Books: Everybody’s Favorite Magical Machine
An Interview You’ll Love, or so I Suspect
I’d love to share an interview with yours truly on Slantcast, the podcast of Slant Books. Many thanks to Gregory Wolfe and Emily Starr Kwilinski for having me. It was an absolute joy.
We start where more than a few book conversations begin these day, something I covered in the newsletter recently: the disappearance of the newspaper book section. What’s happening to book reviewing? But rather than blowing dirges for the loss, we shift to where literary culture is thriving, including Substack. How much of it is decline versus the landscape changing?
From there we discussed the benefits of curation. The flood of new titles every year boosts the value of a trustworthy editorial eye, which is, incidentally, part of what small presses like Slant do so well. Along those lines, I talk about my love for what New Directions is up to.
I discuss my own approach to reviewing books, something I’ve been asked about off and on for a few years but haven’t really answered before. What am I trying to do when reviewing a book?
We also spend some time on The Idea Machine—my argument that the book, from clay tablets through generative AI, is the most durable information technology humans have ever created. Greg pushes back on the point. Books are more like dreams than tools, he objects. Where do we land when the dust settles? You’ll have to listen to find out. And I hope you do.
We close out on the economics underneath it all, discussing the business model that drives publishing and why indie enterprises have an important role to play. Check it out.
Unrelated, but this weekend I updated my About page here at MBR. If you’re new to the review and wondering what’s going on, it’s a great place to get oriented.
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