Emily Greenhouse has been named editor of the New York Review of Books, and her colleagues Jana Prikryl, Daniel Drake, and Maya Chung will also take on new roles.
LitHub has a helpful—and very detailed—explainer of the memes mentioned in Patricia Lockwood’s new novel, No One Is Talking About This (there are more than fifty memes covered). If you understand why the eels of London are are on cocaine but are still wondering why “sneaze” is funnier than “sneeze,” see Audrey Wollen’s essay on the book in the forthcoming issue of Bookforum.
Maggie Doherty reviews Paulina Bren’s new book on the Barbizon hotel for the New Republic. From 1928 to 2007, the Barbizon was exclusively for women, particularly of the creative class: Sylvia Plath, Grace Kelly, Joan Didion, and Betsey Johnson were some of its guests. “Although Bren emphasizes the intimate nature of the Barbizon—women living together, sharing hopes for the future, and brushing past one another in the lobby—it was not the kind of place that fostered solidarity,” Doherty writes. “The focus was on individual achievement.” One exception came in the 1970s, when a group of older tenants organized for rent control.
At Philadelphia magazine, Victor Fiorillo talks with longtime activist and poet Sonia Sanchez about her childhood, essential works of Black literature, and her writing practice today. When asked to reflect on the past year, Sanchez takes a longer view: “In Black Studies and the Nation and being a part of New York CORE or becoming a part of the Black Arts Movement, I went in, and I came out with more information, and it has formed me. It has not deformed me. It has not malformed me. It has formed me.”
If you’ve ever wondered which academic press best matches your personality, Public Books has you covered with a quizzical.
Tonight, the Schomburg Center and the New York Public Library will host a discussion between New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow and New Yorker staff writer Hilton Als about Blow’s new book, The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto.