Julia Loktev's "My Undesirable Friends"
Julia Loktev joins the podcast to talk about her new documentary "My Undesirable Friends," following a team of journalists in Russia right before the invasion of Ukraine.
LARB Radio HourDec 5
- LARB Radio Hour
Featured Exhibit
Hard Handshake
Hard Handshake is the first major exhibition in Los Angeles dedicated to Lee Lozano. The exhibition, showing at Hauser & Wirth in Downtown Los Angeles, brings together over one hundred drawings by the Lozano.
More from Hard Handshake View all artists

Freeing the Library
Aaron Boehmer writes about community libraries and the importance of accessible archival and literary resources in these times.
Aaron BoehmerDec 5
- Politics
- Cultural Studies
King Lear Goes to China
Jeffrey Wasserstrom speaks with Xue Yiwei and Nan Z. Da about Shakespeare’s legacy in China.
Jeffrey WasserstromDec 5
- History
- Cultural Studies
Ambivalence and Devotion
Karen E. Park explores Kristin Grady Gilger’s “mother memoir” about her son’s most troubling decision: to become a Catholic priest.
Karen E. ParkDec 4
- Philosophy & Religion
Blambustercated
Sanjena Sathian speaks with Dan Chaon about his new novel, “One of Us.”
Sanjena SathianDec 4
- Fiction
What Fresh Heaven
Sebastian Langdell interviews Mary Jo Bang about her recent translation of Dante’s “Paradiso.”
Sebastian LangdellDec 3
- Poetry

Art lovers: this raffle is for you!
All LARB donors of $250+ between now and 12/8 will automatically be entered in a raffle from some of our favorite L.A.-based artisans, including Block Shop Textiles and gentle thrills. (Total value $300.)
Donate $250 and be entered to win!
Celebrate with LARB!
Join LARB on December 19 for a festive, literary affair! We’ll be celebrating the holiday season and the launch of the LARB Quarterly, no. 47: Security with a night of readings from Agnes Borinsky, Jean Chen Ho, Maddie Connors, Hannah Liberman, Tess Pollok, Jeremy Ra, Xuan Juliana Wang, and Sarah Yanni.
Get your tickets.
LARB RADIO HOUR
Robin Coste Lewis's "Archive of Desire"
Robin Coste Lewis joins the podcast to talk about her new poetry collection, Archive of Desire. The four part collection came from collaboration around the 160th birthday of poet Constantin Cavafy
LARB Radio HourDec 1
- LARB Radio Hour

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SIGALERT
Nothing Ever Happens: “Mister Squishy” and the Year of the Sentence Diagram
Hannah Smart writes about her attempt to diagram a 900-word sentence in David Foster Wallace’s “Mister Squishy,” and what the efforts taught her about human inertia and meaningless language.
Hannah SmartNov 15
- Fiction
- Literary Criticism
FROM THE FORTHCOMING ISSUE
The Secessionists of Shasta County
Nevin Kallepalli investigates political resentment in rural California, in an essay from LARB Quarterly no. 47: “Security.”
Nevin KallepalliNov 10
- LARB Lit
- Politics

Letter to the Editor Regarding Victoria Dailey’s “Los Angeles in Black and White”
Johanna Drucker responds to Victoria Dailey’s review of the catalogue raisonné “Paul Landacre: California Hills, Hollywood, and the World Beyond.”
Johanna Drucker Dec 3
- Art & Architecture
- History
What the Laureate Left Out
Heather Treseler accepts the challenge of “The Poems of Seamus Heaney,” a new “definitive collection” of the Irish poet’s work.
Heather TreselerDec 2
- Poetry
People of the World: Relax!
“People of the World: Relax!” is excerpted from “The Complete C Comics,” a collection of Joe Brainard’s innovative work, and featured in LARB Quarterly no. 47: “Security.”
Joe BrainardDec 2
- LARB Lit
- Comics
Robin Coste Lewis's "Archive of Desire"
Robin Coste Lewis joins the podcast to talk about her new poetry collection, Archive of Desire. The four part collection came from collaboration around the 160th birthday of poet Constantin Cavafy
LARB Radio HourDec 1
- LARB Radio Hour

