Human Acts is about tragedy. It’s also about people. And humanity. One of the working titles for the English translation of the novel (by Deborah Smith) was Uprisings – a reference to both the literal uprising, as well as the metaphorical uprisings throughout the novel. However, I think Human Acts was a perfect title for the novel; it reflects the searing humanity you face by not only the events, but all of the characters.
Continue ReadingThe Problem With Tropes
A trope, as it pertains to stories, is a plot structure, theme, storyline, character arc, etc. They are commonly defined with a few easy words, and more recently, have become something to seek out as an author. There are many, but a few of the most common ones are: enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, or even specific scenes like the “Who hurt you?” or an angry love confession.
Continue ReadingWhat Kind of Girl Are You?
Tennis Girl Summer, Parisian Girl Summer, Cool Girl Summer. Which persona do you want to take on for the next two months? You better buy new clothes, adopt a new personality, and change your likes and hobbies for the season.
Continue ReadingWhy Are We Getting Meaner?
When everything’s an arms-length away, what happens? We’re seeing it firsthand with Generation Alpha. Gen Alpha’s oldest are twelve-year-olds and they’re taking the world by storm, and not in a good way.
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“The Argonauts” and Being Vulnerable in Your Writing
At the center of Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts is a structured confusion. A confusion over things everyone’s considered: their place in life, their past, their future, love, and life itself. And a confusion over specificities: identity and sexuality and gender and motherhood and the philosophy of everything combined. I read The Argonauts because it was […]
Continue ReadingA Guide to Literary Fiction
When people ask me what my favorite genre is, I hesitate before admitting that it’s Literary Fiction. One, it sounds pretentious (just the word ‘literary’ is pretentious) and two, it confuses people. Even I didn’t realize I liked Literary Fiction for awhile. So I often resort to saying something like, “just fiction, general fiction, like realistic fiction” and hope people understand. But, I thought it would be helpful to make a somewhat guide about literary fiction and recommendations if you’re looking to get into it!
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Iowa City: ‘The Writers’ City’
People, writers, often refer to Iowa City as the city for writing. This expectation was thrust onto me too during the weeks leading up to my stay in Iowa City. I went to the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio (IWYS) for 2 weeks. It’s at the University of Iowa and all of the faculty are graduates or students at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
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‘Barbie’ Review: Ambitious, Girly, and Feminist
A sea of pink floods into the theater. Even from a mile away, an onlooker knows where everyone is going. To see the most anticipated movie of the year, “Barbie”. Greta Gerwig’s (co-writer and director) ambitious film follows her trend of movies about girlhood and coming-of-age (such as “Ladybird” and “Little Women”).
Continue ReadingHating on the Romance Genre Is Misogynistic
The romance genre, assumed to be a woman-only genre, is riddled with stigma about its “literary merit”. The romance genre has been predominantly written by women with women leads, but that doesn’t mean it is only for women. Often times, when referring to the genre, many defend their hatred of it as to why it’s ‘bad’ or not as worthy as other genres. But why all the hate? Misogyny.
Continue Reading36 LGBTQ Books to Read in 2023
Happy Pride Month! In the past few years, there have been excellent new releases of LGBTQ books. I’ve compiled them in a list of all genres, including the classics! Some of these will be published later this year, but there are plenty more books to fill your time as you wait for them. This list mainly focuses on less popular books you may not have heard of before. There are many books here so I’m sure everyone can find something enjoyable!
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