Lit Hub Weekly: September 19-23, 2022

TODAY: In 1896, F. Scott Fitzgerald is born.

Manil Suri reflects on his pursuit to answer life’s Big Questions—using only math. | Lit Hub
“When I look hard at Lisa Frank’s yellow dogs, bright as highlighter pens, I feel unsettled in a way I can’t pinpoint.” How the Trapper Keeper became the most popular school supply of all time—and shaped a generation of writers. | Lit Hub
From Anne Boleyn to Kamala Harris, a brief history of (men) calling women witches. | Lit Hub History
“Women have a special relationship with the law, because the next best alternative is violence.” Dahlia Lithwick on working within the legal system to demand justice. | Lit Hub Politics
Elizabeth Strout’s Lucy by the Sea, Yiyun Li’s The Book of Goose, and Richard Osman’s The Bullet That Missed all feature among the Best Reviewed Books of the Week. | Book Marks
108 new and upcoming crime and mystery books to check out this fall (and beyond!). | CrimeReads
Suzanne Trimel on PEN America’s centenary and the attack on Salman Rushdie. | PEN America
“Attempts to ban books are accelerating across the country at a rate never seen since tracking began more than 20 years ago.” An overview of recent censorship efforts. | The New York Times
“A side effect of reading Horowitz’s puppy book is that you may start searching for opportunities to use some of the puppy-science vocabulary in casual conversation.” Rivka Galchen on the (adorable) revelations from the new book The Year of the Puppy. | The New Yorker
Terrance Hayes recommends soundtracks for most any occasion—in the form of a poem. | The Paris Review
“It helps to know what kind of a writer you are.” Jasmine Guillory and Nicole Chung on navigating a creative career. | The Atlantic
Jenny Bhatt asks 20 vital questions for emerging and established translators: “Do you connect with and uplift other translators?” | We Are All Translators
“The loss of a language is the first step toward losing cultural and ethnic memories.” Yiyun Li considers the recently translated Belarusian novel Alindarka’s Children. | Jewish Currents
Ocean Vuong reflects on the cultural legacy of Minari. | Vanity Fair
What do we really know about the printing press’s history? Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing talks to the scientists trying to unravel the mystery. | Atlas Obscura
Ten years after the release of the cult-classic film, Stephen Chbosky discusses adapting his novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower. | Vanity Fair
Joanne W. Golann gives advice on how to publicize an academic book. | Inside Higher Ed
“I have such a deep relationship with them. In order for me to write about them, I need to inhabit them as fully as possible.” Elizabeth Strout talks about her relationship with her characters. | The Washington Post
“It has been an immense gift to know people who survived, and to listen to their stories and wisdom.” Martha Anne Toll on Greek mythology, trauma, and learning from the stories of Holocaust survivors. | The Millions
“Libraries have worked hard to meet their communities where they are.” How the role of libraries has shifted in recent years. | The Conversation
In the new issue of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, Rachel Cline reflects on the final days of her mother’s life. | Dorothy Parker’s Ashes