6 essays from Philadelphia Review of Books
I’ve been a contributing editor at the new Philadelphia Review of Books for a few months now. It has been a real learning experience, but the most rewarding part has been seeing so many up-and-coming writers starting to find their voices.
This (unpaid) gig has given me a new appreciation for how hard it is to put together a good review section. We’re still working on improving the diversity of books assigned and of the thinkers we’re assigning them to. The VIDA essay I wrote for The Rumpus a little while ago signaled the beginning of some good improvements, I hope. Just to give an idea of what we’ve been up to so far, I’ve chosen a few personal favorites from the many, many excellent essays we’ve published.
Malcolm Bates, “Precious Cargo”
Report from Sardinia, 3/6/13
Christopher Breu, “Unfinished Revolution”
Review of the videogame Bioshock Infinite (2K Games, 2013), 7/11/13
Brittany Harmon, “What We Want to See”
Review of the novel Equilateral by Ken Kalfus (Bloomsbury USA, 2013), 5/6/13
Max Marin, “The Heart is Something Extra”
Review of the novel Irritant by Darby Larsen (Blue Square Press, 2013), 6/20/13
Susan Scutti, “Revelation in Contemporary African Art and Fiction”
Review of the novel Submergence by J.M. Ledgard and the exhibition Jane Alexander: Surveys, 6/19/13
Joshua Sicard, “Pain in the Old Man’s Hands”
Interview with Matthew Beard, author of the Dungeons & Dragons novel “The Last Garrison” (Wizards of the Coast, 2011), 6/13/13