Alfred Jarry portait

Alfred Jarry and the Angsty Artist Archetype

French playwright Alfred Jarry and his famous play, "Ubu Roi" may have created the angsty artist archetype we know today.
Arrival film

Is Writing a Technology or a Language? Let’s Ask Some Aliens

Are written and spoken language really two different things? 
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

Infertility and The Art of Waiting

Our Friday Reads: a new book by Belle Boggs called The Art of Waiting.
Pages from the Voynich Manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript: Crowd-Sourcing An Uncrackable Cipher

The Voynich Manuscript has mesmerized people ever since the man it's named after, bibliophile Wilfred Voynich, brought it up for sale in 1912.
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

A New Novel Resurrects a Forgotten Author

A new book out this week, and related content you won’t find anywhere else. Young author Forrest Leo‘s ...
Newspaper cutouts

How Does the Language of Headlines Work? The Answer May Surprise You.

How headlines have changed as media has evolved -- and how they haven't.
Dorothy Parker

How Dorothy Parker Changed Lyric Love Poetry Forever

Today is Dorothy Parker's birthday, so you should probably have a martini or two in celebration. 
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

Lydia Pyne

 Lydia Pyne's new book out this week, and related content you won’t find anywhere else.
V.S. Naipaul

V.S. Naipaul’s Defense of Civilization

As a public figure, V.S. Naipaul is often outrageous, but his 30+ books speak eloquently in defense of civilization. 
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

Colson Whitehead

Colton Whitehead's new novel The Underground Railroad, and how he researches his books.