"They can withhold their money, come into our yards, and exile us from our living rooms, but our house is our house." Marina Magloire on the Clifton House, the Pamoja workshop, revolution, and refuge, from LARB Quarterly no. 47: Security: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/keeping-house/

Want to get your Publishing Workshop questions answered? Join LARB staff and Publishing Workshop alumni for an online info session and Q&A about the 2026 @larb-workshop.bsky.social on Jan. 15, Feb. 5, or Feb. 17. More info here: https://tinyurl.com/2026PWInfo

"It is a testament to Fastvold’s editorial achievement that 'The Testament of Ann Lee' is so fundamentally carnal, even if its heroine is decidedly not." Kelli Weston considers Mona Fastvold’s "The Testament of Ann Lee": https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/our-ordeal-is-worth-it/

"In a hypothetical future, medical internationalism could do a world of good and mend the global medical system. But in our isolationist moment, this is just a pipe dream." Kim Adams on Eram Alam’s "The Care of Foreigners." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-globalization-of-us-healthcare/

@chelsead.bsky.social on Katherine Dunn's story collection: “Dunn roundly rejects the consolations of fantasy and instead applauds the harder beauties of scrappy survival.” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/flesh-under-pressure/

We are officially in the home-stretch with only a few more days to donate to our extended fund drive—help LARB stay a home for emerging and established writers in and out of L.A. https://lareviewofbooks.org/donate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mgfd25&utm_id=mgfd25bsky

@billmckibben.bsky.social on combating the climate crisis by transitioning from fossil fuels to solar power: "If solar has a weakness, it’s that it is, in a sense, too cheap." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/energy-from-heaven-not-from-hell/

Eric Gudas reflects on Diane Arbus's work and legacy: "The gazes of Arbus’s subjects, whether direct or averted, occluded by masks or issuing what she called 'a remorseless scrutiny' back at her, always register her presence." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/outward-signs-of-inner-mysteries/

"You can hear the influence of Tammy’s voice, if not the life experience that burnished it, all over the place." Drew Bratcher visits Tammy Wynette's grave and considers her legacy: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/at-tammy-wynettes-grave-woodlawn-memorial-park-nashville/

For @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social ), I reviewed Katherine Dunn’s first, and posthumous, collection of short fiction. Violence, motherhood, resilience, boxing. lareviewofbooks.org/article/fles...

“In fact, her photos’ apparent artlessness accounts for their power to elicit visceral reactions—from disgust to adulation.” Eric Gudas on the work and afterlife of the misunderstood photographer Diane Arbus: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/outward-signs-of-inner-mysteries/

Give $250 or more to our extended fund drive and you can our limited-edition farmer’s market tote, created to commemorate LARB’s office at the historic Granada Buildings. https://lareviewofbooks.org/donate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mgfd25&utm_id=mgfd25bsky

“We’re used to thinking of solar power as the Whole Foods of energy—nice but pricey. But it’s really the Costco of power now.” @billmckibben.bsky.social talks to Miyo McGinn: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/energy-from-heaven-not-from-hell/

"Alvarez is not interested in the stasis, but the ways and directions in which we—inevitably—move forward again." Vesper North digs into Lisa Alvarez's “Some Final Beauty and Other Stories.” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-did-good-enough/

Our annual fund drive is extended for this week only. From LARB Quarterly to LITLIT to Publishing Workshop, we keep it all running for you—help us meet our goal of $100,000: https://lareviewofbooks.org/donate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mgfd25&utm_id=mgfd25bsky

Tim Riley reviews Cameron Crowe's new memoir, "The Uncool," which "like the music of David Bowie or the Allman Brothers, who leave their grief unprocessed, Crowe swerves around the gaping sadness gnawing at his story’s edges.” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/almost-candid/

"What did Tammy’s music concede if not heartache’s interminability, and what was her singing if not a kiss blown to everyone with a broken heart." Drew Bratcher meditates on a country music legend's legacy: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/at-tammy-wynettes-grave-woodlawn-memorial-park-nashville/

"'Near Flesh' often treats motherhood and violence as two sides of the same coin, or sword." @chelsead.bsky.social considers Katherine Dunn’s posthumous story collection "Near Flesh." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/flesh-under-pressure/

"Revealing the operations of power behind cultural productions and professed ideals is a common practice of academia. Kemp practices a crude, TED Talk version of it." Aaron Labaree on Luke Kemp’s “Goliath’s Curse.” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/stone-age-mindset/

Have you heard? Our fund drive was extended to Jan. 9, giving you 6 more days to have your LARB donation matched! https://lareviewofbooks.org/donate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mgfd25&utm_id=mgfd25bsky

“The core tension of Crowe’s career, and this book, is the push and pull between access and reflection.” Tim Riley listens for the unspoken ironies of Cameron Crowe’s career via his new memoir, "The Uncool." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/almost-candid/

Vesper North reviews "Some Final Beauty and Other Stories" by Lisa Alvarez: "The characters are vain, insufferable, heartbreaking—but their inability to find a reprieve from the moroseness at the end is what gives them staying power." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-did-good-enough/

Don't miss it: Los Angeles Review of Books is thrilled to present more details on our Winter Luminary Dinner with Susan Orlean and Alex Ross. Join us for a night of dining, drinks, and conversation! Tickets on sale now: https://lareviewofbooks.org/event/susan-orlean-luminary-dinner/

@megapolisomancy.bsky.social on the "Well-Built City Trilogy" and the "sense of complexity especially evident in Ford’s trilogy, most particularly in its use of subjectivity." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-are-close-we-are-almost-there/

"The film’s winking historiography turns a ping-pong ball into a flying black hole that condenses a century and a nation into a single, hollow, loud moment." Sam Bodrojan talks “Marty Supreme,” and the mythmaking around a monoculture masterpiece. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/made-in-america/

