After hearing Richard Blanco’s inaugural poem, Washington Post commentator Alexandra Petri wondered if poetry is dead. John Deming has some strong words in response; so does David Biespiel.
Daniel Mendelsohn discusses his correspondence with Mary Renault in a video at the New Yorker.
David Duhr reviews George Saunders’ story collection Tenth of December for the Dallas Morning News; Collette Bancroft reviews it for the Tampa Bay Times.
Julia M. Klein reviews two new Sylvia Plath biographies for the Boston Globe, and Jon Clinch’s novel The Thief of Auschwitz for the Jewish Daily Forward.
Chuck Leddy recalls his bookstore days at Beyond the Margins.
Rayyan Al-Shawaf reviews John Kenney’s novel, Truth in Advertising, for the Boston Globe.
Your reviews and recommendations help seed these roundups: If you’re an NBCC member with a review you’d like considered for inclusion, please email nbcccritics@gmail.com. You can also get our attention by using the Twitter hashtag #nbcc or posting on the wall of our Facebook page.