J. R. R. Tolkien’s Jewish Dwarves
The peoples of Middle Earth weren’t just a product of Tolkien’s creative mind; they were shaped by the anti-Jewish culture that surrounded him.
That Time Jean-Paul Sartre Got High on Mescaline
The French existentialist got more than he bargained for when he went in search of drug-induced inspiration for his philosophical writings.
One Name, Two Writers: The Story of Michael Field
Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper worked within the constraints of Victorian society, building a writing career and a relationship under an assumed name.
Octavia Butler’s Roots in Black History
The Parable books seem different yet familiar, their plots framed by a world shattered by racism, economic inequality, and climate change.
From Didion to Hesiod: The Center Will Not Hold
Hesiod's poem reminds us that in the end, we must all make sense of our works and days, with the help of—or in spite of—the stories in our heads.
The Many Afterlives of Rose Levere
Thespian, lawyer, Freemason, spiritualist, and much more, Levere tackled one frontier after another, determined to show the public just what she could do.
Donald Goines, Detroit’s Crime Writer Par Excellence
The writer used hard-boiled fiction as a wide lens to accurately capture the widescreen disparity of Black life in the 1970s.
Stephen Crane vs. The Police
When the author tried to defend a woman from charges of solicitation, and then testified against the arresting officer, the NYPD struck back.
Emily Brontë’s Lost Second Novel
The author of the English literary classic Wuthering Heights died tragically young, leaving her second novel unfinished.