Archive - New Material Girl

The Public Self

Or, my life as a literary publicist.

5 hrs ago •

Reading Translated Fiction Is Not About You

On Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the Berkeley Book Festival, and internet reviews.

Jul 1 •

June 2025

The Greatest Invention

Also known as: the title of my Stanford graduation speech. Congratulations, Class of 2025!

Jun 20 •

January 2025

Stop Bringing Your Phone Into the Bathroom

A very simple new year's resolution that will change your life immediately.

Jan 8 •

December 2024

5 Very Short Reads to Expand Your Literary World Before 2025

Bold, thought-provoking, and genuinely pleasurable books for your end-of-year list, from criticism to fiction. All under 170 pages.

Dec 24, 2024 •

You Can't Bullet Point a Book

You're not in English class anymore. Why use apps or AI to cheat yourself out of getting the full experience of literature?

Dec 18, 2024 •

Goodreads: The Platform for Radicalization or Just Another Reading List?

Maybe we are reading too much into what someone reads. Or not.

Dec 11, 2024 •

Reading List: "To Go to Lvov" Instead of Working "Bullshit Jobs"

A poem, two essays, and a game in my new featured series, “Reading List.”

Dec 7, 2024 •

November 2024

Expanding New Material Girl

Gratitude, reflections, and exciting new content for paid subscribers.

Nov 19, 2024 •

Against Counting

Does counting people dehumanize them? A look at the stories of plague and war, from King David's Israel to Putin's Russian-Ukraine War.

Nov 14, 2024 •

October 2024

Building the Authority of a Critic Online

Perhaps looking toward literary criticism and its commandments can help Substack with its own "copying" crisis.

Oct 22, 2024 •

Reading People Reading Sally Rooney: Literary Voyeurism and the Decentralized Critic

In the release of "Intermezzo," we are no longer just consuming literature—we are consuming each other.

Oct 15, 2024 •

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