#hal--harper

[ follow ]
#literature
fromThe Atlantic
11 hours ago
Books

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
11 hours ago

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
fromFast Company
10 hours ago

HarperCollins is forging ahead with AI-assisted dramas based on books. Some authors have concerns

Toonstar's proven ability to translate beloved stories into engaging animation, while keeping artists at the center of the process, makes them the ideal partner to bring Friendship List and other popular titles to new audiences in formats today's families love.
Media industry
Venture
fromwww.engadget.com
8 hours ago

AI animation studio Toonstar will turn books into digital shows for HarperCollins

HarperCollins partners with Toonstar to adapt book franchises into AI-driven digital shows, starting with the Friendship List series.
#ben-lerner
Writing
fromVulture
19 hours ago

Ben Lerner's Big Feelings

Ben Lerner's new book, Transcription, explores the complexities of authorial voice and the nature of interviews through a unique narrative structure.
Books
fromDefector
15 hours ago

The Gentle Parenting Of Ben Lerner's 'Transcription' | Defector

Ben Lerner's novels explore themes of youth, sexuality, and the complexities of adulthood through autofictional narratives.
Writing
fromThe New Yorker
4 days ago

The Ample Rewards of Ben Lerner's Slender New Novel

An interview with Ben Lerner reveals complexities of memory and influence in art and literature.
fromHarvard Gazette
3 days ago

Writing us back from the brink - Harvard Gazette

"We're talking about political leaders who were moved by an enormous sense of responsibility and fear for the world."
Russo-Ukrainian War
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

AI lectures, Old West folk heroes and Mark Twain: what is Bob Dylan up to joining Patreon?

Dylan's choice of Patreon over Substack is puzzling, as many major artists have opted for the latter to connect with fans and share their thoughts.
Music
Books
fromThe Walrus
19 hours ago

The HarperCollins "Canadian Classics" Is an American Side Hustle | The Walrus

HarperCollins Canada will release a series of Canadian reprints titled HarperCollins Canadian Classics on May 5, 2026.
fromEmilysneddon
1 week ago
Typography

Fran Sans Essay - Emily Sneddon

Fran Sans is a display font inspired by the unique destination displays of San Francisco's diverse public transit system.
Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

Transcription by Ben Lerner review a stunning exploration of technology and storytelling

The novel explores themes of touch, familial inheritance, and the complexities of communication through a narrative involving a final interview with a mentor.
Digital life
fromFast Company
1 week ago

Is AI killing the human voice in writing?

Predictive language technologies challenge individual expression by influencing how writers generate and complete their thoughts.
#science-fiction
Film
fromVulture
2 weeks ago

Project Hail Mary Needs About 39 Percent Fewer Jokes

Project Hail Mary is an entertaining science-fiction adventure that balances humor with an intriguing apocalyptic story about stopping star-eating organisms threatening Earth.
fromwww.npr.org
2 weeks ago

Keith O'Brien talks about his latest book, 'Heartland'

You know, this story is a bit different, right? We always do the Bird-Magic thing where we combine the narratives of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. And really, what I wanted to do with this book was just tilt the camera a little bit differently, change that perspective and zoom in on that origin story in rural Indiana in the 1970s.
LA Clippers
Books
fromThe New Yorker
2 days ago

The Sci-Fi Novelist Who Disappeared for Decades

Cameron Reed's science fiction explores cognitive estrangement, revealing alien worlds that reflect and challenge our own societal norms and moral dilemmas.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 weeks ago

The Shift That Happens When You Write a Non-Fiction Book

Writing a book transforms tacit knowledge into explicit frameworks, forcing experts to articulate intuitions they've developed through experience into clear, communicable ideas.
Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
6 days ago

I was in the pit of despair': Non-speaking autistic novelist Woody Brown on his journey from write-off to writer

Woody Brown, an autistic non-speaking author, shares poignant stories of misunderstood individuals in his novel 'Upward Bound' set in a care center.
Women
fromThe New Yorker
3 weeks ago

