News & Notes

Listen to Poems from Our July Issue

Our July issue features two captivating—and very different—poems about animals. One is a gorgeous, ruminative piece that makes me feel as grounded as a stone in a stream. The other is a loving ode to a headstrong pet who can teach us all a lesson about taking charge of our lives.

Thoreau and Me

Read an Essay from an Upcoming Issue

If I had to pick a Sun author who comes closest to achieving a truly simple existence, it would be the poet Sparrow, who writes, “I don’t live off the grid, but I’m close. I live right on the edge of the grid.” Fittingly he wrote the following tribute to Henry David Thoreau.

The essay will appear in a forthcoming print issue of The Sun, but we’re sharing it early online in celebration of Thoreau’s birthday today, July 12.

Practicing Friendship

Sy Safransky and Sparrow

Sy Safransky and I visited longtime Sun contributor Sparrow in his double-wide in Phoenicia, New York, the place he’s called home for about twenty-five years. We had been forbidden to show up before 12:01 PM because Sparrow has a practice of not speaking until noon. Having spent time with them, I can tell you Sy and Sparrow are like long-lost brothers: both Jews from New York with an interest in Eastern mysticism, who read more than anyone I know and live according to their principles, consequences be damned.

Holidays in The Sun

Selections from the Archive

Our July issue features an essay by longtime Sun contributor Dave Zoby in which he describes driving across the Canadian wilderness en route to Casper, Wyoming, on Canada Day. Zoby didn’t realize it was Canada’s national holiday until he tried to visit a bakery that was closed for the day. Such can be the case for an American abroad.

It’s one of many pieces published in The Sun where a holiday plays a central role. To celebrate Independence Day, here are a few that have appeared in our pages over the years.

A House Is Not a Home

For more than twenty-five years I worked in a two-story bungalow at 107 North Roberson Street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My office was on the second floor. I worked at that address, The Sun’s office, longer than I have lived in any house. I’m still The Sun’s senior editor, but I’ve been doing my job from home since March 2020, when the staff decided to work remotely because of the pandemic. Without a full staff coming in every day, activity at 107 North Roberson decreased drastically. Keeping an office where the handwritten editorial-planning calendar in the hall hadn’t been updated since the spring of 2020 seemed like a waste. The board of directors agreed: selling was the right thing to do. The buyer closed on the property in late April of this year. Despite all the logical, practical, convincing reasons for the sale, letting go wasn’t easy.

Taking Care

Selections from the Archive

The Sun’s June 2024 issue opens with Mark Leviton’s interview of Emily Kenway about the prevalence of people providing at-home care for loved ones. Caregiving is “a fundamental fact of loving someone with a human body,” Kenway observes, and many other pieces in the issue reflect how universally that care is needed. Keep reading for selections from our archive that explore the kaleidoscope of emotions that come with being responsible for another person’s well-being—devotion and grief, fear and comfort. Whether you’re giving or receiving care, we hope you’ll find a piece that speaks to you.

Listen to Poems from Our June Issue

Some of the poems I enjoy the most are about relationships. It amazes me how, in ten or twenty lines, authors can capture anything from a single memorable encounter to a lifelong connection. Three such poems are featured in our June issue with recordings of the authors reading their work.

New-Release Roundup

June 2024

The first half of 2024 has seen a variety of new publications by Sun authors—novels, poetry collections, essays, and memoirs. Keep reading to find descriptions of the books from their publishers, purchasing information, and links to some selections that first appeared in The Sun’s pages.

Upcoming Readers Write Deadlines

Walking Out, Tents, and Chores

There’s still time to submit to Readers Write on “Walking Out”! Be sure to get your entry to us by July 1, 2024—we’ve suggested a few potential prompts if you still need to get your creative juices flowing. And it’s never too early to start your first draft for an upcoming topic. . . .

Making Luxury Out of Flat Soda

A Poem from Frederick Joseph’s New Collection

We are celebrating the release of Frederick Joseph’s first book of poetry, We Alive, Beloved, from Row House Publishing. Frederick’s new poetry collection seeks to find joy in moments of difficulty whether through illuminating the beauty of being Black, highlighting the hope that can be found in childhood or by sharing intimate truths revealed on a mental-health journey.