CITY OF ANGELS
The Golden Age of Porn Valley
Sascha Cohen talks with Molly Lambert about her new podcast “JennaWorld: Jenna Jameson, Vivid Video, & the Valley.”
Sascha CohenNov 9
- Gender & Sexuality
- Film
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Giant Platforms of Shit
Dave Mandl catches a whiff of Cory Doctorow’s anatomy of platform “enshittification.”
Dave MandlNov 5
- Science & Technology
SILVER SCREEN
Bones, Roses, and Ruins
Janet Sarbanes encounters Nancy Buchanan’s career retrospective at the Brick in Los Angeles.
Janet SarbanesNov 14
- Art & Architecture
BETA MODE
The Return of the Luddites
Erik J. Larson considers “The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want” by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna.
Erik J. LarsonOct 31
- Science & Technology
- Philosophy & Religion

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Latest

Is There Anything “Artificial” About Artificial Intelligence?
Julien Crockett speaks with Blaise Agüera y Arcas about the various ways that LLMs keep surprising scientists and how our definition of intelligence should be more complex than people generally think.
Julien CrockettDec 1
- Science & Technology
Still Not Geriatric: Archiving a Teenage Riot Grrrl Band
Martin Wong catches up with SoCal punk band Emily’s Sassy Lime upon their reunion for the California Biennial.
Martin WongNov 30
- Art & Architecture
- Music
Racialized Economic Piracy
Joel Edward Goza dives into Calvin Schermerhorn’s new study of American history, tracing a financial pattern of racial exploitation that’s woven into the nation’s fabric.
 Joel Edward GozaNov 30
- History
And Then What? The Road After “Success” in the Arts
Alexis Clements uses Alison Bechdel’s new graphic novel “Spent” to meditate on the predicament of the creative artist today.
Alexis ClementsNov 29
- Comics
- Art & Architecture
Closing the Distance, Emerging from the Earth
Nathan Xavier Osorio finds pain and tenderness in Donika Kelly’s newest poetry collection.
Nathan Xavier OsorioNov 29
- Poetry
- Gender & Sexuality

The Inconvenient Scholarship of Kevin Roberts
Samuel G. FreedmanSep 29, 2024
A New Theory on "Mark Twain"
Daniel HernandezSep 26, 2013
Herzog in the Jungle of Truth
Sam Shpall Nov 24
Is Justice Barrett Listening?
Leah LitmanNov 22
Don’t Close Your Teeth
Cynthia ZarinNov 17
And Then What? The Road After “Success” in the Arts
Alexis ClementsNov 29
Nothing Ever Happens: “Mister Squishy” and the Year of the Sentence Diagram
Hannah SmartNov 15
Beauty in Recluse: On Katherine Dunn’s “Toad”
Terry NguyenOct 31, 2022

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Fault Lines

What our editors can’t stop thinking about, from cultural research and reporting to political commentary and coverage of current events.

Is Justice Barrett Listening?
Leah Litman prosecutes Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s new legal memoir, “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution.”
Leah LitmanNov 22
A Mole in MAGA’s Midst
Alexandre Lefebvre reads “Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right” by Laura K. Field.
Alexandre LefebvreNov 14
- Politics
- Philosophy & Religion
An Emergency Born of Prosperity
Zoe Adams considers “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” by Brian Goldstone.
Zoe AdamsNov 13
- Politics
- Economics and Finance
Uniquely Positioned to Combat Injustice
Randy M. Browne considers Keisha N. Blain’s new book, which finds that Black women, historically, haven’t simply argued for racial justice at home; they have, in fact, fought for and won human rights for everyone worldwide.
Randy M. BrowneNov 8
- History
- Politics

Vantage Points

Long-form views on literature, art, and experience from LARB’s online magazine and print Quarterly.

