Oct 05 Poet Donald Hall Reflects on Love, Death and New Hampshire "Love, death and New Hampshire," Donald Hall once said when asked what he writes about. It remains true in the former US Poet Laureate's newly published book of poems, "The Back Chamber."… Continue reading
Sep 28 Extended Interview: Russell Banks Discusses ‘Lost Memory of Skin’ By Molly Finnegan A squalid encampment under a causeway in an American city is the unusual and charged setting for a new novel, "Lost Memory of Skin," which explores some deep issues of American life rarely raised and rarely seen by most of… Continue reading
Aug 26 In ‘Salvage the Bones,’ Jesmyn Ward Tells Personal Story of Hurricane Katrina By Molly Finnegan "Salvage the Bones," a new novel by Jesmyn Ward, tells the story of a Mississippi Gulf Coast family in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in the U.S. now six years ago this week. Continue reading
Aug 12 Conversation: Esmeralda Santiago, Author of ‘Conquistadora’ By Tom LeGro Set in the 1800's, Esmeralda Santiago's epic novel, "Conquistadora," tells two coming-of-age stories: one of its heroine, Ana Cubillas, the daughter of Spanish aristocrats who becomes head of a plantation in the new world, and the other of Puerto Rico… Continue reading
Jul 21 It’s the End for Borders, but How Are Independent Bookstores Faring? When Borders established itself as a major chain in the 1990s, it became, along with Barnes & Noble, and later, online retailers like Amazon, a main competitor of small, independent bookstores around the country. Today, having outlived Borders, small stores… Continue reading
Jul 01 Conversation: Eleanor Henderson, Author of ‘Ten Thousand Saints’ By Tom LeGro Jeffrey Brown talks to Eleanor Henderson, author of "Ten Thousand Saints," a novel that's garnering strong reviews for its treatment of teens, an underground youth culture and troubled family relationships. Continue reading
May 06 Conversation: Karen Russell, Author of ‘Swamplandia!’ By Tom LeGro Karen Russell's novel, "Swamplandia!" centers around the Bigtree family, which runs an amusement park in the Florida everglades. But this isn't a Disney-style park -- alligator wrestling is the major draw. Continue reading
Apr 28 Conversation: PEN World Voices Festival Director Laszlo Jakab Orsos By Molly Finnegan Now in New York until May 1, more than 100 writers from around the world have gathered for the annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. Continue reading
Apr 01 Conversation: Tea Obreht, Author of ‘The Tiger’s Wife’ By Molly Finnegan Realism and fantasy are part of "The Tiger's Wife," the new, first novel by Tea Obreht, a 25-year-old writer who was born in the former Yugoslavia and came to the United States at age 12. Continue reading
Mar 28 Weekly Poem: ‘The Virtues of Birds’ Craig Morgan Teicher is a poet, critic and freelance writer. His first book of poems, "Brenda Is in the Room and Other Poems," won the 2007 Colorado Prize for Poetry and was published by the Center for Literary Publishing. His… Continue reading