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The Stakes of Dictee

An introduction to a famously difficult work


Making Contact

Encounters with readers

A Glass Essay

Reading Anne Carson post-breakup
Roman fresco of a woman with curled hair and gold earrings, digitally smeared and repeated in pink.

The Sappho We Fell in Love With

Mary Barnard reinvented an ancient poet for a modern world.

One of my main complaints about American literary culture is that no one dances at parties. (They do in London.) So I think writers should dance at parties!

Joanna Biggs Behind the Essay

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Killanova

An excerpt from a new verse play featuring the Kardashians


The Sun’s Song

An excerpt and annotation

How to Talk About Murder

Edgar Allan Poe’s stories are full of ghastly crimes, but the true horror lies in their confessions.
Ink illustration of a small boat suspended on the inner wall of a vast whirlpool of spiralling lines.
A film camera on a tripod faces a young fruit tree in a dark courtyard, lit by a work light.

The Reticent Auteur

Why are we so fascinated by filmmakers who stop making films?
Weathered apartment intercom panel; the paper name strips are torn, taped over and mostly illegible.

Famous Writers School

My encounters with literary greats

Man in Love

An excerpt and annotation

In the beginning

Clover

Other World

Fall 2026

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My Face

When I look in the bathroom mirror, I see my past and future selves

Absolute Darkness

A curious disorientation

The Mirror



Gods

Jan Brandes, Ananas, 1785. Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amserdam.

Sunrise