A Contract Overseas
With Andoy unemployed and my mother scraping to feed us, I couldn't go straight to college, even with a scholarship. We both spent the next twelve months mopping floors More
Mr. and Mrs. Doctor
“What is this talk of happy?” Aunty asked without turning. Then, gently, she added, “You have been in America too long, Mrs. Doctor.” More
The Turner House
What kind of adulthood was this? Cha-Cha wondered.…He had the feeling that he would always be this person, seesawing between adult and child, as long as he stayed in… More
Interview with the Finalists of 2016 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction
To get a better idea of the writers behind the books, we sent each of the finalists four questions addressing inspiration, routine, and craft. More
Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape
Lauret Savoy is a finalist for the 2016 PEN Open Book Award. This excerpt from her book of interconnected essays traces memory, geology, and human history. More
Bastards of the Reagan Era
Reginald Dwayne Betts's collection of poems, a finalist for the 2016 PEN Open Book Award, turns a critical eye to the harsh realities of American society and its treatment… More
Forest Primeval: Poems
A series of poems from Vievee Francis's poetry collection, Forest Primeval, a finalist for the 2016 PEN Open Book Award. More
Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey
Beauty is the ultimate democracy, because a beautiful thing, particularly if it exists in nature, belongs to everyone. More
Rain: A Natural and Cultural History
"Rain and two more of its wondrous pride—clouds and rainbows—have inspired writers, painters, and poets for thousands of years. Homer’s Iliad is thick with clouds, as is much of… More
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