Sometimes the mail brings treats

I’m in the new issue of @nplusonemag.com with a piece on a recent kind of theory-text— the ingredients of which are exhaustion, abstraction, and a stoic kind of mordancy, and whose voice is that of the reading mother:

I got a chance to talk to @sophieratcliffe.bsky.social about her recent hybrid of memoir and literary theory, and we discussed genres of academic writing, following in the paths of fictional characters, parenting, aging, and more

Is there a possible combination of Bookmatch quiz answers that would give you *both* of these recommendations? Donate and find out

Up now at @publicbooks.bsky.social: a conversation between Merve Emre and Devika Rege about the latter’s excellent debut novel, out now in the US

Ok, I started a starter pack for novel scholars and the people who love them. Long live long forms! Happy to add anyone I missed. go.bsky.app/FcvMAmd

Of interest to some here I’m sure:

Imagine your first experience reading a book divided into chapters. What confronted you was a story that unexpectedly stuttered. Discover the fascinating history of the chapter from @njdames.bsky.social. press.princeton.edu/ideas/the-lo... #Literature

NYC-area friends: there’s a book launch event for THE CHAPTER at the n+1 office in Greenpoint on Wednesday night, where I’ll be talking with critic/journalist/novelist Christine Smallwood about all things segmented, interrupted, paused, etc. Beer and wine (and book copies) for sale!

Today is my book’s official pub date, and while I’m not at home— or even in the US— to celebrate it, I *was* able to visit it at the storied Heffers in Cambridge. Now for the longest of deep breaths.

I had the pleasure of talking about my book *The Chapter* with @xavierbonilla.bsky.social -- a fantastic interlocutor-- for his podcast "Converging Dialogues". We touched on therapy-metaphors, why novel chapters get longer, and why we can't not segment time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyaC...

Vilém Flusser, Does Writing Have a Future? (2002)

Public Books has moved in, is unpacking boxes, getting used to the new place

Incisive and depressing piece on what’s been happening gradually and now suddenly to humanities research funding

The New Criticism hits the US: Harvard course catalogue, 1930-1