Holding and Disappearing Traces of the Past
Lara Fresko Madra explores Hande Sever’s recent installation at REDCAT in Los Angeles.
Lara Fresko Madra Nov 25
- Art & Architecture
When History Hangs Out
Jacob Stern reviews Richard Linklater’s two latest films, “Nouvelle Vague” and “Blue Moon,” as twin hangout movies.
Jacob SternNov 21
- Film
- History
You Can Go Home Again, and Again, and Again
Cory Oldweiler reviews the new translation of Danish author Solvej Balle’s “On the Calculation of Volume (Book III).”
Cory OldweilerNov 18
- Fiction
- SF
The Cult of Orgasm
Helena Aeberli traces Ellen Huet’s investigations in “Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult.”
Helena AeberliNov 18
- Gender & Sexuality
- Cultural Studies

Short Takes

Brief dispatches from L.A.’s arts and culture scenes. Courtesy of LARB’s local columnists and occasional correspondents.

Hail, Caesar
Friends, Romans, countrymen: Nathan Jefferson lends his ears (and eyes) to the immersive “Julius Caesar” production at Heritage Square Museum.
Nathan JeffersonMay 8
The Whole Idea of Knowing the Truth
Elizabeth Barton trawls through the newly opened Joan Didion archives at New York Public Library to learn about the making of the author’s first book.
Elizabeth BartonApr 30
Jackpot!
“Nothing is clearly defined” in Julia Yerger’s art exhibition, which Keith J. Varadi finds to be a big win.
Keith J. VaradiMar 17
My Date at the Holocaust Ballet
Dorie Chevlen attends “Memoryhouse,” an abstract, cinematic performance that still managed to dance around comparisons to contemporary injustices.
Dorie ChevlenFeb 12

View all Short Takes

LARB Radio Hour

Sarah Schulman’s “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity”
Eric Newman and Kate Wolf speak with Sarah Schulman about her latest book, “The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity.”
LARB Radio HourMay 2
- LARB Radio Hour
The Shit Show
In this special episode, hosts Kate Wolf, Medaya Ocher, and Eric Newman discuss how Big Tech dreams—from iPhones to social media to AI—have become nightmares.
LARB Radio HourOct 31
- LARB Radio Hour
Kelly Reichardt's “Mastermind”
Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt talks to Kate Wolf and Medaya Ocher about her new movie, “The Mastermind,” out in theaters now.
LARB Radio HourOct 24
- LARB Radio Hour
Grace Byron’s “Herculine”
Medaya Ocher and Eric Newman speak with writer Grace Byron about her debut novel, “Herculine.”
LARB Radio HourOct 17
- LARB Radio Hour

View all Radio Hour episodes

The LARB Quarterly

LARB Quarterly, no. 46: Alien

We’re over the moon to announce the LARB Quarterly, no. 46: Alien, featuring meditations, essays, fiction, poetry, and more from LARB contributors new and known.

Featured Exhibit

LARB RADIO HOUR

Help us keep LARB paywall-free.

SIGALERT

FROM THE FORTHCOMING ISSUE

CITY OF ANGELS

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

SILVER SCREEN

BETA MODE

Get the best of LARB in your inbox.

Latest

Popular

Double your impact.

Fully tax deductible

Starting at $10/mo or $100/yr

Starting at $10/mo or $100/yr

Fault Lines

What our editors can’t stop thinking about, from cultural research and reporting to political commentary and coverage of current events.

Vantage Points

Long-form views on literature, art, and experience from LARB’s online magazine and print Quarterly.

Short Takes

Brief dispatches from L.A.’s arts and culture scenes. Courtesy of LARB’s local columnists and occasional correspondents.

LARB Radio Hour

The LARB Quarterly

LARB Quarterly, no. 46: Alien