Lost in the stacks online: Short fiction, essays and articles
Published on 24th April 2020
Welcome to the twelfth entry of our blog series 'Lost in the Stacks' - with recommendations by Dublin City Libraries staff. Submitted by Jessica in Cabra Library. An unexpected problem: what to read when reading a whole book suddenly seems too difficult and exhausting to even consider? Books aren’t really happening for me at the moment – a problem of both focus (lack of) and attention span (non-existent). I find myself endlessly scrolling on my phone, half an eye on the TV. I am mired in ongoing group chats, family chats and the insidious addictive nature of clicking in and out of news websites for constant updates.
Libby
What I can read, once I’ve made the conscious decision to let go of social media for half an hour, is essays, interviews and short fiction. I have a sudden thirst for other people’s real lived experiences, in easily digestible chunks, but with a sharp crisp bite. With this in mind, here are some recommendations from magazines and journals available through Libby with Dublin City Libraries. You just need your library card number and PIN to access Libby, browse magazines (both current and back issues) on your phone, tablet or laptop and check them out to your online account.
I have selected a few stories, essays and articles that caught my eye but there is a happy serendipity too in browsing through back issues and dipping in and out of what catches your fancy. What I have found also, is that one story/article leads on to the next in an organic way, so before you know it you’ve spent an hour or so in a separate mental place than previously. With most of us unable to physically travel far from our own homes at the moment, a mental break from the space we inhabit can be liberating and refreshing.
The Paris Review
The Paris Review is a quarterly literary magazine that features short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art and interviews with writers and artists. You are guaranteed to find something interesting, unusual or unexpected.
• The Paris Review, Issue 232, Spring 2020
Interview with Rachel Cusk, The Art of Fiction No 246, pg. 30
• The Paris Review, Issue 231, Winter 2019
Fiction by Emma Cline, The Nanny, pg. 15
• The Paris Review, Issue 230, Fall 2019
Fiction by Matthew Baker, Why Visit America, pg. 209
• The Paris Review, Issue 217, Summer 2016
Portfolio: Charlotte Strick and Leanne Shapton, Swimming Lessons, pg. 84
• The Paris Review, Issue 214, Fall 2015
Fiction by Ottessa Moshfegh, Dancing in the Moonlight, pg. 15
THE NEW YORKER
The New Yorker is a weekly magazine that publishes reviews, in-depth journalism, essays, news analysis and short fiction. It is always a joy to read, sometimes with the most fortuitous find, and if you have the time for extended browsing it can be fun to read the restaurant and theatre reviews to see what the hip New Yorkers are up to.
• The New Yorker, March 16, 2020
Annals of Technology – John Seabrook, Adversarial Man; Could what you wear elude surveillance?, pg. 44
• The New Yorker, March 2, 2020
Personal History - David Sedaris, Unbuttoned; Conversations between father and son, pg. 26
• The New Yorker, January 20, 2020
Annals of Nature – Alex Ross, The Bristlecones Speak; Learning from the world’s oldest trees, pg. 44
• The New Yorker, August 5 & 12, 2019
Fiction – Elizabeth Strout, “Motherless Child”, pg. 56
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