Jeanette Winterson, Litblogs, Cole Swensen, and more...

FEATURES

Litblogs
Essay by Scott Esposito
Scott Esposito ventures into the blogosphere.

INTERVIEWS

An Interview with Jeanette Winterson
Interviewed by Vincent Francone
The acclaimed British writer discusses politics, writing, and shopkeeping.

REVIEWS: FICTION

Distant Star
Roberto Bolaño
Bolaño's dark work, even at its most bizarre, is rooted in the day-to-day existence of characters whose lives have been turned upside down by politics. Reviewed by Daniel Borzutsky

California Uncovered
Edited by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, William Justice, and James Quay
An array of authors explore the mythic qualities of California creating a multicultural People's History of the California Dream. Reviewed by Ryder W. Miller

Hymns to Milllionaires
Soren A. Gauger
In this debut collection, Gauger uses the language of an earlier century to present a contemporary world in which cause and effect have been unlinked. Reviewed by Kathleen Andersen

Drama City
George Pelecanos
Pelecanos offers geographically aware fiction in which scenes of urban violence reflect the morally compromised choices of even the coldest characters. Reviewed by Jeff Charis-Carlson

REVIEWS: YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Down The Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery
Peter Abrahams
Ingrid Levin-Hill tends to think faster with her feet than her brain—not a bad trait in a soccer player, but one that has mixed results when she investigates the murder of a local woman. Reviewed by Kris Lawson

Looking for Alaska
John Green
This compelling novel modernizes the fish-bowl context of the teenage drama, foregrounds the essential confusions of peer influence, and asserts the voices of smart, flawed characters. Reviewed by Cindra Halm

REVIEWS: POETRY

Goest
Cole Swensen
In her latest book, Swensen takes a minimalist approach to the page, focusing on what happens in the margins, beyond the framework of words. Reviewed by Erik Anderson

Everything is Burning
Gerald Stern
Disquieting, rattling, and turbulent verse fills the pages of Gerald Stern's latest book of poems. Reviewed by Maureen Picard Robins

Instrumentality
Ravi Shankar
Shankar's poems often begin by stopping time, by pausing in the face of life; from that stillness, labors and loves find meaning through voice and rhythm. Reviewed by Neil Kozlowicz

Invisible Sister
Jeffrey Ethan Lee
Lee's first collection of poems is a daring act of language that delivers with grace the self inescapably splintered by language. Reviewed by Marj Hahne

REVIEWS: NONFICTION

Tales of Beatnik Glory
Ed Sanders
Ed Sanders was a central figure on the beatnik-hippie scene, and this new edition of his mammoth ode to the '60s, written over a thirty-year span, proves it! Reviewed by Brenda Coultas

Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community
Joe Lambert
Lambert discusses the objectives of making a "digital story," a two- to three-minute film that holds personal meaning for the storyteller. Reviewed by Will Clemens

Canons by Consensus
Joseph Csicsila
A welcome contribution to the debate on canonicity, this book examines how literature anthologies have played a significant role in the construction of canons. Reviewed by Raphael C. Allison

Mediated: How Media Shapes Your World and the Way You Live in It
Thomas de Zengotita
De Zengotita's new book will fundamentally rework the way you see the world—which may in turn lead to fundamental reworkings of how you live in it. Reviewed by Weston Cutter