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Lit Hub Weekly

June 23 - 27, 2025

TODAY: In 1904, Anton Chekhov, dying of tuberculosis, writes to his sister Masha that his health is improving. He dies just over two weeks later.

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WHAT AI MEANS FOR AUTHORS, READERS, AND YOU: Paul Bradly Carr warns us of the dangers of AI, which he calls “the pinnacle of (lying, cheating, stealing) tech disruption and something novelists have been warning us about for decades.” • Aron Solomon on how the Meta AI copyright decision made libraries sitting ducks for AI plundering. • An open letter against AI from some of your favorite writers to the people who publish them. | Lit Hub Technology

“In an era where the world’s accumulation of knowledge is instantly accessible on a device that fits in your pocket, I am forced to seek illicit medical triage in the back of a beauty salon.” The impossible costs of being undocumented and ill in America. | Lit Hub Politics

From bookworm to slush, David Crystal explores the unlikely etymologies behind some popular bookish phrases. | Lit Hub History

“Transgression doesn’t always equal transcendence and liberty isn’t always found in the libertine.” Ed Simon on why fascism seduces writers. | Lit Hub Politics

IF THE BIG CHILL WERE A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

When a group of old college friends reunites for a summer vacation at a beach house in coastal Massachusetts, a sudden disappearance and the arrival of a seductive stranger threaten to unearth the darkest secrets of their relationships. Read Dwyer Murphy’s The House on Buzzards Bay.

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Anderson Tepper revisits Amos Tutuola’s The Palm-Wine Drinkard, a novel that “played no small part in broadening the possibilities of African literature.” | The New York Times

“Something fascinating occurs if you start to think how the biosphere, as a total system of interactions between lifeforms and their habitats, is also like the inside of a dreaming head.” Timothy Morton considers the connection between our mental and ecological health. | The MIT Press Reader

Anslem Berrigan reflects on the legacy of his mother, Alice Notley. | Interview

“How many worlds can a garment inhabit at one time?” Cori Winrock on Emily Dickinson’s dresses on the moon. | The Paris Review

“I was targeted for writing honestly about what was in front of me—the same thing I’m doing now.” Alistair Kitchen writes about how reporting on the Columbia protests led to his deportation. | The New Yorker

Erin Evans considers oral history as anti-capitalist storytelling. | Full Stop

Novelist Andrew O’Hagan takes on the Joan Didion industrial complex. | London Review of Books

THE BEST BOOKS FOR PRIDE FROM
SIMON & SCHUSTER

Celebrate Pride with bold, brilliant stories of identity, love, and resilience. These powerful reads spotlight unforgettable characters and authentic voices, honoring the richness and diversity of LGBTQ+ lives and experiences.

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“Contrary to the more exciting idea that an army of DEI warriors has forced men to the sidelines, what's really happening is that, in response to historic declines in literature’s value, the industry has itself become a site of more contingent and more precarious work that is more often done by women.” Sarah Brouillette on what’s really behind the plight of the white male novelist. | Defector

Emma Copley Eisenberg explores the legacy of Dorothy Allison. | Harper’s Bazaar

Would you enjoy a Great Gatsby boat tour, a 90-minute cruise around Manhasset Bay to explore East Egg and West Egg? | New York Times

Jeremy Gordon explains why he, a man, reads fiction (and no, it’s not to build empathy). | The Atlantic

“It takes a certain audacity to invoke international law while one is endorsing a thoroughly documented genocide.” Mary Turfah on the airstrikes on Iran. | Los Angeles Review of Books

Jessica George explores the evolution of children’s science lit. | JSTOR Daily

What is ChatGPT doing to our brains? Kyle Chayka considers the evidence. | The New Yorker