I’ll be reading new work at Needy Lover Presents: LOVERS & FRIENDS. Needy Lover is a New York-based theatre company. Get tickets here.
There are still a few slots left for my fall writing course, Taste is Character, beginning weekly on 11/4, and my One Day Writing Workshop on 11/7. Sign up here.
Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Literature?
Lately, I’ve seen an influx of posts from people who claim to “hate” contemporary literature, or they just don’t read it at all. This is common on Substack, where it’s easier to go viral talking about Austen, Dostoevsky, or other long-dead authors instead of engaging with modern lit. I often find comments like these suspect. You’re not reading any contemporary lit? There are so many great works from Black, queer, and non-American writers being published right now. I love works in translation, and a recent study by The Booker Prize (admittedly a UK study, I’d love a US one!) shows that 51% of translated books are bought by men (they do read!) and 73% of translated fiction is purchased by people under the age of 45.
What I always find suspect about the “I hate contemporary lit” crowd is that it’s always a dead white person they’re extolling. It’s never “man, I really love mid-century books from Black novelists!”