John Rechy's 'City of Night' turns 50

"City of Night" was not the first overtly gay-themed book but it may be the most unapologetic, a searing screed of life on the edge.I spent part of Wednesday afternoon at UCLA, on a panel to celebrate the 50th anniversary of John Rechy’s novel “City of Night,” newly reissued to commemorate the occasion. The book is a landmark not only of gay literature -- it tells the story of a street hustler as he moves through the shadow world of the 1950s -- but also of American literature. Continue reading at 'Los Angeles Times'

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "John Rechy's 'City of Night' turns 50"


For Diasporic Writers, Nostalgia is a Powerful Tool For Engaging Home

The summer before my freshman year, a kind family friend gave me a crash course in cultural awakening. She loaded me up with Fuentes, Martí, and Cortázar—all names tethered to any Latin American literature syllabus worth its salt. But it was the works of Gabriel García Márquez that stood out to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-20 08:48:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this


AALBC Cuts Buy Links to Amazon

After years as an Amazon affiliate, the African American Literature Book Club, an online portal dedicated to black books, literacy and a wide variety of book-related services, is severing most of its commercial ties to the online retailer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Charles Johnson Remembers the Great Paule Marshall

There is much to be said of importance for literary culture in general and black American literature in particular when we reflect on the life of the late novelist Paule Marshall. I will discuss all this, but I’d like to begin with an anecdote about my only encounter with this grand lady. On... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-09-05 08:47:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Graphic Novel About Love and Acrobats — From 1930

The radical cartoonist William Gropper’s “Alay-Oop,” newly reissued, can be appreciated as a very early example of the graphic novel. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-08-09 09:00:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The most influential American author of her generation, Toni Morrison's writing was radically ambiguous

In her creative and critical work, Toni Morrison sought to remap the contours of American literature and culture. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2019-08-07 06:00:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate, Has Died at 88

Toni Morrison, giant of American literature and the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, has passed away. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-08-06 14:08:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Writing to Uganda: A Conversation with Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, by Matthew Davis

Interviews Matthew Davis Ugandan novelist and short-story writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s first novel, Kintu, won the Kwani Manuscript Project in 2013 and was longlisted for the Etisalat Prize in 2014. She was awarded the 2014 Commonwealth... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2019-08-06 13:42:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ocean Vuong (and his mom) steal the show at the second biannual Asian American Literature Festival.

All photos courtesy of Hannah Colen. Held in Washington D.C., the Second-Annual Asian American Literature Festival took place this year at multiple locations including the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Freer|Sackler Galleries, and kicked off at Franklin Park down the street from the Eaton... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-05 16:16:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The New National Literature of Canada Is Being Written by Women

As an American-born literature scholar and writer who became a permanent resident of Canada last year, I’ve spent a lot of time recently wondering how to differentiate between American literature and Canadian literature. Growing up in the 1980s, I saw these two nations as not just contiguous but... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2019-07-10 11:00:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


As the U.S. advances on a title defense, Women's World Cup ratings soar

The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been putting up big numbers for Fox Sports, and if the United States squad can get past England in Tuesday’s semifinal match, advertisers are all but assured that a massive audience will tune in for the July 7 final. According to Nielsen live-same-day data,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-07-01 17:19:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this


MIT Press partners with Oxford Literary Festival

The MIT Press will sponsor the American Literature and Culture program at the 2019 Oxford Literary Festival, marking the first time a university press sponsor has partnered with the festival in this way.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon hits back at claims it is to blame for falling author earnings

Retailer insists Authors Guild report that criticised the online giant for contributing to tumbling writers’ incomes used flawed figures, but Guild stands by findingsAmazon has called the conclusions of a recent report into US author earnings flawed, after the Authors Guild suggested that the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Crashing author earnings 'threaten future of American literature'

Authors Guild survey finds writers’ incomes have fallen dramatically in five years – with literary novelists worst-hitA major survey of American authors has uncovered a crash in author earnings described as “a crisis of epic proportions” – particularly for full-time literary writers, who are “on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-01-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Stan Lee's comic books were a commentary on the social issues facing the United States

Stan Lee's impact on popular culture spurred a billion dollar superhero industry, but the comic supremo's contribution to American literature during a period of intense social change was just as rich.   Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2018-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


What's behind the dramatic spike in swearing in books?

A new study finds a 'dramatic' increase in swear words in American literature over the last 60 years. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2017-08-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Books in America are full of swear words: the more recent, the more profane

It's not just your @#%& imagination: American books have gotten a lot more profane over the last six decades, according to a study led by a San Diego State University psychology professor. A team of scholars reports that there's been a “dramatic” increase in curse words in American... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-08-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bookseller Gary Schulze Dies One Week After Selling Store

The recent co-owner of Minneapolis's Once Upon a Crime Bookstore, which is a fixture in the Twin Cities' literary community, died on Wednesday afternoon of leukemia. He was 66. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Mark Twain's turkey tale – perhaps the funniest in American literature

What Twain eventually learned, after an interminable time on the trail, is that turkeys have a genius for feigning injury. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


​This interactive map crams in American literature's greatest road trips

People love road trips. Some like 'em more than others. And some like them perhaps a little bit too much. This interactive map from Richard Kreitner and Steven Melendez crams the locations mentioned in twelve road-tripping books including Mark Twain... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2015-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this