In our morning reading: a conversation with Nicholas Russell, PEN America gets a new president, and more.
Morning Bites: Nicholas Russell on Writing, Anthony Jeselnik on Reading, and More
Morning Bites: Alison Cotton’s Latest, Drew Buxton Interviewed, Sun Ra Documentary, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Alison Cotton’s new album, fiction from Idra Novey, and more.
Weekend Bites: Claire Rousay Interviewed, Revisiting Whit Stillman, Justin Taylor on Bob Dylan, and More
In our weekend reading: talking money with Claire Rousay, new writing from Justin Taylor, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Matthew Binder on Writing, Revisiting Das Damen, Carmen Maria Machado’s Short Film, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Matthew Binder and Ben Fama, a report from the Unsound Festival, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Matthew Binder on Writing, Sean Howe Interviewed, Albert Camus’s Plays, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Matthew Binder and Sean Howe, revisiting Albert Camus’s plays, and more.
“The World Is Absurd”: An Interview With Matthew Binder
Pure Cosmos Club, the new novel from Matthew Binder, goes full supercollider in the way it takes seemingly disparate ideas and smashes them together to create something wildly unpredictable. The novel’s protagonist, an ambitious artist with a self-defeating streak, dramatically fluctuating luck, and a beloved canine companion, eventually enters the orbit of the organization that gives the book its title. I talked with Binder about the book’s genesis, the collaboration inherent to writing it, and how his own experience dovetailed with the book’s themes.
Shoot For the Stars: A Review of Matthew Binder’s “Pure Cosmos Club”
I’ve got a buddy back in Jersey who just bought a house. When I stopped by he was putting in new kitchen appliances and the whole place still smelled like the styrofoam wrap new electronics come in. My buddy is an engineer and makes small but, as I understand it, very fundamental parts for airplanes. He took me out to the backyard and we drank Modelos from the can while his neighbors splashed in a pool. The air smelled delicious. I thought about a rejection email I had received earlier that day and thought: what the hell am I doing with my life?
Afternoon Bites: Casey Plett Nonfiction, John Wray on Metal, Grant Maierhofer on Vowels, and More
In our afternoon reading: new writing by Casey Plett, an interview with John Wray, and more.