-Intellectual, Comedy News
Nick Kolakowski

Not that you need to unleash your inner Conan the Barbarian to make a point about literature. But given how intellectuals inevitably harbor well-tended lists of likes and dislikes, not confessing a deep hatred of, say, John Milton's poetry will compel other learned types to view you with suspicion.

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50 Shades of Every Day Life

Tom Falco | Posted 05.09.2012

Read More: Literature, Funny, 50 Shades of Grey, Humor, Books, Comedy, Political Cartoons, Comedy News
Tom Falco

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Literary Recipes: Walt Whitman's Cranberry Coffee Cake

Nicole Villeneuve | Posted 05.04.2012

Read More: Literature, Breakfast, Coffee Cake, Recipes, Books, Baking, Dessert, Walt Whitman, Cake, Poetry, Cake Recipe, Coffee Cake Recipe, Food News
Nicole Villeneuve

Among Whitman's collection of papers are the few recipes he liked enough to preserve -- one for coffee cake. Whitman's letters have inspired my new personal philosophy: Live every day with sass, and with several slices of cake.

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Toni Morrison: Building an American Home

Richard Z. Santos | Posted 05.03.2012

Read More: Literature, Nobel Prize, Toni Morrison, Book Review, Jazz, Novels, The Bluest Eye, Beloved, Books, African Americans, Toni Morrison Home, Books News
Richard Z. Santos

Searching for home -- for a safe place to rest your head, grow a family, and be part of a community -- occupies the heart of Morrison's body of work. How fitting then that her latest book has such a simple title: Home.

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Stupor's Steve Hughes, Washed in Dirt

Vince Carducci | Posted 04.30.2012

Read More: Literature, Steve Hughes, Matthew Barney, Zines, Abjection, Stupor, Detroit Literature, Detroit Literary Magazines, Stupor Zine, Detroit Arts, Detroit News
Vince Carducci

Quite often when I read mainstream American social science, I'm reminded as to how much I appreciate literature. This occurred to me again recently as I perused the latest issue of the zine called "Stupor."

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A Bold New Literary Festival in Haiti

Deji Olukotun | Posted 04.30.2012

Read More: Literature, Human Rights, Free the Word!, Books, PEN International, PEN Haiti, PEN American Center, Lit, Liberez La Parole, Free Expression, Haiti, World News
Deji Olukotun

Two years after Georges Anglade's death, PEN Haiti announced its re-emergence on the international literary scene with full fanfare last weekend.

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Wislawa Szymborska, Nobel Poet: An Appreciation

Carla Seaquist | Posted 04.23.2012

Read More: Arts, Literature, Nobel Prize, Nobel Prize for Literature, Wislawa Szymborska, Wislawa Szymborska Dead, Poems, Poetry, Books News
Carla Seaquist

What I prize most about Wislawa Szymborska is her readiness to confront the big classic themes -- life, death, history, war, reality, love -- and to do so with a voice that combines the fire of the Resistance with a proper humility.

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What Katie Roiphe Missed About Women's Fantasies

BuzzFeed | Posted 04.17.2012

Read More: E.L. James, Literature, Female Novels, 50 Shades of Grey, Erotica, Reading, Books, Women News

It finally has the world talking about female sexual desires. Shift's Amy Odell and Anna North discuss the latest critique of the book in the new issu...

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Reevaluating Ownership

Jennifer Hamady | Posted 04.09.2012

Read More: Literature, Perfectly Smooth, Legal Rights, Music, Accessible, Conversational Language, Government, Freedom of Speech, Sean Combs, Creative License, Illegal Downloading, Technology, Mac Computers, Cosmetic Surgery, Language Rights, Brands, Creativity, Ipods, Washington DC, Free, Trademark Law, Creative Freedom, Facebook, Downloading, Ownership, Iphones, Service Mark, Ipads, Art, Original, Language, Inspiration, Napster, Margarita, Freedom of Expression, Branding, Copyright Law, Legal System, Imaginative, Inspire, Small Business News
Jennifer Hamady

Trademarks are becoming as common as commas, yet with a far greater impact than overused punctuation. While the legal lockdown of conversational language is progressing, the copyright law and rights are being thoroughly challenged.

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The Irish Irish vs. The Irish Americans... in San Francisco

Terence Clarke | Posted 04.05.2012

Read More: Fiction, San Francisco, Books, Ireland, Literature, Irish, Iridhamericans, Culture News
Terence Clarke

As any real Irishman who has met one of his American counterparts will tell you, the Americans are different. The American Irish seldom use their accent to elaborate a story or to make it pleasing.

