What Can a New Documentary Tell Us About Truman Capote?
A portrait of a writer many years in the making
An Unprecedented Look at the High-School Football Team That Inspired “Friday Night Lights”
In 1988, photographer Robert Clark went to Odessa, Texas, to document the life of a town and its beloved football team
Why News Reporters Write the Best Crime Novels
Seasoned newspaper writers like Carl Hiaasen and Laura Lippman understand something that can't be learned in an MFA program
Exploring the South Through the Lens of the Drive-By Truckers
Author Stephen Deusner's new book "Where the Devil Don't Stay" traces the band's history while meditating on Southern identity
The 10 Books You Should Be Reading This September
New novels from Whitehead and Knausgaard, a definitive investigation into the economic impact of COVID and more
Kyle Beachy’s 10-Year Struggle to Write the Definitive Ode to Skateboarding
The lifelong skateboarder and current creative writing professor discusses "The Most Fun Thing," and the journey that bore it
Salman Rushdie Is on Substack Now
The author will be putting up a new piece of fiction in installments in the newsletter
The Best Movies, TV, Books and Music for September
Including: The return of Jon Stewart, plus a 53-song tribute to Metallica
Batman's Sidekick Robin Comes Out, And Years of Bigoted Analysis May Finally End
Thankfully, the happiness of a fictional character has so far not caused an uproar
The 10 New Books You Should Be Reading This August
From visions of the future to an inside look at a soccer giant
Start Reading “The Wheel of Time” Now, Before Amazon Makes It the Next “Lord of the Rings”
Or "Game of Thrones," as a similarly ambitious TV series will debut on Prime Video in November
How to Write a Book About LA That Actually Matters in 2021
In “Always Crashing in the Same Car,” Matthew Specktor explores the city by reappraising some of its most challenging personalities
How Ian Fleming’s Wartime Espionage Shaped James Bond
A look at the experiences that informed a spy novelist, including Operation Golden Eye
Why Does Twitter Keep Verifying Fake Cormac McCarthy Accounts?
Reclusive novelists probably don't spend much time on social media
The Best Movies, TV, Books and Music for August
It’s Val Kilmer’s world, as seen through the eyes of Val Kilmer. Plus, Taika Waititi’s new comedy.
Looking Back at the Time Dan Brown Wrote a Dating Advice Book
No historical conspiracies in this one