Dolly Parton, 74, has been singing and performing as a self-described “backwoods Barbie” for over half a century. With chart-topping hits such as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” “Here […]
Books & Poetry
AUTHORS
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer
Sarah Anne Johnson's love of Cape Cod inspires a historical tale of loss
Sarah Anne Johnson’s new novel, The Last Sailor, explores the profoundly personal ways we deal with — or avoid — mourning, and the struggles we go through as we piece […]
NEIGHBORS
Grace Freundlich Is Healing in Truro
Her memoir, Enough of All That, turns a troubled past into art
Grace Freundlich is a survivor in our midst. Retired and now 80, she lives in Truro year-round and counts it as a blessing. She has written a memoir of her […]
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Journeys of Self-Acceptance, in Words and Pictures
Eleanor Crewes and Allie Brosh render their lives with insight
“We believe we make our choices, but no — they make us,” writes the late Daniel Menaker in his poem, “Last Will and Testament.” Though our choices add up to […]
POETRY REVIEW
Marge Piercy Keeps the Light On
A new collection of poems looks back and beyond
Marge Piercy’s latest poetry collection, On the Way Out, Turn Off the Light, is an ode to a life lived big and full. In these direct, earthy poems, Piercy reflects […]
BOOKS
Jane Fleishman’s Stonewall Generation Gives Voice to LGBTQ Elders
A look at everything from a legacy of activism to sexual intimacy
“I have been an activist and organizer from my teenage years onwards,” says Jane Fleishman, author of The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism, and Aging. “As Mandy Carter, […]
BOOK REVIEW
Marilynne Robinson’s Prodigal Son Returns
Her latest novel, Jack, explores race, grace, and literature
Jack Boughton, the protagonist of Marilynne Robinson’s much-anticipated novel, Jack, is a thief, a liar, and an alcoholic. He is also exquisitely sensitive, self-deprecatingly funny, and finely attuned to the […]
BOOKS
A Personal Assistant’s Postcard From the Edge
Byron Lane’s roman à clef, 'A Star Is Bored,' is a humorous, touching romp
“Do a lot of people call you Cockring?” So begins the relationship between Charlie Besson and movie star Kathi Kannon in Byron Lane’s hilarious debut novel, A Star Is Bored. […]
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
At Womencrafts, Michelle Axelson Listens
A landmark of Provincetown’s Women’s Week stays creative
PROVINCETOWN — Michelle Axelson came to town in November 2010, for a break. A Boston-based social worker by training, she had loved working at Mass. Correctional Institution — Framingham, a […]
BOOK REVIEW
Becoming a Teacher: The Perils of Success
Melinda D. Anderson writes of a teacher of color’s conflicts and skills
What is the likely career trajectory of an inventive, gifted Teacher of the Year who is passionate about racial and social justice and who works in an urban public school? […]
POLITICS
Mary Trump Skewers Uncle Donald in LPAC Event
The psychologist and author rallies the troops for women candidates
PROVINCETOWN — Mary L. Trump’s book Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man sold more copies in one week than her uncle Donald’s […]
BOOKS
Queer Romance and Musical Obsession in The Piano Student
Lea Singer’s newly translated novel is historical fiction done right
Next Wednesday, East End Books Ptown is holding a virtual book event on the The Piano Student, with author Lea Singer and translator Elisabeth Lauffer. The novel, newly translated from […]
BOOK REVIEW
In x + y, Eugenia Cheng Envisions a World Without Gender
New terminology would prioritize ‘community over self’
Watch a video clip of mathematician Eugenia Cheng making puff pastry with Stephen Colbert, and you’ll quickly appreciate why her students at the Art Institute of Chicago surely consider themselves […]
BOOK REVIEW
Matthew Yglesias Envisions a Better, Much Bigger America
What we need, he suggests provocatively, is One Billion Americans
Faced with impending climate doom, extreme housing shortages, and a global pandemic that spreads through close human proximity, most people hope Americans will get fewer and farther between. In his […]
QUEER ‘I’
Amid a Pandemic, Revisiting ‘Dancer From the Dance’
Andrew Holleran’s romantic rebels realize the cost of freedom
A million years ago, back in 2016, I sat on a panel at a literary conference in New Orleans. At the time, I was working on my second novel, and […]
