Critical Notes

Former NBCC President John Freeman spoke of his pleasure at discovering the work of Polish journalist Ryszard Kapucinski in Granta in 1996 at the party celebrating his new post as

To begin this last roundup of the old year, I note with sadness that as of this week, Marie Arana will no longer be at the helm of the Washington

Andre Bernard’s moody publishing piece brings this year to an end with a somber note: “Yet I can’t help thinking that as this year gasps its way to its merciful

Scott McLemee waxes enthusiastic about Jeffrey B. Perry’s study “Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism, 1883-1918,” and Perry’s thorough Wikipedia entry for Harrison. Art Winslow calls the author of

PW profiles former NBCC president John Freeman, “book review crusader,” focusing in part for his NBCC work in the Campaign to Save Book Reviewing. Janice Harayda talks to the Newark

Ellen Heltzel talks to PW. NBCC Tech VP Lizzie Skurnick takes time from working on the launch of the upgraded NBCC website and blog to interview Author and Indie Publisher

David L. Ulin interviews Toni Morrison live in LA on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Morrison reviewed by Carlin Romano. Judith Freeman. Michiko Kakutani. Jennifer Reese. Karen Long. Maggie Galehouse. Ellen Heltzel. Tim

NBCC board member Kevin Prufer’s “National Anthem” chosen for PW’s Best Books of the Year. And his “New European Poets,” edited with Wayne Miller, reviewed here. NBCC nonfiction award winner

Blushing, we see Critical Mass on the Readerville‘s Karen Templer’s list of Top 10 Book Blogs. Melville House’s Dennis Loy Johnson has revived MobyLives, which was launched in 1992. Cool

Mary Ann Gwinn on Seattle author Robert Clark’s “Dark Water:Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces:” “Clark went off to Italy for a few years on a Guggenheim, intending