The Feminist Visionary Who Lost the Plot

Elizabeth Cady Stanton's experience of discrimination at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention catalyzed her feminist activism, though her sense of intellectual superiority later contributed to bigoted views.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 days ago

Baldwin by Nicholas Boggs review the relationships that drove a genius

James Baldwin's legacy has been revitalized, particularly through Raoul Peck's documentary, despite earlier criticisms of his work and its relevance.
#film-vs-literature
Writing
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Enough Said by Alan Bennett review a man for all seasons

Repetition in Alan Bennett's diaries reveals layered meanings, especially regarding his reflections on the pandemic and personal experiences.
#fiction
Books
fromPsychology Today
1 week ago

Fiction Is Indispensable to Life's Journey

Fiction is essential for emotional connection, learning, and social cognition, allowing us to escape reality and engage deeply with narratives.
fromHarvard Gazette
1 month ago

Audiobooks don't really count as reading? Think again. - Harvard Gazette

The neural networks that process written and oral language are deeply intertwined and largely overlap when reading print books or listening to audiobooks. There isn't much of a difference between the brain network for reading and the brain network for language comprehension. The brain area we call the 'letter box,' which processes print, is not as engaged when you listen, but it has been shown that when some people listen to words, they visualize them, so the letter box gets activated as well.
Education
#tracy-kidder
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 week ago

A Life of Close Observation

Tracy Kidder, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, focused on immersive storytelling about human experiences and struggles throughout his career.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer-winning author who turned unlikely subjects into bestsellers, dies aged 80

Tracy Kidder, an influential narrative nonfiction writer, has passed away at 80, leaving a legacy of empathy and storytelling.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 week ago

A Life of Close Observation

Tracy Kidder, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, focused on immersive storytelling about human experiences and struggles throughout his career.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer-winning author who turned unlikely subjects into bestsellers, dies aged 80

Tracy Kidder, an influential narrative nonfiction writer, has passed away at 80, leaving a legacy of empathy and storytelling.
Media industry
fromHarvard Business Review
1 month ago

Why Storytelling Matters When Changing Company Culture

Leaders achieve transformational cultural change by using strategic storytelling that circulates through organizations, shaping how employees discuss company values and strategies.
Books
fromSlate Magazine
1 week ago

A Self-Published Book Became an Unexpected Bestseller. I Read It-and I Can See Why.

Theo of Golden, a self-published novel by Allen Levi, achieved remarkable success, topping bestseller lists and captivating readers with its unique story and themes.
Writing
fromThe Walrus
2 weeks ago

I Wrote a Popular Book about Going Sober. Then I Relapsed | The Walrus

During summer 2020, the author engaged in heavy drinking while maintaining a public image of sobriety, consuming alcohol before and during social outings on Toronto Island.
Film
fromVulture
1 month ago

Is Pillion a Love Story? Maybe.

Pillion depicts a gay BDSM relationship between an introverted parking attendant and a leather-clad biker, exploring themes of self-discovery and emotional fulfillment without compromising authenticity or respectability.
fromThe Verge
1 week ago

Some writing advice from Project Hail Mary's Andy Weir

"I try not to think about it at all," he explains. The reason, according to Weir, is that the two mediums are just so different.
Books
Writing
fromElite Traveler
3 weeks ago

Life Lessons With Author David Coggins

Living an interesting life requires embracing improbable efforts, starting from the ground floor in unfamiliar pursuits, prioritizing face-to-face conversation, and developing deep attachment to specific places.
Books
fromwww.npr.org
2 weeks ago

Author Luke Kennard talks about his novel, 'Black Bag'

Luke Kennard's novel 'Black Bag' fictionalizes a 1967 psychology experiment where a silent, bagged actor in a classroom gradually becomes liked by students through repeated exposure, exploring how familiarity transforms perception.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave review a will-they-won't-they queer romance

Almost Life chronicles a decades-long romance between two women beginning in 1970s Paris, exploring queer love, missed opportunities, and the consequences of life choices across different social contexts.
Film
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

Say It Again: A Treatment

Clara, a spy whose family and friends were repeatedly targeted by Russian gangs, travels to London and infiltrates M.I.6 to find a Russian double agent.
Writing
fromBusiness Matters
1 month ago

