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5 votes
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Australian poet Les Murray dies at 80
Death notice at ABC news: Australian poet Les Murray dies at 80 Article about Les Murray in 2002: In the Land of Les Murray
3 votes -
Climate change fiction is rethinking the ecoterrorist
9 votes -
Variations on a Name: The -Punks of our Times
4 votes -
A Bouquet Of Poets For National Poetry Month
4 votes -
The myriad drumbeats of Afrofuturism: Afro-Brazilian speculative fiction
9 votes -
Gene Wolfe turned science fiction into high art
7 votes -
The most prescient science fiction author you aren’t reading: Feminist dystopian fiction owes just as much to this woman — who wrote as a man — as Margaret Atwood.
8 votes -
Can Poetry Move Readers to Take Climate Action?
5 votes -
Christopher Columbus' son had an enormous library. Its catalog was just found
6 votes -
Does an author's identity, personal experiences, or beliefs impact your appreciation for their work?
This recent topic has me thinking. On one hand, you have the whole "Death of the Author" idea that divorces the writer from their work. This makes a lot of sense, and allows for creative works of...
This recent topic has me thinking.
On one hand, you have the whole "Death of the Author" idea that divorces the writer from their work. This makes a lot of sense, and allows for creative works of fiction to exist entirely as fictions.
On the other hand, you have the #OwnVoices movement which specifically prioritizes the identity of the author as a method of affirming their work. This makes a lot of sense too, befitting the longstanding principle of "nothing about us without us." Who better to write a fictionalized experience than someone who has gone through a real-life parallel?
Then you have authors whose personal beliefs and experiences may or may not texture their work for readers. Orson Scott Card is commonly brought up in discussions like these on account of his views and public comments on homosexuality. William S. Burroughs famously shot his own wife. I can certainly see how those would be hard things to look past.
With all this in mind, does the author matter to you when you read (particularly works of fiction)? Does knowing about them enhance/detract from your reading experience?
15 votes -
Kosoko Jackson’s book scandal suggests YA Twitter is getting uglier
12 votes -
Frieze, a poem by Erin Elizabeth Smith
4 votes -
Tiamat’s Wrath raises the stakes as The Expanse nears the end
6 votes -
Why won't studios read my pitch?!
5 votes -
How do you find new books to read?
We all have plenty of books on our bedside table, waiting their turn. What makes you choose the ones you do?
15 votes -
Hunchback of Notre-Dame goes to top of bestseller list after fire
12 votes -
What are you reading these days? #17
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it. Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 ·...
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it.
Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 · Week #6 · Week #7 · Week #8 · Week #9 · Week #10 · Week #11 · Week #12 · Week #13 · Week #14 · Week #15 · Week #16
26 votes -
Eight books that can help make you a better leader
4 votes -
What are some good entry points for getting into poetry?
I like the idea of poetry, but I almost never actually read it. My knowledge of the form is pretty much limited to a handful of popular classics that I had to read back in high school; one or two...
I like the idea of poetry, but I almost never actually read it. My knowledge of the form is pretty much limited to a handful of popular classics that I had to read back in high school; one or two poems each from Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, and Shakespeare.
Where do I start if I want to dip my toes into poetic waters? What are some good poems/compilations for poetry novices? I'm particularly interested in modern, contemporary voices, but I'm open to anything.
19 votes -
The Real Ramona: How Beverly Cleary transformed her harsh, difficult childhood into heartwarming fiction
4 votes -
'We need to keep our language alive': Inside a Uyghur bookshop in Istanbul
10 votes -
‘I’m not racist, but …’
10 votes -
Holdfast, a poem by Robin Beth Schaer
5 votes -
Fifty shades of white: The long fight against racism in romance novels
5 votes -
‘Crisis,’ a Poem by W. H. Auden
5 votes -
Free short story vending machines delight commuters
12 votes -
French Novel, a poem by Richie Hofmann
4 votes -
James Patterson donates $1.25 million to classroom libraries
9 votes -
Creating the Innocent Killer: Ender's Game, Intention, and Morality
13 votes -
Oh no! The depressing truth about the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory workers
9 votes -
What are you reading these days? #16
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it. Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 ·...
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it.
Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 · Week #6 · Week #7 · Week #8 · Week #9 · Week #10 · Week #11 · Week #12 · Week #13 · Week #14 · Week #15
21 votes -
Romance and erotica is the top revenue-generating literary category in the US, accounting for more than half of all mass-market paperbacks sold
8 votes -
Hugo finalists for 2019 Hugo Awards and 1944 retro Hugos
4 votes -
What is your favourite audiobook?
Some books are adapted to the medium of audiobooks better than others. A mediocre narrator can taint what is otherwise a great story. Likewise, an outstanding narrator can uplift what is an...
Some books are adapted to the medium of audiobooks better than others. A mediocre narrator can taint what is otherwise a great story. Likewise, an outstanding narrator can uplift what is an average story.
