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The National Book Foundation announces expansion of public programming; a poetry correspondence between Natalie Diaz and Ada Limón; shortlists for Forward Prizes for Poetry announced; and other news.
Swedish meatballs are Turkish? Last month Sweden posted on its official Twitter account that Swedish meatballs have their origins in Turkey, thereby unleashing a storm of chaos and confusion as Swedes and Swedophiles alike reconsidered the popular national dish, often enjoyed at Ikea furniture stores worldwide. Using this questioning and rethinking of possession, history, and identity as inspiration, write a personal essay about an idiosyncratic trait that seems inextricably tied to your identity. Do those around you associate you with this trait? How might you be perceived differently if one day this characteristic was no longer yours to claim?
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students to publish anthology with Random House; romance novelist and lawyer Stacey Abrams wins Democratic primary in Georgia gubernatorial race; Sylvia Plath’s undergraduate thesis on doppelgängers; and other news.
How writers of color are reinventing the science fiction and fantasy genre; Bill Gates recommends five books to read this summer; a case against book snobbery; and other news.
Jennifer Egan is working on a companion book to A Visit From the Goon Squad; remembering publisher Peter Mayer; publishers report modest growth in first quarter of 2018; and other news.
Elena Ferrante on her greatest fear; the collages of John Ashbery; the lesbian canon; and other news.
Stephen Hawking’s final book; Norman Mailer’s house up for sale; the winners of this year’s O. Henry Prize for short stories; and other news.
“Sometimes I’ll write for two weeks straight and not write for six months….” Sheila Heti, author of the novel Motherhood (Henry Holt, 2018), talks about her lack of a writing routine and the benefits of letting feelings, ideas, and energy build up and become more complex.
What happens when a flower blooms before its pollinator emerges? As global warming transforms the earth’s climate, spring has begun to arrive earlier in certain places. In turn, some plants and animals whose behavioral patterns, such as migratory and reproductive cycles, are triggered by seasonal changes are falling out of step with each other. Think of a time in your life when you have felt out of step with the world around you, perhaps just slightly behind or a little too far ahead. When did you first notice the misalignment and how did you break free of it? Did you need to make an effort to adapt yourself? Reflect on your emotional state during this time, and how the people around you might have helped you through this phase.
Feral House publisher Adam Parfrey has died; reading Pablo Neruda in light of #MeToo; the strangest bookmarks found in libraries; and other news.
