“Among the Dangs”
by John WilsonJohn Wilson discusses American fiction of the ’50s and ’60s. Continue Reading »
Letters
by VariousPIO’S NO-NO? My Jewish children are proud Americans born and raised in New York. When they were young, they learned a game from older children that they played and taught to younger children. It is a form of tag in which the person who is “it” yells a catchphrase, and everyone on “base” . . . . Continue Reading »
Phenomenology of the Hand
by Mark BauerleinIf you teach high school or college students, or have kids who are passing through those places, and if your duties include grading papers, or you watch your kids struggle with writing assignments, I have a piece of advice. Tell them to try composing by hand, with pen and paper, not on the . . . . Continue Reading »
So Long, Age of Letters
by K. E. ColombiniThe age of digital communication is sublimating the unique quirks of individuals' written words. Continue Reading »
How to Write a Book
by Peter J. LeithartPanic is good. It’s the crest on the wave of creativity, corresponding to the “transition” stage of labor. Once you’ve had a good panic, you’re fine. Everything’s smoothly downhill from here. Continue Reading »
Letters
by VariousMFA OR NOT?When I met Randy Boyagoda, I told him that I was pursuing an MFA in fiction and he genially disapproved: “No! Why?” I forget what I answered. But most MFAs, when surveyed, will say, “I want time to write.” Any MFA program worth getting into will give you a reasonable stipend for . . . . Continue Reading »
Putting the Soul in Tune
by Luke Taylor
This is a book about how poetry can save you. More specifically, it is a book about how poetic rhythm can reset the harmony of your body and soul. In his powerful and original reading of Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy, Stephen Blackwood uncovers a sustained musical therapy during which the imprisoned poet moves from baffled despair at the world’s injustice to contemplative joy over providential order.
Write Away
by Randy BoyagodaThe most electrifying reading experience I’ve had this past year came 656 pages into Donna Tartt’s recent novel, The Goldfinch. A twenty-first-century young American’s adventure story, its action moves from wealthy Manhattan to Great Recession–era Las Vegas to decadent high-end European . . . . Continue Reading »
Brokenness and Modern Poetry
by Paul LakeReaders charged that Kathleen Graber's poetry was “slovenly” and “shapeless.” As the poetry editor of First Things, I thought I’d step in and open a wider discussion of poetry, particularly as it pertains to First Things. Continue Reading »
The Writing Life
by Ralph McInernyIt is the rare reader of fiction who does not at some time or other consider becoming a writer. It comes and goes over the years for many, and some carry it about forever as an unredeemed promissory note to themselves. In their heart of hearts, they regard themselves as writers. When my first novel . . . . Continue Reading »
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