Works written decades ago, often by female Jewish immigrants, were dismissed as insignificant or unmarketable. But in the past several years, translators devoted to the literature are making it available to a wider readership. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Writing and Writers”
Dennis Smith, Firefighter Who Wrote Best Sellers, Dies at 81
By Gotham Rex on January 23, 2022
“Report from Engine Co. 82” was the first of his 16 books. He also started Firehouse magazine and was the founding chairman of the New York City Fire Museum. Source: New York Times
Jonathan Reynolds, Playwright and Food Columnist, Dies at 79
By Gotham Rex on November 11, 2021
His plays tended to parody American institutions. His food writing tended to be full of humor. Source: New York Times
The Visionary Community of the Harlem Y.M.C.A.
By Gotham Rex on October 15, 2021
In the early 20th century, the building became a meeting place for many of the writers, artists, actors and activists who defined a new and vibrant Black culture. Source: New York Times
Broadway Is Brimming With Black Playwrights. But for How Long?
By Gotham Rex on September 16, 2021
Theater seems to be responding to demands for diversity. Artists are both delighted and worried about the precarious moment in which the gates have opened. Source: New York Times
Colson Whitehead Reinvents Himself, Again
By Gotham Rex on September 8, 2021
After winning back-to-back Pulitzers, the author of “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys” took another detour with his new crime novel, “Harlem Shuffle.” Source: New York Times
Katie Kitamura and the Cognitive Dissonance of Being Alive Right Now
By Gotham Rex on July 11, 2021
Her new novel, “Intimacies,” introduces readers to the perceptive, digressive mind of an interpreter at The Hague who is dealing with loss, an uncertain relationship and an insecure world. Source: New York Times
Overlooked No More: Eve Adams, Writer Who Gave Lesbians a Voice
By Gotham Rex on July 2, 2021
Her 1925 book, “Lesbian Love,” is one of the earliest examples of American lesbian literature. She also ran Eve’s Hangout, a literary haunt in Manhattan. Source: New York Times
Lincoln Center Names Mahogany L. Browne Its First Poet in Residence
By Gotham Rex on July 1, 2021
Mahogany Browne, the author of “Black Girl Magic” and “Chlorine Sky,” will develop in-person and virtual programming from July to September at the performing-arts center. Source: New York Times
‘I’m Easily Bored by Books,’ Says Writer of 22 Novels
By Gotham Rex on June 28, 2021
The latest from the aptly named Francine Prose is “The Vixen,” a surprisingly funny tale involving Ethel Rosenberg and the C.I.A. Source: New York Times
It’s Not Too Late to Discover Louise Meriwether
By Gotham Rex on June 17, 2021
The author, 98, wrote one of the classic novels of Depression-era Black life, “Daddy Was a Number Runner,” and its themes still resonate today. Source: New York Times
With Healing in Mind, Stage Collaborators Take a Dip Together
By Gotham Rex on June 16, 2021
The playwright Lynn Nottage chose to share her Signature Theater residency with other artists rocked by 2020. The immersive result: “The Watering Hole.” Source: New York Times
Losers, Lovers, Strivers: The 60-Second Novelist Is Ready to Listen
By Gotham Rex on May 14, 2021
After a year of isolation, a writer of speedy life stories takes to the street to commune with strangers again, plying the form he came up with nearly 40 years ago. Source: New York Times
Brooklyn Man Finds New Life in Crime (Writing)
By Gotham Rex on April 19, 2021
Jonathan Ames, known for his confessional essays and TV shows like “Bored to Death,” tries his hand at a detective novel with “A Man Named Doll.” Source: New York Times
Carol Prisant, Elegant Design Writer, Dies at 82
By Gotham Rex on April 15, 2021
She was a 51-year old former antiques dealer with no experience as a writer when she wrote to the editor of The World of Interiors magazine about a job. She was hired. Source: New York Times