Queer Korean author and translator @antonhur.com on The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast about his debut fiction, Toward Eternity, and what he has learned as an author. We chatted about translation in literature, AIβs effects on writers, social issues, Mariah Carey, and more. Follow the podcast!
It was a joy to spotlight the Philly literary translation scene with my brilliant friendsππ€π¦
It was a joy to spotlight the Philly literary translation scene with my brilliant friendsππ€π¦
"The framing of LLMs as preserving the lives of those we have lost distracts from the lost livelihoods, and worsened material conditions, of a generation of writers on whose work the technology of LLM feeds."
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/literature-is-not-a-vibe-on-chatgpt-and-the-humanities/
'First lines of books always feel like life and death for a translation. I must have stared and stared at this line for, cumulatively, hours.'
Fascinating to read @jencalleja.bsky.social reflect on translating four lines of 'Favorita' by Michelle Steinbeck, for @faberbooks.bsky.social.
Congratulationsπ€πΎπ!
#Belarus: We condemn the labelling of @penbelarus.bsky.social digital platform as βextremist materialsβ and reiterate our full solidarity with colleagues in their quest to promote and protect Belarusian culture, language, and identity.
penbelarus.org/en/
Feeling like the world's luckiest translator to be working with Ia again, and to be read so generously by the judges, who really get the book: "Breathtakingly original, profound but with a delicious dose of irreverence" thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-l...
Out in UK in mid-March, US this summer!
Presenting the longlist for the #InternationalBooker2026, supported by Bukhman Philanthropies.
Find out more about the books, authors and translators: thebookerprizes.com/ibp2026
I mean this is the most church counselor way of putting it, but intelligence by itself is nearly worthless. wisdom and prudence and discernment are necessary qualities for intelligence to be useful. innumerable religious scriptures have tried to explain this but yr tech bros aren't big on books
Just found out that Nikolai, the frontman of Shortparis, has died at 39. Seems like they never quite broke through outside of Russia (and struggled with circumstances inside it) but goddamn Shortparis should have been the biggest band on the planet. Coolest frontman ever. What a loss. RIP
kind of funny that an olympian said they are here to represent "compassion, respect, and love for others" and some people automatically knew that was a statement against them
BODY DOUBLE is on LitHub's most anticipated list! "Okay Personaβ¦ okay Ingmar Bergmanβ¦ okay Scandinavian literature about lesbians who start turning into each otherβ¦. a strange, twisty story about obsession and identity and how easy it can be to lose yourself completely" lithub.com/lit-hubs-mos...
βThere are almost certainly stories weβre missing out on by only reading English-language fictionβ¦ The more translated fiction we read, the more our view of the world expands.β
DreamHaven Books owner Greg Ketter emerging from a cloud of tear gas that ICE agents fired into the streets of Minneapolis.
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolisβ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will β now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. π§. dreamhavenbooks.com
My sanity these days hinges upon being around a creature who is delighted by everything
"This is the Texas that greeted Ramos. This is the Friendship State. This is the fiercely independent bastion of civil liberties. Overrun by jackbooted federal agents who view themselves above the law."
www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/edit...
I have for you a snow day readβοΈ www.washingtonsquarereview.com/evgenia-nekr...
First snow for baby RodeoβοΈ
In case you missed itπ€π»
a mini barbie dreamhouse atop a giant (relative to the house) chicken legs
I felt like making some art last night/today and could have made something beautiful and/or meaningful but I made this instead.
It's a Barbie Yaga Malibu Dream Hut.
No regrets. Can't defeat fascism without joy.
In case you missed itπ€π»
Walter Siti wrote about one of the strangest encounters concerning that strange figure who was Pier Paolo Pasoliniβfrom just days before his death 50 years ago.
Proud to have a translation of this haunting story in the new @nplusonemag.com, with an intro of mine! www.nplusonemag.com/issue-52/fic...
Hi perhaps you would like a little break from the news in the form of an essay about my trip to Centralia, Pennsylvania, the town thatβs been on fire since 1962βa place where surprisingly I found a great deal of hope, wonder, and mystery.
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
My Asymptote interview was the second-most widely read article in Asymptote in 2025 ππ»ββοΈπβ¨
Flyer for the Track Changes reading, listening, and conversation series event on January 6, featuring Devin Kelly and Grady Chambers, hosted by Alina Pleskova. Doors: 7 PM, Start: 7:30 PM. Held at the Pen & Pencil Club in Philly.
π antidote for midwinter gloom: put the first Track Changes of 2026 on your calendar, ft. Devin Kelly (NYC) & Grady Chambers (Philly). join us for a reading, listening, & convo series where writers chat about their favorite records!
ποΈ advance tickets & info: jan-2026-track-changes.eventbrite.com
Cormac McCarthy line sticking with me this morning, from The Passenger:
βEvil has no alternate plan. It is simply incapable of assuming failure.β
Not sure about the "architects of AI" being the TIME person of the year, but Indie booksellers, librarians, & library workers are def our winners.
They continue to fight book bans and support their communities by creating safe spaces, mutual aid drives, and opportunities for curiosity and escape π©΅
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
