[ z ē ' n ĭ t h ]   -noun   1. an arch wherethrough gleams that untraveled world...

Columns
Yes, You Can Trust Him

Yes, You Can Trust Him

Stephen King is one of those writers self-proclaimed literary authors avoid reading. He must be doing something right, however, because as of this moment, King has written 49 novels and sold more than 350 million copies.
Impermanent Things

Impermanent Things

The amateur novelist comes to understand a key aspect of novel writing: no change—minor or catastrophic—is off the table. Today’s episode: the delirious fever of rewriting.
The Limits of Motherhood

The Limits of Motherhood

In Emma Donoghue's "Room" we get the sweet side of hell, the joy of having a mother all to ourselves with no chance of separation—a motherhood that seems infinite in its reach in the compressed world they share.
cannon eyes me

cannon eyes me

i have the cynical habit of thinking in other peoples' voices when i see them look in mirrors, things like: "i bet if i had another job people would hug me more," or "still there, oh thank god," or "i know i can time travel, i just have to squeeze my ass a little tighter."...
thank god, thank god, she doesn't have a moustache

thank god, thank god, she doesn’t have a moustache

i miss being submerged in water.
Subtle Adventures in Nihilism

Subtle Adventures in Nihilism

Because the most adept of readers loves nothing more than to turn the pages; because we don’t let things like prose style or plausibility creep into our consciousness... because one prefers caricatures to characters, The Help is the most remarkable novel we’ve come across in years.
WAYESAP, or, What Are You Even Saying About Puppets

WAYESAP, or, What Are You Even Saying About Puppets

if that repulses you, i don't know what more i can do for you. i am a gas station cashier. you are anton chigurh. neither of us will die in this movie, but that's not the point.
paper cranes are lame

paper cranes are lame

i'm pretty sure if you make a career out of putting stuff like that on craigslist, you'll go to heaven forever and get some weird stuff people want to trade you for along the way. obviously, this is what i want out of my youth.
kali the destroyer

kali the destroyer

i'll say, "you know this whole thing has been a dream," and you'll say, "oh," and i'll say, "you know, dreaming your teeth are falling out means you're insecure about how you look," and then you'll wake up.
Good Clean Genome Splicing Fun!

Good Clean Genome Splicing Fun!

What comes over most in X-Men: First Class is neither misogyny, nor a cynical commercial exercise in exploiting the fanbase, but genuine warmth for the universe it plays in.
A Furious Blaze of Liquid-Life Energy

A Furious Blaze of Liquid-Life Energy

One of the questions that torments me as a writer—and trust me, there are many—is the question of free will. Do I believe that individuals have the freedom to choose their own destiny?
Literary News for the Literarily Inclined

Literary News for the Literarily Inclined

In books: National Short Story Month; three writers battle over MFA programs; judge resigns as Philip Roth wins prize; the novel still alive and well; Charles Simic on libraries; ten disturbing novels; literary tattoos; and a ban on the word "verdant."