In our morning reading: an interview with Molly McGhee, notable 2023 debuts, and more.
“We’re Running the Risk of Equating Serious Literature with Unfunny Literature”: A Conversation with Ben Purkert About His Debut Novel
Ben Purkert makes the path from poet to novelist look easy with his debut The Men Can’t Be Saved, which is funny and sharp as hell. Purkert has managed to take a poet’s eye to the worlds of branding and labor, creating a hilarious book filled with beautiful sentences and profound ideas.
We caught up over the phone to discuss finding room for comedy in serious literature, the use of metaphor in the novel, and the original NC-17 B.C. shock poet himself, Catullus.
Morning Bites: Jiordan Castle on Memoirs, Ursula K. Le Guin Recommendations, King Tubby Revisited, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Jiordan Castle, writing by Ben Purkert, and more.
Morning Bites: Babak Lakghomi’s Latest, Revisiting Hans Fallada, Bush Tetras Return, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Babak Lakghomi’s new book, revisiting the life of Hans Fallada, and more.
Books of the Month: August 2023
And now it’s August. If my highly unscientific surveying of release dates and similar information is any indication, this month brings with it a very surreal array of books — including a lot of anthologies, some nicely surreal fiction, and some fascinating spins on classical mythology. What follows is a look at 11 books due out in August that we’re excited about. Maybe you will be, too.
“This Question Has Me Reeling into Existential Crisis”: Ben Purkert on Writing “For the Love of Endings”
It can be difficult for non-poets to get excited about a poetry collection, but Ben Purkert’s For the Love of Endings is well worth your time. Purkert is a master at building tension between the playful and the dead serious. The poems in this collection display an incredible love of language and a generous curiosity about human nature. They are often funny as hell, too. I recently sat down with Purkert at Hungry Ghost on Fulton St. in Brooklyn […]