Mara Naaman: A Literary Voice Shaping Culture

Building a life around ideas means prioritizing process and learning over outcomes and external validation, enabling deeper intellectual and creative growth.
fromMedium
4 weeks ago

Things that don't matter when you write

To deny one's own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one's own life. It is no less than a denial of the soul. The concept I stick to - my core principle - is simple: I write in plain English, and only when I actually have something to say.
Writing
fromHarvard Gazette
1 month ago

Moved by what's missing in Homer's 'Harrow' - Harvard Gazette

At first sight, Winslow Homer's " The Brush Harrow," which depicts two young boys, a horse, and a harrow against an arid landscape, evokes a feeling of somber isolation - but it's hard to pinpoint why. During a talk by curator Horace D. Ballard at the Harvard Art Museums on Jan. 29, visitors learned that Homer painted the scene in 1865, as the Civil War was ending, making the emotional underpinnings of the work clearer.
Arts
fromDefector
3 weeks ago

Dan Simmons Is Dead So It's Time To Read 'Hyperion' | Defector

This is a shame, because his best work belongs with the greats of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi. Summer of Night is a tighter, more satisfying version of Stephen King's It. Carrion Comfort is a brick-sized epic about psychic vampires that reads as breezily as a trade paperback. The Terror, which inspired the well-regarded show, is for its first three-quarters a brilliant and non-supernatural speculative take on a real doomed Arctic expedition.
Books
Europe politics
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

The Country That Made Its Own Canon

Sweden released a national culture canon, sparking controversy over national identity as immigration rises and the nationalist Sweden Democrats gain political influence.
Writing
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

Yiyun Li on Stories That Happen Twice

Retrospective narrative reveals how stories gain completeness through the knowledge of future events, transforming present moments into layered reflections on fate and identity.
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

One of Our Own

For Lowell There are things which, said and true, are of this generation's past; of fighting freedom's battles and of taking off the mask- stories of the actions taken, to blot out the blights of sin, how heroes and the valorous fought their enemies within, Would we be traitors to our bugle, which beckons with its call? - They won freedom for their people but in fine print said: be damned.
US politics
Books
fromHarvard Gazette
4 weeks ago

That's a book? - Harvard Gazette

Italo Calvino used tarot card decks as a computational system to generate interconnected narratives, predating modern AI by decades and demonstrating how structured systems can create complex literary works.
Canada news
fromwww.cbc.ca
2 months ago

Here's how you can get a Heated Rivalry audiobook at Toronto Public Library | CBC News

Toronto Public Library offers the 'Heated Rivalry' audiobook with no waitlist by buying multi-user digital licenses and renewing them as demand exceeds limits.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 weeks ago

Saba Sams: I've no interest in reading Wuthering Heights again'

Jacqueline Wilson's unflinching approach to children's literature, alongside works by authors like Gwendoline Riley and Clarice Lispector, demonstrates that literary courage and emotional complexity resonate more powerfully than conventional safety or virtuousness.
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

Julian Barnes' playful new book is also his 'official departure'

An aging writer confronts mortality, memory, and repetition while considering retirement and revisiting past relationships through fiction blending autobiography and invention.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

They by Helle Helle review a novel to make the reader slow down and take notice

A Danish novel explores the deepening bond between a teenage daughter and terminally ill mother through minimalist prose that captures unspoken emotional intimacy and life's quiet, defining moments.
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

Briefly Noted Book Reviews

Dilara, the protagonist of this début novel, is consumed by the absence of a stable home in her life. She and her family flee Turkey, where she is from, after a failed coup in 2016. When they end up in Italy, something inexplicable happens: Dilara's bathroom transforms into a cell in an infamous prison on the outskirts of Istanbul.
Books
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

Literature Has a Stay-at-Home-Dad Problem

Stay-at-home fathers are consistently portrayed as incompetent buffoons in literature, rarely depicted as skilled, engaged parents despite their growing real-world presence.
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

Yiyun Li Reads "Calm Sea and Hard Faring"

Yiyun Li reads her story 'Calm Sea and Hard Faring,' from the March 9, 2026, issue of the magazine. Li is the author of eight books of fiction, including the novels 'Must I Go' and 'The Book of Goose,' and the story collection 'Wednesday's Child,' which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2024.
Books
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Ben Markovits: I used to think any book concerned with people falling in love can't be very good'

Reading shaped formative years through detective stories, fantasy epics, and memoirs that provided companionship and escape during frequent moves and family transitions.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

When Did Literature Get Less Dirty?

