Books/Poetry

Henry M. Johnson, "Acushnet (Whaler)" logbook, 1845-1847. (Courtesy Phillips Library/Peabody Essex Museum)

For Herman Melville's birthday, book art inspired by 'Moby-Dick'

To mark the 205th anniversary of Melville’s birth, a journey to the Peabody Essex Museum's exhibition "Draw Me Ishmael" that explores how book artists have been inspired by the author's...

M. T. Anderson's 'Nicked' is the story of a young man with a dream

In Anderson's "adult debut," a Benedictine monk in the year 1087 has a literal dream in which he is visited by St. Nicholas, who gives him a sacred, albeit cryptic...

'Desperately Seeking Susan' director Susan Seidelman reflects on her singular career

Seidelman shares anecdotes from her life in her new memoir "Desperately Seeking Something." She will be at the Brattle Theatre on Thursday, July 18, to sign copies and talk about...

Ben Shattuck's wistful stories are an ode to New England, past and present

If you are not in the habit of reading short fiction, Ben Shattuck’s extraordinary “The History of Sound” might make you a convert.

J. Courtney Sullivan's 'The Cliffs' is a deeply moving exploration of history

In Sullivan's sixth novel, a large Victorian house on the Maine coast is the nexus for a story about lives once lost to history, and of one woman’s own rocky...

A new collection aims to pull a pioneering female journalist out of obscurity

"The Case of Lizzie Borden and Other Writings" spans Elizabeth Garver Jordan’s entire career, from her coverage of the Lizzie Borden trial to her fiction writing, which includes short stories...

10 books by New England authors to read this summer

Whether you’re looking for a splashy beach read or you’re eager to learn something new on vacation, WBUR literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends books by New England authors that might...

Claire Messud's latest novel is a multigenerational saga inspired by real events

Based on events in the author's family, “This Strange Eventful History” spans 70 years and tells the often-heartbreaking tale of three generations of the Cassar family through elite college educations,...

Arts & Culture

May 21, 2024

Author Alina Grabowski's novel "Women and Children First" is out now. (Author photo courtesy Matthew Fox; book cover courtesy Zando/SJP Lit)

Alina Grabowski's debut novel 'Women and Children First' lives up to the hype

Included on a number of "best of" lists before it was published, the novel is a profoundly moving story about 10 women and teenage girls whose lives are forever changed...

Arts & Culture

May 7, 2024

The cover of Elijah Wald's book "Jelly Roll Blues: Censored Songs and Hidden Histories." (Courtesy Hachette Books)

Elijah Wald uncovers the censored world of early jazz in 'Jelly Roll Blues'

The author and musician examines how ribald rhymes heard in fields, jails and queer-friendly underground parties in the early 20th century were buried for decades by folklorists and record companies...

Arts & Culture

Apr 18, 2024

Eric LaRocca's new book is "This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances." (Courtesy Titan)

For author Eric LaRocca, horror is a form of healing

You can try reading Eric LaRocca's new collection “This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances” in the daylight. But even sunshine won’t be able to banish the deep-body chills...

Arts & Culture

Mar 28, 2024

Author Sarah Braunstein's novel "Bad Animals" is out now. (Author photo courtesy Lauryn Hottinger; book cover courtesy W. W. Norton & Company)

Novel 'Bad Animals' questions the stories that are told

Sarah Braunstein's novel follows residents in a coastal Maine town through the eyes of a laid-off librarian, who is not completely unreliable but is disingenuous. Carol Iaciofano Aucoin reviews.

Arts & Culture

Mar 19, 2024

Literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends nine books to read this spring. (Courtesy the publishers)

9 books by New England authors to read this spring

From the “Satanic Panic” in rural New Hampshire, to contemporary college campuses, to post-apocalyptic Massachusetts, literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends books that will keep you enthralled this season.

Arts & Culture

Mar 15, 2024

Rachel Lyon's book "Fruit of the Dead" is a contemporary reimagining of Persephone. (Book cover courtesy the publisher; author photo courtesy Pieter M. van Hattem)

Novel 'Fruit of the Dead' is a contemporary reimagining of Persephone

Western Massachusetts-based author Rachel Lyon reaches back into ancient myth for her latest book reimagining the ancient Greek myth as a contemporary parable about power, consent and trauma.

Arts & Culture

Mar 5, 2024

Author Kelly Link's debut novel "The Book of Love" is out now. (Photo of the author courtesy Sharona Jacobs; book cover courtesy Random House)

Kelly Link's debut novel 'The Book of Love' is a wild — and long — ride

Set in the quaint, seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, the 640-page novel centers on three recently deceased high school students — Laura, Daniel and Mo — who have been brought...

Arts & Culture

Feb 13, 2024

A closeup of some of the bookmarks designed by the Cambridge Black History Project, (Solon Kelleher/WBUR)

Cambridge Black History Project shares the histories of 23 Black trailblazers

The organization partnered with the Cambridge Public Library, the city and school system to distribute bookmarks with the histories of influential Black Cantabrigians, including accomplished saxophonist Johnny Hodges and Saundra...

Arts & Culture

Feb 9, 2024

Three local writers share their book recommendations for Black History Month. (Arielle Gray/WBUR)

Books to read this Black History Month, according to 3 Boston writers

Three Black writers in Boston recommend books to read for Black History Month that celebrate Black culture in all of its multiplicity.

Arts & Culture

Feb 1, 2024

Ernie Fields with his territory big bang with vocalist Estelle Edison. (Courtesy Carmen Fields)

Boston journalist Carmen Fields tells the story of her father's territory big band

In her book “Going Back to T-Town: The Ernie Fields Territory Big Band,” Fields chronicles her father’s life on the road during Jim Crow, a recording career that saw hit...

Arts & Culture

Jan 30, 2024

Parker-Vincent Alva (left), Boston's new youth poet laureate with the city's current poet laureate, Porsha Olayiwola. (Courtesy the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture, City of Boston)

Boston names its next youth poet laureate

Dozens of people gathered at the Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library for an afternoon of poetry. Young poets, who were finalists for the city's youth poet laureate position,...

Arts & Culture

Jan 29, 2024

Book critic Christian Burno recommends seven books to read this winter. (Courtesy the publishers)

7 highly-anticipated books to read this winter

From a debut memoir interrogating intimate relationships to a dark workplace comedy, WBUR book critic Christian Burno selects works that will take you on an adventure through the eyes of...

Arts & Culture

Jan 12, 2024