Books Briefing

The Books Briefing: When Poets Write Novels

A background in poetry can enrich the process of writing fiction: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• October 30, 2020

The Books Briefing: How Horror Stories Empower Kids

Gruesome novels and chilling tales about ghoulish monsters and other dangers: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• October 23, 2020

The Books Briefing: Can Democracy Survive Without Journalism?

Journalism faces existential challenges in a polarized society and the digital age: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Mary Stachyra Lopez
• October 16, 2020

The Books Briefing: The Writers Whom History Forgot

Beloved but overlooked works from the past provide a rich source of reading material: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• October 9, 2020

The Books Briefing: British Invasion

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Tori Latham
• October 2, 2020

The Books Briefing: The Lives Behind the Legal Decisions

What Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fandom knew: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• September 25, 2020

The Books Briefing: How to Remake America

A look at the country's profound fractures and what it might take to mend them: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• September 18, 2020

The Books Briefing: Stories From America’s Prisons

Books written by incarcerated writers raise vital questions about how we can build a more just society: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kristine Guillaume
• September 11, 2020

The Books Briefing: Imagining Black Futures

Afrofuturism draws from the history of the African diaspora to imagine liberatory possibilities for the future: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kristine Guillaume
• September 4, 2020

The Books Briefing: Poetry of the Past, in the Present

Finding relevance in archival poetry: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Tori Latham
• August 28, 2020

The Books Briefing: The Legacy of a Political Speech

Reflecting on the art of speechwriting during the Democratic National Convention: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• August 21, 2020

The Books Briefing: The Writers Who Don’t Work Alone

Writing is sometimes seen as a solitary pursuit, but co-authors, editors, and friends enrich the process: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• August 7, 2020

The Books Briefing: And the Winner Is

On this year’s Booker Prize nominees, and winners from recent years: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Tori Latham
• July 31, 2020

The Books Briefing: What Is a Political Memoir For?

What we can learn from books by politicians and their family members: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• July 24, 2020

The Books Briefing: What to Read If You’re Looking for Something to Read

An omnibus reading list, from classic novels to poems to short stories: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Shan Wang, Kate Cray, Rosa Inocencio Smith, and Myles Poydras
• July 17, 2020

The Books Briefing: How to Read a Classic Today

To Kill a Mockingbird’s legacy is far from the only one readers must reckon with: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Kate Cray
• July 10, 2020

The Books Briefing: The Power of Friendship

The influential role of platonic intimacy: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Myles Poydras
• July 3, 2020

The Books Briefing: How to Tell a Story About Florida

Examining some of Florida’s many narratives more carefully can lead to a richer understanding of the state, the country, and the nature of storytelling itself.

• Kate Cray
• June 26, 2020

The Books Briefing: The Possibilities and Limits of Freedom

Juneteenth and emancipation in America: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Tori Latham
• June 18, 2020

The Books Briefing: Readjusting Our Understanding of History

The truth buried beneath the surface: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Myles Poydras
• June 12, 2020