Los Angeles Review of Books

On Giving Up
In this special episode, hosts Medaya Ocher, Kate Wolf, and Eric Newman discuss the case for and against giving up—on life, vices, dreams, creative...
LARB Radio HourMay 9
Featured Artist
Toshiko Takaezu
Three-quarter Moon (1989), stoneware, 17 × 21 1/2 inches, photo: Nicholas Knight. Courtesy The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum © Family of Toshiko Takaezu; Moon (1980s), stoneware, 13 × 13 1/2 inches © Family of Toshiko Takaezu
More from Toshiko Takaezu View all artists

Mythic Appetites: On Meta-Desires, Marriage, and Meals in the Personal Essay
Kristen Malone Poli examines the true hunger at the heart of the divorce plot.
Kristen Malone PoliMay 9
- Memoir
Invented Jewish Folktales
In an excerpt from LARB Quarterly no. 41, “Truth,” Sam Sax presents lore so uncanny, it might as well be real.
Sam SaxMay 9
- Fiction
- LARB Quarterly
True Fictionalizations: On Angie Sijun Lou’s “Dark Soil” Anthology
David Lewis reviews the new anthology “Dark Soil: Fictions and Mythographies,” edited by Angie Sijun Lou.
David LewisMay 8
Who Tells the Stories of Chinese Leaders? On Two New Biographies
Lucy Hornby discusses two recent biographies about former Chinese leaders Zhou Enlai and Hua Guofeng.
Lucy HornbyMay 8

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LARB Quarterly, no. 41: Truth
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LARB Radio Hour
On Giving Up
In this special episode, hosts Medaya Ocher, Kate Wolf, and Eric Newman discuss the case for and against giving up—on life, vices, dreams, creative...
May 9

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Latest

Company in the Void: On Catherine Barnett’s “Solutions for the Problem of Bodies in Space”
James Ciano reviews Catherine Barnett’s “Solutions for the Problem of Bodies in Space.”
James CianoMay 7
- Poetry
Echo, Echo: Death, Rebirth, and New Age Music
In an excerpt from LARB Quarterly no. 41, “Truth,” Peter Holslin reflects on synthesizer drones, inoffensive ambience, and his father’s affinity for...
Peter HolslinMay 7
Bad Dad Jokes: On Lucas Mann’s “Attachments”
Adam Fleming Petty reviews Lucas Mann’s “Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performance,” rooting his analysis in his personal experience.
Adam Fleming PettyMay 6
Dads in the Wild: On Lucas Mann’s “Attachments”
Margo Steines reviews Lucas Mann's “Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances.”
Margo SteinesMay 6
- Cultural Studies
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Sluts in Form and Content: A Conversation Between Sarah Yanni and Michelle Tea
Sarah Yanni talks with Michelle Tea about her new anthology “SLUTS.”
Sarah YanniMay 5
- Memoir
- Nonfiction

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Short Takes

Most Valuable Pfeiffer
Brandon Sward wades through spectral sports audio in search of that yummy-yum at Paul Pfeiffer’s retrospective at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary.
May 8
All’s Fair at the Ren Faire
Brittany Menjivar forgoes turkey legs and opts instead for a taste of pulled pork and momento mori at the Renaissance Faire.
May 2
Melody from Noise
Copydesk chief A. J. Urquidi ponders urban doom loops, world peace, and sacred riffage at the Helmet and Cro-Mags show in Los Angeles.
May 1
Perfectly Acceptable Adult Rage
Emily VanKoughnett cuts through the exquisite bullshit and watches Mannequin Pussy create a kind of heaven at the Fonda Theatre.
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LARB Radio Hour

LARB Radio Hour
On Giving Up
In this special episode, hosts Medaya Ocher, Kate Wolf, and Eric Newman discuss the case for and against giving up—on life, vices, dreams, creative...
May 9
LARB Radio Hour
Anna Shechtman’s “The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle”
Scholar and writer Anna Shechtman joins Medaya Ocher to discuss her book “The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword...
May 3
LARB Radio Hour
The Veteranos of East LA
Scholar Randol Contreras joins Kate Wolf and Eric Newman to discuss his new book “The Marvelous Ones: Drugs, Gang Violence, and Resistance in East...
Apr 26
LARB Radio Hour
Mother Tongues and Mother Dolls
A double-header episode about two new novels that each feature high stakes feats of translation.
Apr 19