For me, His Dark Materials is the best audiobook I've listened to. It's read by the author, and has a full cast of (fantastic) voice actors for each character, it brings the story to life so wonderfully. To the point that even if I read the book now, I hear a good amount of the voice cast speaking for each character.
If you haven't heard it, I can recommend it! Honourable mention goes to Stephen Fry reading the Harry Potter series.What is your favourite audiobook?
14 votes -
Amazon and Viola Davis to adapt Octavia Butler's novel, Wild Seed
6 votes -
What are you reading these days? #15
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it. Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 ·...
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk a bit about it.
Past weeks: Week #1 · Week #2 · Week #3 · Week #4 · Week #5 · Week #6 · Week #7 · Week #8 · Week #9 · Week #10 · Week #11 · Week #12 · Week #13 · Week #14
16 votes -
The greatest lesson you've learned from classical fiction?
I am currently enjoying a very thought-provoking semester of American Literature. Prior to this class, I wouldn't have considered fiction as useful in my everyday life, as opposed to something...
I am currently enjoying a very thought-provoking semester of American Literature. Prior to this class, I wouldn't have considered fiction as useful in my everyday life, as opposed to something like a self-help book. What I've found is exactly the opposite, and I have found novels such as Great Expectations to be even more influential than anything I've ever read.
So I ask you all, what is the greatest lesson you've learned from classical fiction?
12 votes -
Best works from the Beat Generation?
Hello ! I've been interested in reading some works from famous Beat Generation authors like Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Carolyn Cassady, Allan Ginsberg, etc. I have yet to read any of their...
Hello !
I've been interested in reading some works from famous Beat Generation authors like Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Carolyn Cassady, Allan Ginsberg, etc.
I have yet to read any of their works but I'm not quite sure where to start. I've been thinking of 'On the Road' by Kerouac but the reviews I've been reading have been mixed. It doesn't seem like it's for everybody, especially considering the writing style. I've also been thinking of 'The Dharma Bums', also by Kerouac since it seems to be more spiritual, which is something that really resonates with me.
Anyway, if you have any recommendations/opinions I'd be more than happy to hear them. Thanks !!!
12 votes -
The rise of robot authors: Is the writing on the wall for human novelists?
4 votes -
Can anyone help me remember a sci-fi short story about disintegrating weapons and nuclear winter?
I'm trying to recall a short story I read about 10 years ago in English class in school. It would probably be fair to call it "sci-fi", but I'm not sure how important that is. What I remember: the...
I'm trying to recall a short story I read about 10 years ago in English class in school. It would probably be fair to call it "sci-fi", but I'm not sure how important that is.
What I remember: the story was set in the midst of an escalating arms race, Cold War-style, and the characters were chiefly military personnel (I think).
At some point, a chief actor obtains technology that is designed to (from memory) "disintegrate all weapons (certain materials/metals?)" within a vicinity.
I believe the technology is then used, and what ensues is a world-enveloping nuclear winter. I'm not sure how the weapons disintegration tech leads to a nuclear winter. It's also quite possible that I'm conflating two separate stories I read in that class.
Anyone have any idea what short stories I could be thinking of? This would be at the very latest pre-2010 stuff, and knowing my English teacher (old bloke from Yorkshire) probably 20th century. Probably.
7 votes -
What are you planning to read this year?
What do you want to read in 2019? For me, I've not read nearly enough Terry Pratchett, so I think I'm going to devour a lot of his works. I've promised my daughter that we're going to read the...
What do you want to read in 2019?
For me, I've not read nearly enough Terry Pratchett, so I think I'm going to devour a lot of his works. I've promised my daughter that we're going to read the Hobbit together when we finish her current bedtime story (so excited for this). There's a lot of non-fiction in my want to read list as well, Homo Deus, and Other Minds spring instantly to mind.35 votes -
“The Arisen” - A short story by Louisa Hall about fact, fiction, and libraries
3 votes -
Campaigners hail 'seismic shift' in diversity of US children's books
6 votes -
When 80 famous writers published their first (and last) books. OR: who has had the longest career.
4 votes -
C S Lewis’s story has already been told: why we don’t need a new Narnia book.
8 votes -
My Father’s Stack of Books
7 votes -
Fifteen books that influenced top UX and UI influencers
3 votes -
James Kelman on the Booker, class and literary elitism
4 votes -
What books are best experienced through a physical copy?
I am well aware of the ongoing ebooks vs. physical books debate, and I have no interest in kindling that fire here. Instead, I am seeking recommendations for books that are arguably better in...
I am well aware of the ongoing ebooks vs. physical books debate, and I have no interest in kindling that fire here.
Instead, I am seeking recommendations for books that are arguably better in physical form due to their makeup. House of Leaves is a perfect example, with its textual trickery essentially requiring physical pages. Coffee table books also fit the bill, for example. Some textbooks and reference books technically do as well, though I'm not interested in recommendations in those areas unless you have something in mind that's an absolute standout.
20 votes