Philip Roth's Zuckerman Unbound functioned as a response to the controversial reception of Portnoy's Complaint, with Roth's protagonist expressing regret over writing sexually explicit material that drew accusations of anti-Semitism and misogyny.
Books
fromThe Nation
1 month ago

Has Contemporary Fiction Ignored the Working Class?

Work's grip on life demands vigilance; allowing career to consume identity risks losing oneself entirely to labor's demands.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

To say I was the favourite would imply I was liked': Mark Haddon on a loveless childhood

cardiganed grandmothers eating roadside picnics beside Morris Minors, pale men sunbathing in shoes and socks on stripy deckchairs, Raleigh Choppers and caged budgerigars and faux leather pouffes I feel a wave of what can't properly be called nostalgia, because the last thing I'd want is to return to that age and those places where I was often profoundly unhappy and from which I'd have been desperate to escape if escape had been a possibility.
Writing
Writing
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

Taking the Internet Novel Offline

Depicting internet-mediated life requires new narrative strategies that ground online behavior in familiar forms like family drama to keep readers engaged.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Frogs for Watchdogs by Sean Farrell review about a boy

There's a particular energy to novels written from the point of view of small children. Humour, of course, in the things the child misinterprets; pathos in the things they feel they must keep hidden; jeopardy in the dangers we can see, and they cannot. As any relative or babysitter can attest, even the sweetest child can become mind-numbingly dull when they're all the company one has, so there's a skill to charm without boring.
Books
#george-saunders
Books
fromHarvard Gazette
2 months ago

The stories behind the books - Harvard Gazette

Harvard's library collection includes books that use layered images, movable elements, and raised type to create interactive, tactile, and accessible reading experiences.
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

A Biography Without 'The Boring Bits'

Sophia Stewart poses a choice that many biographers struggle with: "what to do with the boring bits."
Books
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

The Writer's Magic Trick

A writer is a kind of magician. Their job is to create living, three-dimensional people out of the ordinary stuff of ink and paper. This is no easy task, because readers can't literally hear, touch, or observe a character. Everything that defines a human being in real life-the physical space they occupy, or how they smell, feel, and sound-is stripped away, replaced by description. But authors have one major, mystical advantage: They can show you what's happening inside of someone's brain.
Books
Books
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

The Gospel According to Emily Henry

Emily Henry channels rom-com sensibility and religious upbringing to create a fresh, cinematic-influenced romance novel blending humor, nostalgia, and emotional depth.
fromVulture
2 months ago

Colleen Hoover Insists Her New Book Isn't About Herself

Out today, Woman Down centers on writer Petra Rose, an author who has writer's block and checks into a remote cabin to finish her next book. Petra, who took a hiatus after fans blamed her for a producer's decision to cut a fan-favorite character out of the film adaptation of her book A Terrible Thing, has "learned the hard way what happens when the internet turns on you," a synopsis states.
Books
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

What we're reading: George Saunders, Erin Somers and Guardian readers on the books they enjoyed in January

Re-reading classics and contemporary novels reveals diverse literary powers: playful zaniness, dense language, sweeping ambition, humane realism, and restorative small-scale storytelling.
Books
fromVulture
2 months ago

What's a Satirist to Do in Times Like These?

An oil executive confronts his role in causing mass death and climate catastrophe on his deathbed as supernatural visitors press him to face the consequences.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Vigil by George Saunders review will a world-wrecking oil tycoon repent?

