Occasionally Random

On some mornings in the capital, thick with heat and a silence punctuated only by the insomnia whine of mosquitoes, Jean Rhys would wake up,

Take a look at the paperbacks lining the bookshelves of authors currently reshaping the literary landscape.

Octavio Paz once wrote that the modern poet “extracts his visions from within himself.”  It is my hope that our comprehensive, aesthetically

Theo Spielberg appreciates Fatima Al Qadiri’s haunting score for the 2019 Senegalese film “Atlantics.”...

It’s a rocky road for its rovers, a long slog for scientists—and back on Earth, a battle of the budget.

Underneath a blanket of irony, references, and fever dream visuals lies a universal story of existing in a world defined by fiction. Read In

Once defined by its neutrality, the white rum of today is varied, complex and full of personality.

When you’re not sure if you’ll be getting quality pizza, order it well-done

Actress Laura Keene's role on the night of Lincoln's assassination is shrouded in myth.

Bochet vanished for centuries, but meadmakers are bringing it back—at least in spirit.

This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. For me, so much of writing is about listening: listening to the s

Are the mysterious mice adorning this 1,800-year-old helmet part of an ancient joke?

A local bar pays homage to the pisco-based cure-all that was once dispensed from the city’s iconic pushcarts.

A young Richard Nixon started asking studio executives why they didn't produce anti-Communist movies. The studios quickly responded with ant

It’s a dark and final curtain for both the sun and many fictional characters.

Abraham Lincoln did not merely espouse democracy; he looked like democracy. He was as common-looking and homely as a democratic people were

A new documentary explores the scandals surrounding the 1964 show, illuminating the US government’s obsession with its international image.