Jo Ann Beard

The 25 Greatest Essay Collections of All Time

This week marks the release of Aleksandar Hemon’s excellent book of personal essays, The Book of My Lives, which we loved, and which we’re convinced deserves a place in the literary canon. To that end, we were inspired to put together our list of the greatest essay collections of all time, from the classic to the contemporary, from the personal to the critical. In making our choices, we’ve steered away from posthumous omnibuses and multi-author compilations, and given what might be undue weight to our favorite writers (as one does). Click through to see our nominations for the 25 greatest essay collections of all… Read More

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10 Women Who Should Be Writing for ‘Harper’s’

There has been much discussion on the Internet about gender distribution in the bylines of high-profile journals and magazines after the release of the 2012 VIDA Count. Most of the publications surveyed published a laughably small number of women compared to men — perhaps most notably Harper’s, whose ratio surprised many, including the editors of more gender-equitable magazines who we recently interviewed. So, maybe they just need a few suggestions of great lady essayists to solicit for contributions? (Forget that they should already be well aware of these women.) Great. We have… Read More

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Peek at the Ideal Bookshelves of 10 Famous Readers

Thessaly LaForce and Jane Mount’s My Ideal Bookshelf celebrates the favorite reads of notable figures from David Sedaris to Rosanne Cash, creating a portrait of each icon in books.… Read More

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10 New Must-Reads for April

Spring has sprung, and all the extra greenery we’re seeing has definitely got us dreaming about long walks in the park and picnics among the daffodils — with a book, of course. This month, do some mental spring cleaning with a novel about the Bombay underbelly, celebrate the birds and the bees with stories about animals falling viciously in love, and ponder essays on the nature of artistic creation. After all, spring is all about new beginnings. Click through to check out our must-read list of books coming out in the coming month, and let us know which ones you’re most excited about (whether they made our list or not) in the comments! … Read More

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