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New-Release Roundup
September 2023
As the weather cools and the days get shorter, curl up with one of these new books from Sun contributors. You’ll find descriptions from their publishers and links to some exclusive excerpts on The Sun’s website. Click the titles for more information, including purchase details.
September 12, 2023A Brief and Highly Subjective Appreciation of Fifty Years of Sun Covers
One history that especially fascinates me is The Sun’s. On the wall of my office is a calendar the magazine sent to subscribers — all forty or so of them — at the beginning of 1977. It’s outdated and nonfunctional, but I hung it there because of its . . . well, grooviness. I like the horoscope-adjacent artwork and the handmade feel. It’s very much a product of its time, the kind of thing my brother would call “crunchy.”
By Derek Askey, Associate Editor • September 5, 2023September: This Month in Sun History
A Look Back for Our 50th Year of Publication
On a quiet Friday afternoon in the summer of 2007, the phone rang in The Sun’s office. It was someone calling on behalf of a man on death row to inform us of a glaring error in an upcoming issue.
September 1, 2023The Power of Silence and Sound
Selections from the Archives
This month’s interview with Gordon Hempton, reprinted from 2010 as part of our ongoing celebration of The Sun’s fiftieth year of publication, is on the search for silence in a noisy world. The selections from the archives offer other ways to think about the power of silence — and of sound.
August 29, 2023Upcoming Readers Write Deadlines
Yard Sales, Fantasy, and Taste
There’s still time to submit to Readers Write on “Yard Sales”! Be sure to get your entry to us by September 1 — 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. . . .
August 25, 2023More from the Streets of San Francisco
Joseph Johnston’s photo essay about unhoused people, “On the Streets of San Francisco” [February, 2023], struck a chord with readers. We heard from one man who lives in Joseph’s neighborhood and recognized people in the photos. . . . When we passed along all the letters we received, Joseph thanked us for lifting his spirits and sent us a new image from the series.
By Joseph Johnston • August 22, 2023Looking in a New Way
Maria Kuznetsova on Absurdity and Postpartum Insomnia
When I read Maria Kuznetsova’s story “Sandwoman,” I was immediately drawn to its offbeat tone and to the narrator’s voice, which is in turns playful, exuberant, dark, and funny. Though much of the story is fantastical, it speaks volumes about the real-life experiences of women who struggle with their physical and mental health postpartum. Maria’s imaginative and surprising perspective made me want to dig into the story’s origins when I got to talk to her.
By Nancy Holochwost, Associate Editor • August 18, 2023Removing the Mask
John Paul Scotto on Learning to Live with Autism
As someone who was a socially awkward kid — and remains a socially awkward adult — I find a lot to identify with in John Paul Scotto’s essays. He was recently diagnosed with autism, but for most of his life he knew only that he needed to hide his true self around other people if he wanted to fit in. . . . We’re pleased to have published some of his work in The Sun, including his essay in this month’s issue: “Coach’s Kid.”
By Andrew Snee, Senior Editor • August 15, 2023Chicken. Film. Youth.
An Excerpt from Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go
We are pleased to share “Chicken. Film. Youth.” an exclusive online excerpt from Cleo Qian’s new short-story collection, Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go, available August 15 from Tin House.
By Cleo Qian • August 8, 2023August: This Month in Sun History
A Look Back for Our 50th Year of Publication
The Sun’s first-ever website launched in August 1999, into a world of staticky dial-up tones, GeoCities, and frequent buffering. It came about thanks to the generosity of two Sun subscribers. . . . Shelley Sherman and Meredith Tupper took it upon themselves to build a modest, stately website that perhaps undersold the magazine: “If you haven’t heard of The Sun,” the About page read, “you’re not alone.”
August 1, 2023Request a free trial, and we’ll mail you a print copy of this month’s issue. Plus you’ll get full online access — including 50 years of archives. Request A Free Issue