The Monthly Digest: August 2020

In July LARB featured a series of interviews with poets, novelists, filmmakers, and thinkers that touched on the most pressing issues of our time, as well as on questions of art and craft and on more personal concerns. Of course, the personal and the public, the social and the artistic always intersect, but they do so in endlessly surprising, ever-varying ways. It is this great variety that makes penetrating conversations like those below so vital and so worthy of our attention. — LARB Editorial

“One Thinks Through Fictions”: A Conversation with Carlos Fonseca
A major Latin American novelist discusses the archive undergirding his newly translated novel “Natural History.”
Jessica SequeiraJul 31, 2020
- Around the World
- Fiction
Three Questions for Frederick Luis Aldama Regarding His New Children’s Book, “The Adventures of Chupacabra Charlie”
Daniel Olivas talks to writer Frederick Luis Aldama about his latest children’s book, “The Adventures of Chupacabra Charlie.”
Daniel A. OlivasJul 29, 2020
- Young Adult & Children’s Literature
Narrative of My Heart: A Conversation with Natasha Trethewey
Yvonne Conza interviews Natasha Trethewey about her new book, “Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir.”
Yvonne ConzaJul 28, 2020
- Memoir & Essay
- Poetry
The Limit of Lyrical Thinking: A Conversation with Susan Briante
Roberto Tejada talks with Susan Briante about migration, documentary poetics, and her new book “Defacing the Monument.”
Roberto TejadaJul 27, 2020
The Socialist Cinema of Ken Jacobs: An Interview with Ken Jacobs
Max Bienstock talks to Ken Jacobs about his six-decade filmmaking career.
Max BienstockJul 25, 2020
- Film
- Politics
Our Story Is the American Story: A Conversation with Renee Tajima-Peña and Geeta Gandbhir
The producers of “Asian Americans” reflect on the making of their groundbreaking documentary series.
Anouk YehJul 23, 2020
A Stateless Woman: A Conversation with Ava Homa
Amy Reardon interviews Ava Homa about her debut novel, "Daughters of Smoke and Fire."
Amy ReardonJul 21, 2020
Not All Reform Will Move Us Forward: Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law Call for Restorative Justice
Eleanor J. Bader speaks with Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law about the pitfalls of popular prison reforms and the need to pursue restorative justice instead.
Eleanor J. BaderJul 20, 2020
- Law
- Politics
Part of a Larger Battle: A Conversation with Thomas Chatterton Williams
Otis Houston follows up with Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of “Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race.”
Otis HoustonJul 16, 2020
- Cultural Studies
- Politics
The Good and the Bad, the Honest and the Dishonest: A Conversation with Richard Z. Santos
Amy Gentry interviews Richard Z. Santos, author of the new books “Trust Me.”
Amy GentryJul 15, 2020
- Noir
Making It Sing: A Conversation with Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse, Translator of Yuri Rytkheu’s “When the Whales Leave”
Marina Manoukian interviews Ilona Yazhbin Chavasse, translator of Chukchi author Yuri Rytkheu.
Marina ManoukianJul 14, 2020
- Around the World
- Fiction
Two Questions for Rudolfo Anaya
An homage to the Father of Chicano literature, Rudolfo Anaya
Daniel A. OlivasJul 14, 2020
- Fiction
True Southern Heritage: An Interview with S. A. Cosby
David Joy interviews writer S. A. Cosby about his new novel, “Blacktop Wasteland.”
David JoyJul 14, 2020
- Noir
Horror Has Become Normal: An Interview with Gish Jen
Meredith Maran talks to Gish Jen about her latest novel, "The Resisters."
Meredith MaranJul 8, 2020
- Fiction
The Only One Left: A Conversation with James Lloydovich Patterson About Grigori Aleksandrov’s “Circus”
Sasha Razor interviews James Lloydovich Patterson, the son of an African American father and a Soviet mother who became a Soviet actor and author.
Sasha RazorJul 7, 2020
On Mothers, Daughters, and “The Truth”: A Conversation with Juliette Binoche
Eileen G’Sell sits down with actress Juliette Binoche to discuss craft, family dynamics, and her latest work on the film “The Truth.”
Eileen G’SellJul 3, 2020
Revolution, War, and Exile: A Conversation with Nino Haratischvili
A major Georgian novelist discusses her newly translated family epic of 20th-century Georgia.
Shane AndersonJul 2, 2020
- Around the World
- Fiction
“The Difference Between Prison and America Unsettles Me”: A Conversation with Reginald Dwayne Betts
Elisabeth Houston talks with Reginald Dwayne Betts about his recently published collection of poetry, “Felon.”
Elisabeth HoustonJul 2, 2020
- Poetry