The Stories We Envision: PW Talks with Rodger KamenetzThe author best known for The Jew in the Lotus is back with a new book, Seeing into the Life of Things, about what it means to bring words to our visions and emotions. Nov 04 25November 04, 2025Article at Publishers Weekly
PW Talks with Emily HampshireActor Emily Hampshire is well-known for her work in such shows as Schitt’s Creek and Chapelwaite. Now, in her graphic novel debut, she turns her storytelling talents to witchcraft and Jell-O pools. Amelia Aierwood, Basic Witch (Z2 Comics), which… Jan 09 24January 09, 2024Article at Publishers Weekly
Chasing Dreams and Money in Dubai Amidst the Gulf WarTania Mailk, author of "Hope You Are Satisfied," on writing a war novel where tourists are drinking cocktails at the beach and no one gets bombed Tania Malik’s new coming-of-age novel, Hope You Are Satisfied, takes place in 1990s Dubai, during the… Jul 26 23July 26, 2023Article at Electric Literature
“The Rock Eaters” Uses Magical Realism to Explore What It Means to Be the OtherThe stories in The Rock Eaters often have an elastic relationship with reality, familiar political landscapes or emotional struggles warped by the uncanny. Some stories fall more explicitly within the bounds of science fiction or fantasy, but most… Aug 13 21August 13, 2021Article at Electric Literature
Trauma Has Forced Me to Become a Powerful WitchIn the introductory essay of White Magic, Elissa Washuta—a Native American author and member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe—examines the colonization of spirituality, as well as her own reticence to describe herself as a witch: “I just want a version of… May 07 21May 07, 2021Article at Electric Literature
A Group Primal Scream for the InternetAn angry subreddit and a mysterious sisterhood are dueling narrators in A.E. Osworth's "We Are Watching Eliza Bright" I read A.E. Osworth’s debut novel, We Are Watching Eliza Bright, very quickly. The novel is fast-paced, but I couldn’t put it down… Apr 15 21April 15, 2021Article at Electric Literature
It’s Time for Women to Reclaim Their MonstrosityJess Zimmerman, author of "Women and Other Monsters," on feminism, mythological creatures, and topless murder I met Jess Zimmerman in 2017 at Madame X, a velvet-swathed Manhattan lounge, where she and Liz Gorinsky were releasing the party game Goth… Mar 10 21March 10, 2021Article at Electric Literature
We’re All Faking It For Social MediaI heard about Emma Cline’s 2016 debut, The Girls, as many of us did—through a whirlwind of praise and accolades, from literary critics and friends with good taste alike. When I read the novel, I immediately understood why. The Girls is mesmerizing… Nov 13 20November 13, 2020Article at Electric Literature
A Self-Destructive Woman in Her 20s Looks For Love, Sex, and Bad InfluencesSarah Gerard on her novel "True Love" and the search for creative identity In Sarah Gerard’s latest novel, True Love, Nina Wicks navigates the late Obama era in a maelstrom of narcissism and malcontentment, the formation of her creative identity… Sep 02 20September 02, 2020Article at Electric Literature
The Girls on the Hockey Team Are WitchesIn "We Ride Upon Sticks," Quan Barry reimagines the Salem witch trials taking place in a high school in the '80s Until reading Quan Barry’s latest novel, We Ride Upon Sticks, I had no idea the 1692 Salem witch trials hadn’t actually taken place in… Jul 13 20July 13, 2020Article at Electric Literature
A Victorian Ghost Story About the Constraints of PatriarchyMolly Pohlig, author of "The Unsuitable" on how the 19th century was bad for women's insides In The Unsuitable, a Victorian woman, Iseult Wince, believes that the ghost of her mother—who died in childbirth—lives in a scar on her neck. In Iseult’s… Apr 23 20April 23, 2020Article at Electric Literature
“The Future of Another Timeline” Pits Time-Traveling Riot Grrrls Against Time-Traveling MRAsIf Annalee Newitz could go back in time, they would punch James Watson Nothing grabs my attention like an email featuring the words “time travel” and “riot grrrl.” I hadn’t realized I was dying to read a novel fusing those subjects, but I’m thrilled… Oct 30 19October 30, 2019Article at Electric Literature
“Bunny” Shows MFA Programs for the Dark Horror They Truly AreMona Awad on being a boring tree murderess and finding inspiration in the comments section of ModCloth If you’ve ever entertained dark fantasies about what really goes on at exclusive MFA programs, Bunny will fulfill your wildest dreams. If you’ve… Sep 11 19September 11, 2019Article at Electric Literature
Are Ducks Evolving Backwards?CJ Hauser’s novel, Family of Origin, tells the story of two estranged half-siblings who journey to a Gulf Coast island inhabited by quack scientists—where their father, one of said quacks, has just drowned. Isolated on “Leaps Island,” these… Jul 18 19July 18, 2019Article at Electric Literature
In “The Water Cure,” Toxic Masculinity Is Making Women Physically IllIn Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel, The Water Cure, toxins have overtaken the world, and proximity to men is physically dangerous for women. Three sisters live with their parents on an island, a resort-like sanctuary where women come to be cured by… Jan 09 19January 09, 2019Article at Electric Literature
Alissa Nutting on on the Horrors of Being a Woman on the InternetThe author of ‘Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls’ on the labor of performance Alissa Nutting spent the last couple years crushing the literary landscape with her critically acclaimed, sometimes controversial novels Tampa and Made for Love. Banned in… Sep 05 18September 05, 2018Article at Electric Literature
Why Is America Obsessed with Dead Girls?Dead Girls explores America’s obsession with women’s bodies as bright young corpses, from TV shows about fictional murdered women (like Twin Peaks, True Detective, or Veronica Mars) to news cycles about real murdered women. But these stories are… Jun 28 18June 28, 2018Article at Electric Literature
Always Pee After Sex with a MermanMelissa Broder, author of ‘The Pisces,’ on realistic sex scenes, existential anxiety, and which mythical creature she’d bang Several years ago, writer Chelsea Hodson introduced me to Melissa Broder’s poetry. I picked up Meat Heart, and fell in love… May 29 18May 29, 2018Article at Electric Literature
Sam Pink on Writing and Living in Garbage TimesThe author’s two new novellas, White Ibis and Garbage Times, embrace the different wildernesses of Chicago and Florida I discovered Sam Pink in the dark corners of the 2012 Internet. Apparently, this was common means of discovery: many fans caught… Apr 26 18April 26, 2018Article at Electric Literature
An Interview with Le Balm’s Cecilia Corrigan & Monica NelsonBY DEIRDRE COYLE When I watched the first episode of Le Balm—the new web series by Cecilia Corrigan and Monica Nelson—I cackled, then anxiously touched my face to check the quality of my skin, then cackled some more. Le Balm follows a makeup vlogger… Apr 25 18April 25, 2018Article at Luna Luna Magazine
