Readings

2014 Is Not A List

On the insufficiency of numbers, black metal turned aggressively queer and danceable, and finding that certain brand of black cherry lipstick.

Harry Styles of One Direction
Publishing Pop Daydreams

Anna Todd's One Direction fanfic-turned-novel After lets readers indulge specific fantasies—not just through the fictionalized versions of celebrities, but through the author's life as well.

'How Did This Happen, and How Did I Not See It Coming?'

Over 900 members of Jim Jones's Peoples Temple died on November 18, 1978. Here, in their own words, are some of the people who made it out alive.

Infinity Mirrored Room by Yayoi Kasuma, via Flickr
Artists Don't Have To Do It All Themselves: An Interview with Sarah Thornton

The author of 33 Artists in 3 Acts discusses whether being an artist means knowing how to do life drawing, art as a financial asset, and the rise of Lena Dunham.

For Kids, By Kids—But Not For Long

YouTube's (mostly) teenage vloggers created a monumental mainstream youth culture free of adult supervision. Now they're doing the unthinkable: growing up.

Roman Dog via Wikimedia
True Dog Stories

No two dogs are alike, nor are their stories. An excerpt from Radio Benjamin, the collected radio broadcasts of Walter Benjamin.

Smartass Entertainment in the Age of Sincerity

David Foster Wallace's big concerns live on in the interviews of Jaden and Willow Smith.

The Hazlitt Offensive: Molly Peacock

The poet, biographer, and memorist answers our (trademark pending) questionnaire.

From "Leaves of Grass" by Geoffrey Farmer
'Art Can Be A Story-Starter': Eliza Robertson and Lee Henderson in Conversation

The authors discuss the influence of visual art in their writing, working to rap music, and the hypnotic smell of oil paints.