Nearly 30 years ago, a much-talked-about essay in Harper’s magazine presaged the rise of the new millennium’s preeminent type of novel. In “Perchance to Dream” (later retitled “Why Bother?”), Jonathan Franzen wrote gloomily about his struggle to overcome his despair, as a novelist, about “the possibility of connecting the personal and the social.” Franzen lamented…

Independent bookstores in downtown Ithaca are selling diverse literature and creating inclusive spaces for community members to explore a variety of perspectives amid the rise of online shopping and an increase in book banning. Odyssey Bookstore and Buffalo Street Books are two indie bookstores downtown. Both stores value diversity when choosing what books to sell…

Florida is no longer just the leader in banned books in schools, it’s also leading the nation in the number of banned books in prisons, too, according to a new report from PEN America. The report may not come as a surprise to many as single-state prison systems are bigger censorship culprits than schools and libraries…

In a country where diverse voices and stories are more important than ever, considering the implications of book banning is essential. Although book bans may seem like a relic of the past, they didn’t end with the Red Scare or the Holocaust. Prohibitions on certain books based on content often restricts communities from freely exchanging…

Words Without Borders, a magazine dedicated to literature in translation, is turning 20 at a fraught time. How to celebrate words when bombs are dropping? Words Without Borders, one of the few magazines in the world dedicated to literature in translation, is turning 20 at a fraught time: Around the world, wars are raging. Writers…

Much of life, according to the sage wisdom of Bucks Fizz, relies on making your mind up. But those of us stuck in a quandary may find a kind of kinship with some of the 19th century’s greatest ditherers. Ivan Goncharov’s Oblomov will resonate with many in need of a duvet day: The moment he…

“The world here beats faster than a hummingbird’s wings,” writes Alexandra Chang in her new collection Tomb Sweeping. Chang, the author of Days of Distraction and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 recipient, writes poignantly about tenuous connection. In these stories, a wealthy housewife runs a gambling ring in Zheijiang, a young woman attends…