Photo by Markos Mant via Unsplash There’s something inherently magical about reading in the summer. Perhaps it dates back to those formative elementary school days of furiously cataloging summer reads for the chance at winning a free personal pizza, but the words “summer” and “reading” bring only positive associations to mind. With only a few […]
This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter— sign up here . “How do I write sober?” was the big question that sobriety raised. I told the alcoholics who were helping me, “If it comes down to a choice between my creativity and my sobriety, I don’t know that I will choose sobriety.” […]
Five times in my historical novel Sparrow , the character Calidus, a young provincial Roman who is the oldest son of a brothel owner uses the late twentieth century idiom, “Whatever.” On each occasion one of his free employees is telling him something he doesn’t particularly want to deal with. Twice he waves his hand […]
Last November, I made a birthday cake from scratch for my daughter, and both of my darling kids pitched in to help. My son wanted to help mix the ingredients and make the strawberry reduction for the frosting, while my daughter, ever the artist, wanted to frost and decorate the finished product. It was a […]
From “Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend.” PAUL BUNYAN: The Invention of an American Legend, by Noah Van Sciver Before there was fake news, there were tall tales. Often associated with the history of westward expansion, most of these tales carried expiration dates, their relevance fading in a dramatically changed world. But others […]
Image Credit: In today’s digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the landscape of various industries, and writing is no exception. AI-powered tools and algorithms have emerged as powerful allies for writers, reshaping the way we approach the craft of writing. Beyond simply automating mundane tasks, AI is transforming good writing techniques, unlocking new […]
This week on The Maris Review , Jamel Brinkley joins Maris Kreizman to discuss Witness , out now from FSG. Subscribe and download the episode , wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 216: Jamel Brinkley Forward 15 seconds Back 15 seconds Share Subscribe Description * from the episode: Maris Kreizman: I’m wondering if you could […]
Photo of Richard Burton and Yvonne Furneaux from a showing of “Wuthering Heights” As a reader I want a deeply flawed love interest. A relationship that’s doomed from the start. My first taste of the deeply flawed love interest was the Byronic hero. I learned about him in the classroom. I saw him in the […]
Our fivesome of fascinating reviews this week includes Mateo Askaripour on Jamel Brinkley’s Witness , Katy Waldman on Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake , Michael Frank on Patrick deWitt’s The Librarianist , Apoorva Tadepalli on Lydia Kiesling’s Mobility , and Jennifer Szalai on Wolfram Eilenberger’s The Visionaries . Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit […]
This conversation is presented in partnership with the Refocus Film Festival, a four-day celebration of the art of adaptation and hosted by Iowa City’s nonprofit cinema, FilmScene. The 2nd annual Refocus Film Festival will take place in Iowa City October 12-15, 2023. Passes are on sale now , with individual tickets and full festival announcements […]
