The Linguistics of My Next Band Name
Why do certain combinations of words make good band names? Linguistic research points to "semantic space."
“What’s a life, anyway?” Remembering E. B. White
Reading Charlotte’s Web is the first time many bookworms feel real sadness for pretend characters.
Jamaica, Ithaca, and Seinfeldia
Our Friday Reads are these five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.
The Drag Aesthetic of Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes' poetry was influenced by the drag scene in 1920s Harlem.
Post Offices, Prep Schools, and Poetry
Our Friday Reads are these five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.
How to Navigate by Nostalgia: The Linguistics of Place Names
Place names are often intimately tied to nostalgia and history.
The Real Story Behind Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway's famous, career-launching debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, was so autobiographical, it was essentially gossipy reportage.
Video Games, Italian Revolutionaries, and Anne Tyler
Our Friday Reads are these new books out this week, and related content you won't find anywhere else.
Tig Notaro, Annie Proulx, and More
Our Friday Reads rounds up five new books out this week, and links to related content you won't find anywhere else.
A Bloomsday Remembrance of James Joyce
June 16th is Bloomsday, the day on which James Joyce's sprawling Modernist novel Ulysses takes place. Celebrate literature, Dublin, and, well, pubs!