Esteban in His Own Words
Never heard of him? An African slave and Spanish explorer? His contribution is the stuff of legend, but the man himself remains a puzzle. Is there a novelist in the house?
The Big Oakland Powwow
Tommy Orange’s explosive first novel invokes voices of tribal despair and lost heritage, as a growing number of Native Americans have migrated to the inner cities.
Metamorphosis Redux
Nigerian writer A. Igoni Barrett puts a new spin on Franz Kafka’s story. Riffing on the classics is still very much a thing.
Rise of the New Francophones
French African writers inhabit a netherworld between culture and language—just ask Alain Mabanckou and Fatou Diome.
Moonlight and Innocence
An Oscar-winning movie and a celebrated new novel reprise the violence and angst and courage of growing up gay in a hostile world.
Alternate History 101
Many believe a fascist takeover of America is utterly impossible. A closer look from three alternate accounts of history may shed some needed light.
Of Pea Pods and the Misbegotten
Genetics began in the ancient forests of eastern Europe . . . then was literally hijacked by eugenists.
The Hot Furnace of Racial Fear
Philosopher of Black Lives Matter, Ta-Nahesi Coates, gets personal in an open letter to his son.