A spectral death doula confronts an unrepentant, fossil-fuel–profiting oil tycoon in a liminal afterlife, forcing moral reckoning over climate-denial harms.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

'How do you really tell the truth about this moment?': George Saunders on ghosts, mortality and Trump's America

Ghost stories are used to explore mortality, memories, and ethical legacy, forcing characters to confront past actions and discover more truthful perspective.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Wise by Frank Tallis review how to turn your midlife crisis into a hero's journey

Following some of the arguments in Ernest Becker's 1973 study The Denial of Death, he proposes that such crises are at least partly the result of the western reluctance to face mortality. In Britain, we eschew open coffins, for instance. When our relatives die, as my mother did two years ago, they die in a hospital rather than at home. We can hardly even bring ourselves to say die, preferring euphemisms such as pass away.
Books
#infinite-jest
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

I could never hope to equal it again': Jeffrey Archer announces next novel will be his last

When I came across the idea for this novel a few years ago, I knew it was bigger in scope than anything I'd done before and I accepted that the research alone would be more demanding than anything I'd tackled in the past. When I finally sat down to write Adam and Eve I also realised, by the end of the first draft, that this was going to be my final novel,
Books
Books
fromThe Walrus
2 months ago

"It's Not Something I'm Squeamish About": Heated Rivalry Author on Writing Explicit Sex Scenes | The Walrus

Rachel Reid experienced a rapid surge in visibility, sales, and professional opportunities after the TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry, creating both excitement and overwhelm.
Books
fromMedium
1 month ago

How to start writing (like it's easy)

A profoundly immersive book can deeply alter readers and provoke self-doubt about one's own creative abilities.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Rebel English Academy by Mohammed Hanif review a sure-fire Booker contender

Dark, irony-soaked comedy and farce expose Pakistan's political repression, religious hypocrisy, and violence with subversive, satirical imagination.
Books
fromDefector
1 month ago

Fanfiction's Total Cultural Victory | Defector

Fifty Shades of Grey's transition from fanfiction to mainstream publishing transformed the industry, proving fanfiction-originated romances can be highly lucrative and culturally influential.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry review a dazzling puzzle-box of a debut

We are initiated into a world in which historically accurate foodstuffs can be ordered online a half oyster shell, the exposed flesh shining as if with the freshest brine, is 31.25 for a single piece and begin to understand one of the most striking things about this novel: its insistence upon detail, its utter specificity, set against a deliberate lack of specificity regarding the larger details that the reader's mind naturally itches to fill in.
Books
fromPortland Mercury
1 month ago

Book Review: For Human Use Isn't Really About Dating Corpses

Pierce launches us into this notion via a chaotic text conversation between the story's anxious antihero Tom Williamson and another senior partner at the equity firm where he works. "Your autocorrect keeps typing 'dead bodies,'" Tom writes, incredulously. But it isn't a typo. The service's slimy founder Auden White is pitching Tom's boss for investment. Wearing a black t-shirt and charcoal washed jeans, Auden spouts empty platitudes, like "spending time alone with a person who's dead is a profound emotional event."
Books
Books
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

The influence of the sleeper hit novel 'The Correspondent'

An epistolary novel follows a divorced woman in her 70s through letters that reveal her cranky, resilient personality and surprising late-life adventures.
Books
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

February may be short on days but it boasts a long list of new books

February brings multiple commemorations and a wave of new, translated and genre‑blending book releases that invite readers to dive into fresh literary work.
Books
fromOregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
2 months ago

LitWatch February: Langston Hughes, historian Keisha Blain, Colum McCann * Oregon ArtsWatch

Langston Hughes’s poetry fuses jazz and blues rhythms to express Black American experience, inspiring centennial events and community celebrations.
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

"This Is How It Happens," by Molly Aitken

You are leaving work, your suit still damp from the morning's downpour, the skin on your palms peeling. You are clutching two supermarket bags, tins of cream soup and tuna knocking against one another. The rain is hard and your anorak is cheap. You are on your way to Stockbridge, to your parents' house, which only your father inhabits now that your mother is gone.
Books
Books
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

How Do You Write About the Inexplicable?

Rational skepticism coexists with a persistent tendency to personify evil and read coincidences as omens.
[ Load more ]