Literature

Type of genre for books

10 Essential Books About Writing

An illustration shows a person with brown skin and brown hair with a pencil in their mouth, bookshelves with blue, purple, yellow, and pink book covers behind them, and a laptop in front of them.
by Nylah Burton
April 6, 2022 at 12:07pm
Must-read titles for writers include works by Elena Ferrante, Akwaeke Emezi, Meg Wolitzer, Yoko Ogawa, and more.
Melissa Febos, a white woman with blue eyes and black long hair, looks directly at the viewer. On the right of the author is a small image of her new book's cover, which shows a blue figure of a woman on a yellow background. The title reads "Body Work."

In “Body Work,” Melissa Febos Delivers a Meta-Memoir

by Laura LeMoon
March 18, 2022 at 2:28pm
Melissa Febos’s latest, “Body Work,” is a bold and exhilarating mix of memoir and master class. Read more »
Laynie Rose

This TikTokker Has Your Next Queer Rom Com Reading Rec

by Sarah Stark
February 25, 2022 at 9:43am
“It’s Gay and It Slaps”  Read more »
Author photo of Anastasia Higginbothom, a white woman with short grey hair, a tattoo on her arm, and a cheetah print shirt. She looks into the camera. Next to her is the cover of her book, You Ruined It.

Not Just for Kids: A New Book Addresses the Unbearable Truth of Sexual Assault

by Sara Youngblood Gregory
February 24, 2022 at 12:01pm
Anastasia Higginbothom writes children’s books on serious and challenging topics. Her latest is “You Ruined It: A Book About Boundaries,” which addresses sexual assault. Read more »
Nina, a white woman with long, dark hair, looks upset, pointing behind the camera and speaking to another person on the beach. Next to her Leda, an older white woman with short brown hair puts her hand on Nina's arm.

Confused and Lacking: “The Lost Daughter” Erases the Depth of Elena Ferrante's Book

by Nylah Burton
January 31, 2022 at 11:16am
By omitting the rich interiority of the main character, the film adaptation renders flat the book’s complex discussion of motherhood and class. Read more »
A miniature woman in a yellow dress stands on a bookshelf and approaches the massive books with a flashlight.

Reblazing Saddles: Who Shapes the Wild West Lit Canon?

by Nylah Burton
December 10, 2021 at 2:50pm
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Blue book cover with abstract yellow shapes and figures

Socialist Anxiety: Sally Rooney’s New Novel Reveals an Author Trapped By Herself

by Nylah Burton
September 10, 2021 at 3:59pm
The insistent classification of Rooney’s work as Marxist has long felt like a stretch. Read more »
photo-illustration of Sherman Alexie holding a #MeToo placard

Where There's Smoke: Sherman Alexie and the Toll of Literary Tokenism

by Amanda Gokee
September 8, 2021 at 1:43pm
Alexie was the singular voice of Native American literature. Maybe he shouldn’t have been. Read more »
A child reads a book.

Trauma or Tragedy: Disability Representation in Children’s Books Has a Long Way to Go

by Alaina Leary
July 21, 2020 at 12:22pm
It isn’t easy to find a children’s book or young adult novel that accurately depicts disability. Read more »
Edward, a very white vampire, leans down to Bella as he saves her from being hit by a car.

More Than Nostalgia: “Twilight” Lovers Are Cautiously Optimistic about “Midnight Sun”

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
May 7, 2020 at 2:50pm
Twilight is not a perfect series. Read more »
Andrea Gibson sits on a stoop

Andrea Gibson’s “Lord of the Butterflies” Celebrates Constant Transformation

by Elizabeth Hoover
December 27, 2018 at 2:43pm
In their fifth collection of poetry, Lord of the Butterflies, Andrea Gibson resists tidy narratives in favor of dramatizing a life that’s vibrant with constant transformation. Read more »

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