Gutted by this news, and that she was so young--even if I could do the math on her autobiographical story, Persepolis seems like the work of decades' more confidence and insight. And just a beautiful creation. Use your voice while you have a voice to use. RIP.

For today's newsletter I wrote about two new excellent novels by Jordan Harper and Patrick Cottrell. www.themarisreview.com/the-maris-re...

MIDDLEMEN: LITERARY AGENTS AND THE MAKING OF AMERICAN FICTION is out today! Today marks the culmination of a decade's worth of work on this project: I conducted my first interview in fall of 2016. I'm so thrilled to share it with you.

Can a mountain really be cursed? @amayor.bsky.social explores the folklore behind natural history.

Even as gender norms have evolved, the history of advice columns shows that people have always found love confusing and anxiety-inducing, writes @sophiastewart.bsky.social:

“Rare Tongues is at heart a personal journey. . . . Gibb navigates complex and sensitive terrain—technical and politically charged—with both scholarly rigor and warmth.” Read the full review of @drlornagibb.bsky.social’s global tour of endangered languages at @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

“In ‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer,’ Norton . . . brilliantly selects the most compelling—or bizarre examples” from the world’s first advice column, delivering “[a] delightful compendium of 17th-century advice to the lovelorn.” Read the full @wsj.com review: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

The responsibility of supporting press freedom cannot and should not fall on one person — or even the entire press corps. Here are steps anyone can take to support press freedom: www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...

I woke Papi up from his long nap to answer a letter from a concerned reader who says they feel scared and small in the wake of everything these days johnpaulbrammer.substack.com/p/what-am-i-...

one of the easiest ways to show support for your local library branch: sending an email to your congressional representatives & us senators that urges them to overturn the executive order that would cut off federal funding to museums and libraries. only takes one click! www.ala.org/faq-executiv...

Princeton president Christopher L. Eisgruber: “The attack on Columbia is a radical threat to scholarly excellence and to America’s leadership in research. Universities and their leaders should speak up and litigate forcefully to protect their rights.” theatln.tc/9MMrKDHy

I found the book angle on much of my discontent with my elected officials, and I went off. lithub.com/shilling-boo...

“Brevity is the soul of politeness. In an industry that traffics in words, it can feel like rudeness.” Sloane Crosley on the art of saying “no.”

Read Natural Magic author Renée Bergland's guest essay on finding hope in an uncertain ecological future, via @nytopinion.nytimes.com: bsky.app/profile/nyto...

coming to a bookstore near you on April 22!

Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos's changes to the opinion pages have led subscribers to cancel in droves. It's the third wave of mass cancellations at the Post in just a few months.

Today @thesicktimes.bsky.social: I spoke to several federal workers with Long COVID who are deeply concerned about their future employment under the Trump administration. thesicktimes.org/2025/03/03/f...

"The White House is limiting the AP’s press access because they think the AP is pushing a 'partisan agenda.' Believe it or not, pushing a partisan agenda is generally protected by the 1st Amendment, so retaliating against the AP on that basis is as clear cut a violation as you’re ever going to get."

it's a great day to cancel any active amazon prime subscriptions (and to support your local news media)!

The "campus free speech" and "cancel culture" panics were obvious efforts to seed the ground for a huge expansion of left-wing censorship and right-wing propaganda. That effort appears to have worked.

We join with publishers, authors, booksellers & librarians to affirm that the White House executive order recognizing only two sexes constitutes censorship and has no place in a free society. University presses strive to give voice to the breadth of human knowledge & experience. 1/2

We stand with @americanbookseller.bsky.social in asserting that the “erosion of the right to read anywhere threatens the right to read everywhere.”