Awarding the Nobel Prize for Literature to Belarusian Svetlana Alexievich is a bold decision – I like this piece by Arifa Akbar because it focuses on the way Alexievich’s win “recalibrates the status of ‘non-fiction’ in the literary canon. I agree that there remains a perception that non-fiction is somehow less ... more >
Plan ‘B’: How A Feminist Comic Book Found Devoted Fans Through Absurdity – A great interview with Kelly Sue DeConnick on the origins of the comic Bitch Planet, the first five issues of which were released this week as a graphic novel. DeConnick talks about how being pigeonholed as an “angry feminist,” ... more >
PBS Beefs Up Book Programming – PBS is expanding its coverage of the book industry via its series Book View Now, which was launched in late 2014. The network hopes to build “a distribution platform that includes livestreaming, social media, third-party partners, original program development, and targeted content delivery to other ... more >
Rethinking Pink: A New Feminine Aesthetic in Tech Toys for Girls – Sparkle Labs’ Amy Parness writes about the persistent use of pink and blue in the marketing of items to boys and girls. Although retailers like Amazon have actually eliminated the boys/girls categorization, the distinction, Parness argues, is discouraging girls from pursuing ... more >
Is Everyone Qualified to Be a Critic? -Adam Kirsch and Charles McGrath debate the question of criticism – namely whether there should be formal “qualifications.” McGrath laments what he seems to see as a general degradation of critical writing these days (ah, the good old days!), and argues that informed ... more >
Mom Launches War Against Bestselling Book About Race, Science -Another day, another attack on a book. This time it’s Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken without permission, and used in myriad scientific experiments, leading to momentous discoveries like the polio vaccine, cloning, and assisting ... more >