Sarah Hepola: Detective Work on Your Own Life
The author of “Blackout” talks with Amy Benfer about the cost of alcoholism, “the gray zone of consent,” and her…
Amy Benfer
Amy Benfer has worked as an editor and staff writer at Salon, Legal Affairs, and Paper magazine. Her reviews and features on books have appeared in Salon, The San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, The Believer, Kirkus Reviews, and The New York Times Book Review.
A Piñata of Lies: Patricia Lockwood
The acclaimed poet on life in the Midwest, the freeing illegitimacy of Twitter, and what feminism means to her.
The Voice: Tracey Thorn’s Pop Journey
Musician Tracey Thorn on punk rock, feminism, motherhood, the radical sound of quiet, and her new memoir, Bedsit Disco Queen.
Kate Christensen: You Can’t Hide When You’re Writing about Food
Kate Christensen on her new memoir Blue Plate Special and the ability of food to invoke a banquet of memories.
Susan Straight: A World of Daughters
The author of Between Heaven and Here talks about the thin line between motherhood and authorship.
You Have to Take It Home: Daniel Handler on Lemony Snicket
The mysterious author’s alter ego talks about pen names, Agatha Christie, and his new series, All the Wrong Questions.
Ghost Estates: Tana French on Ireland after the Bubble
The author on her bestselling mysteries, and their roots in a changing culture.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
A story of friendship and tragedy lightened by quirky humor.
"The Past is a Negotiation": Jeanette Winterson
The author of Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal? talks about the consequences of “spiritual damage.”
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
A lonely boy finds hope in friendship.
Wildwood
The lead singer of the Decembrists pens a novel filled with characters you might find in one of his songs.
Perfect
An arresting new novel-in-verse follows four Nevada teens as they try to come to terms with their flaws and limitations.
You Were Wrong
An obnoxious stepfather, a lovely burglar, and an overwhelmed young math teacher wrestle with words.
Juliet, Naked
The author of High Fidelity returns to a favorite subject: the heart of the pop music fan.
Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine
Bryant Terry’s collard greens are lightly braised and tossed with raisins and citrus; his okra lightly crisped and served with…
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned
In these stories, a clutch of modern Crusoes carve out lives on islands of their own design.
Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor
A life spent “between the house and the chicken yard” nurtured a writer whose short fiction plumbed the depths of…
The Silver Linings Playbook
A novel in which an unquiet mind finds an unlikely form of therapy.