Taking Sides in the Great Literary Divide Between Nabokov and Roth
Author Joshua Ferris used to believe in 'art for art's sake.' Then he read The Human Stain.
By Heart
Authors share and discuss their all-time favorite passages in literature.
The Leftovers, Our Town, and the Brutal Power of Ordinary Details
Author Tom Perrotta, co-creator of a much-hyped new HBO drama, says Thornton Wilder's play taught him to write about finding meaning in the banal.
The Brilliant Nonsense of Elvis Lyrics
Songwriting lessons from the King, as told by indie-rock singer Hamilton Leithauser
The Surprising Power of Stories That Are Shorter Than Short Stories
Author Stuart Dybek talks about how to layer meaning into works of "flash fiction."
What Writers Must Do: 'Love People'
Author Rupert Thomson says a Yevgeny Yevtushenko poem taught him the value of risk.
'Writing Almost Feels Like Method Acting'
The UnAmericans author Molly Antopol learned from Grace Paley how to inhabit characters that represent political sentiments but don't preach to readers.
How John Muir Is Revolutionizing the Farm-to-Table Food Movement
Yes, that John Muir. His observations on nature's interconnected systems deeply influenced award-winning chef Dan Barber's new book, The Third Plate.
What Zadie Smith Taught Roxane Gay: Identity Is Drag
Gay, author of An Untamed State and the forthcoming Bad Feminist, sees her own questions of multi-ethnic and multi-national identity reflected in Smith's NW.
How Creativity Could Save Humanity
Stefan Zweig, the obscure Austrian writer whose life and work inspired The Grand Budapest Hotel, believed imagination could help propel society toward universal tolerance and accord.
The Epic Drama of the Imperfect Love Story
Author Mona Simpson talks about Chekhov's "Three Years," which plays on rom-com tropes to convey just how grand a story of two people learning to appreciate each other can be.