Autobiography and Memoir

Richard Wright

Did ‘Cancel Culture’ Drive Richard Wright Underground? Did ‘Cancel Culture’ Drive Richard Wright Underground?

On “Memories of My Grandmother” and The Man Who Lived Underground.

May 20, 2021 / Joseph G. Ramsey

Mike Gold, Avant-Garde Bard of Proletarian New York

Mike Gold, Avant-Garde Bard of Proletarian New York Mike Gold, Avant-Garde Bard of Proletarian New York

A new biography charts Gold's many lives—as a novelist and journalist, as a working-class militant, and as a forerunner to the Beats.

May 12, 2021 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman

What ‘Girlhood’ Means in 2021

What ‘Girlhood’ Means in 2021 What ‘Girlhood’ Means in 2021

A conversation with Melissa Febos about her radical essays on youth and gender.

May 10, 2021 / Q&A / Naomi Gordon-Loebl

Tove Ditlevsen

The Brutal Transcendence of Tove Ditlevsen The Brutal Transcendence of Tove Ditlevsen

By resisting all of memoir’s conventions, the Danish writer tells the story of her life more painfully and beautifully.

May 6, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Marie Solis

Michelle Zauner

The Art of the Memoir With Japanese Breakfast The Art of the Memoir With Japanese Breakfast

A conversation with indie pop artist Michelle Zauner on cooking, grieving, and the role politics plays in music.

Apr 28, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Rosemarie Ho

John Edgar Wideman

The Craft of John Edgar Wideman The Craft of John Edgar Wideman

A conversation with one of the greatest living Black American writers on work, life, and why good fiction is like a game of basketball.

Apr 26, 2021 / Q&A / Elias Rodriques

Vivian Gornick in Reverse

Vivian Gornick in Reverse Vivian Gornick in Reverse

A conversation with the writer about her life and work.

Mar 11, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Hannah Gold

Bob Dylan at Montfort Hall, Leicester (U.K.) in 1965.

How Bob Dylan Wrote the Second Great American Songbook How Bob Dylan Wrote the Second Great American Songbook

The sale of the singer-songwriter’s catalogue is a reminder of his massive cultural legacy.

Dec 11, 2020 / Jeet Heer

The Vanishing Queer Underground of Los Angeles

The Vanishing Queer Underground of Los Angeles The Vanishing Queer Underground of Los Angeles

Reynaldo Rivera’s photos of the city's nightlife document a time of cheap rent and possibility.

Dec 10, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Kate Wolf

Roberto Lovato’s Journalism of the Soul

Roberto Lovato’s Journalism of the Soul Roberto Lovato’s Journalism of the Soul

In his memoir Unforgetting, he shows how reportage that is rooted in personal biography and inner turmoil can unveil a more powerful kind of truth.

Dec 7, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Kyle Paoletta

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