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Flavorwire

Ayana Mathis

Books

Peek at the Staff Picks Shelves From Indie Bookstores All Over America

By Emily Temple on

We have to admit — though we love pretty much everything about brick-and-mortar bookstores, one of the best parts is often the staff picks shelf, where we’ve found (and enjoyed) many an unusual recommendation or neglected classic. To celebrate this great tradition, we asked a few of our favorite bookstores from around the country to send us pictures of their staff picks shelves, so you can soak in the expertise of hundreds of literary staffers without having to leave your seat (though, in a minute, you’re going to have to get up and go to a bookshop). After the jump, peek at the staff picks from Flavorpill’s local WORD to other indies across the land, and tell us the best book you’ve picked up after a staff recommendation in the comments. … Read More

New York

Notable New Yorkers’ Cultural Resolutions for 2013

By Judy Berman on

Now that Christmas is nothing more than a pile of shredded wrapping paper and tinsel on the floor of your family’s living room, ’tis the season to think about how we can make slightly less of a mess of things in the year ahead. That’s right: New Year’s resolutions. Of course, here at Flavorwire, we’re not so interested in your plan to get ripped or reconnect with your middle-school best friend. Our favorite resolutions are of the cultural variety — and who better to ask about those than 50 of New York’s most promising emerging culture makers? We hope their compelling, diverse, and sometimes humorous resolutions will inspire you to make some of your very own. … Read More

New York

50 Up-and-Coming New York Culture Makers to Watch in 2013

By Judy Berman on

New York in 2012 may be a city that runs on money, but, contrary to all economic logic, it remains a city whose character is equally defined by the art it creates. Artists — by which we also mean artisans, writers, musicians, filmmakers, actors, designers, chefs, dancers, comedians, and makers of all kinds — and the entrepreneurs and curators who support them still populate the city by the thousands, maintaining its status as the creative capitol of the United States. … Read More

Books

The 10 Best Debut Novels of 2012

By Emily Temple on

This year, all are agreed, was a pretty great one for books — but it was a particularly good one for debut novelists, which impressed us over and over again with their ingenuity, seriousness, and talent. This year’s debuts ran the gamut from sci-fi masterpieces to realistic war novels, with several magic-tinged worlds floating around in between. Looks like the novel/this insufferably ironic generation/reading itself isn’t a lost cause after all. Read on for our favorite debut novels of the year, and since we already had to tearfully eliminate quite a few from our list of loves, feel free to add them back on for us in the comments. … Read More