On this week's #LARBRadioHour: We revisit our episode with photographer and writer Sally Mann about her book, "Art Work: On the Creative Life." Listen now here or wherever you find your podcasts: https://lareviewofbooks.org/av/sally-mann-art-work-creative-life-podcast/

Last call!! Call the LARB Book Club hotline (at (626) 508-0705‬) by *midnight tonight* to get your questions about "Television" answered by Lauren Rothery herself. Learn more about our book club here: https://lareviewofbooks.org/event/larb-book-club-discussion-television-by-lauren-rothery/

“It’s the story of our fall from Paleolithic grace, from egalitarian nomadic bands to sedentary living, hoarded grain, hierarchical society, male domination, right up to our current ecological breakdown.” Aaron Labaree on "Goliath’s Curse": https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/stone-age-mindset/

Happy New Year! Our matching grant challenge has been extended one week; through Jan. 9 every dollar will be doubled by an anonymous donor. We need you to keep doing what we do: https://lareviewofbooks.org/donate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mgfd25&utm_id=mgfd25bsky

Jodie Hollander describes the imprisonment of fame, in a poem from our latest, LARB Quarterly no. 47, Security. Read it and the other poems from Security on our site now: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/jodie-hollanders-the-ouija-board/

"There's not much talk of public toilets in the West between the fall of the Roman Empire and the 19th century. Human bodies didn't change, but their disbursement and cognizance did." Calvin Gimpelevich on the history and politics of public toilets https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/filthy-matters/

“With the publication of 'Only Sing,' we glimpse the full extent of Berryman’s achievement. ” Rowland Bagnall reviews John Berryman’s collection, "Only Sing": https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/strange-woofs/

"Sharing it with readers has shown me that a book lives far beyond you, that people bring their own histories of soil and migration to it." -Jason Allen-Paisant on writing “The Possibility of Tenderness.” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/root-work/

Applications are open for the 10th @larb-workshop.bsky.social! Join LARB staff and 60+ publishers from across the country this summer for an intensive online workshop and start your career in publishing in 2026. https://lareviewofbooks.org/publishing-workshop/

Tess Taylor captures fragments of dream text, blank invitations, and stored receipts, in a poem from LARB Quarterly no. 47, Security. Read it now on the site, and check out other pieces from the new issue: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/tess-taylors-three-notebooks/

@ruthjoffre.bsky.social on "We Will Rise Again," where activists are "regular, everyday people trying to do a little good under decidedly less than ideal circumstances.” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/fantastical-transcendence-and-the-magic-of-resistance/

Zachary Gillan on reading "Well-Built City Trilogy" in the era of resurgent fascism: “The animating force of ‘The Well-Built City Trilogy’ is the work Cley is willing to put in in order to come back to his humanity.” https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/well-built-city-fascism-jeffrey-ford-trump/

Anna Journey writes on the "site of infernal nerve spark and spasm," in a poem from LARB Quarterly no. 47, Security. Read it online and pick up your own copy in print now: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/anna-journeys-i-object-to-the-etymology-of-sacrum/

Harley was my former editor so it’s a pleasure seeing her write about fashion & its socio-political impact. Dilara is a designer I used to love for how she integrated sx work culture into her designs. Now, via her poor workplace ethics & aligning with fascist barbies, I can see that it was a grift.

We’re thrilled to bring you an exclusive chance to get your questions about "Television" answered: This January, author Lauren Rothery will be joining the #LARBRadioHour to chat and answer reader questions. Dial ‪(626) 508-0705‬ through *January 5*, and leave Lauren a voicemail with your question!

"The book itself is the big noise, but within it, there are these private whispers." Alexis Pauline Gumbs interviews Jason Allen Paisant about his memoir, "The Possibility of Tenderness." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/root-work/

Presenting Zosha's staff pick of 2025, Dorie Chevlen explores the limits of love in the Prime Video series “The Summer I Turned Pretty." https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/which-brother-do-i-pick/

It's NYE, and we want to close 2025 with a bang. Today is the last chance to make your donation count in our fund drive—help us keep the LA literary scene alive and strong in 2026! https://lareviewofbooks.org/donate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mgfd25&utm_id=mgfd25bsky

Presenting AJ's staff pick of 2025, @rcbedsaul.bsky.social writing on “The Phoenician Scheme” and Wes Anderson’s late style: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/i-recognize-that-assassin/

“While Findikoglu speaks of shattering metaphorical cages, her designs rub shoulders with the very people who facilitate the construction of literal ones.” Harley Wong on "Cage of Innocence" and Edith Wharton: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/designing-feminism-or-fascism/

"Jeffrey Ford’s 'Well-Built City Trilogy' lays bare the farcical nature of our fascist reality." @megapolisomancy.bsky.social reflects on the "Well-Built City Trilogy": https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/we-are-close-we-are-almost-there/

Presenting Emily S.'s staff pick of 2025, Rachele Dini discussing OpenAI’s “A Machine-Shaped Hand” and an academic sector in crisis. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/literature-is-not-a-vibe-on-chatgpt-and-the-humanities/

Up now at @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social, I wrote about one of my favorite trilogies, Jeffrey Ford’s The Well-Built City, and what it has to say about living in a society in thrall, the fascist mindset, and the daily work of staying alive.

Two days left in the year — and in our fund drive! Keep LARB accessible, free, and thriving into 2026 to support the future of literary criticism everywhere. https://lareviewofbooks.org/donate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mgfd25&utm_id=mgfd25bsky

Dalia Taha writes on Palestine and the messages etched into the land, in two poems from LARB Quarterly no. 47, Security, translated by Sara Elkamel. Read both of them online now: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/two-poems-by-dalia-taha/