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David Bellos on Being Translated

Nataly Kelly | Posted 03.28.2012

Read More: Literature, Publishing, Greece, Germany, France, Books, Spain, Translation, Korea, Books News
Nataly Kelly

What's it like to have your own work translated if you're an author who is also a translator? This was a question recently faced by David Bellos, the author of Is That a Fish in Your Ear?

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Linguine, Literature and Laughter

Charlie Carillo | Posted 03.27.2012

Read More: Denzel Washington, Literature, Samuel L. Jackson, Linguine, John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, One Hit Wonder, Shepherd Avenue, Laughter, Found Money, My Ride With Gus, Alec Baldwin, Red Sauce, Garlic, Dennis Farina, Ray Romano, Raising Jake, Morgan Fairchild, Frank Sinatra, Justin Bieber, Video, Books News
Charlie Carillo

My career as a writer leads me to the conclusion that three "L" words make life worth living: Linguine, literature and laughter. In this video you'll see how to make a good red sauce for linguine, while hearing crazy stories about literature.

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The Undergraduate Whisperer: No "Right Answers"? Wrong!

Rebecca Schuman | Posted 05.12.2012

Read More: College Students, Literature, Philosophy, College, Professors, College News, Teaching Methods, Campus Life, Teaching, College News
Rebecca Schuman

Did you hear about that philosophy final where the professor came in and wrote "Why?" on the chalkboard? And a student got an A+ by answering "Why not?" I guaran-effing-tee you this has never happened in the history of college.

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Literary Recipes: Louisa May Alcott's Apple Slump

Nicole Villeneuve | Posted 05.09.2012

Read More: Literature, Baking, Louisa May Alcott, Apples, Books News, Little Women, Recipes, Cooking, Apple Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Desserts, Dessert, Books News
Nicole Villeneuve

2012-03-09-Screenshot20120309at12.08.47PM.jpgAlcott loved the dish so much that she nicknamed her house after it. Orchard House famously provided the setting for Little Women.

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'What's Chauvinism?'

Jayanti Tamm | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Literature, Generation X, Millennial Generation, Teaching, College, Feminism, Gop Primary 2012, Sexism, Generation Gap, Women News
Jayanti Tamm

An uncomfortable silence filled the classroom. No one had started writing a response to the question I had written. Finally, one student raised her hand."What does 'chauvinist' mean?"

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Is William Faulkner Sexy? Hell Yes!

Scott Alexander Hess | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Literature, Helen Schucman, William Faulkner, Sexy Writing, Writers, Sex Addict, Sensual Language, Matt Bondurant, Books News
Scott Alexander Hess

All of Faulkner's books are ripe with both overt and subtle sexuality. His novel Sanctuary, about a debutante who is taken hostage in a farm house (sometimes referred to as his potboiler), is wild, beautiful, brilliant and very sensual.

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He Should Have Been There All Along: Let Us Remember What Democracy Is All About

Pam Allyn | Posted 04.28.2012

Read More: Literature, Children's Literacy, Ezra Jack Keats, Kenya, Arizona Book Ban, Children's Books, Children, The Snowy Day, Sherman Alexie, Children's Literature, Democracy, Stories, Race, Arizona Immigration Law, Censorship, Books News
Pam Allyn

Are we really so uncertain and so unsure of how stable our society is that we would become this afraid to share the perspectives of those who have experienced feelings of isolation -- or loneliness in our society or who have a different story to tell?

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Should We Still Be Using The Term 'Ethnic Literature'?

Krys Lee | Posted 04.24.2012

Read More: Ethnic Literature, Literature, World Literature, Genres, Korean American Literature, Books News
Krys Lee

There's nothing wrong with the term "ethnic literature" in its original intentions, but I am interested in what happens beyond the marketing of "ethnic literature." Reading ethnic writers reflects a greater trend towards an openness to world literature, but it isn't mutually exclusive to other reading experiences.

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The Gift of Heartbeats

Carol Hoenig | Posted 04.17.2012

Read More: Literature, Jan-Philipp Sendker, Art of Hearing Heartbeats, Blindness, Fiction, Other Press, Burma Father-Daughter Relationship, Book Reviews, Art of Hearing Heartbeats Review, Books News
Carol Hoenig

Human nature often encourages us to live in the present but when the present has little to offer, the past becomes much more important to a daughter wanting to know much more about her father.

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