News & Notes

Looking 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.

Removing 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.”

Chicken. 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.

August: This Month in Sun History

A Look Back for Our 50^th 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.”

An Excerpt from Contradiction Days

An Artist on the Verge of Motherhood

We are pleased to share an exclusive online excerpt from JoAnna Novak’s new memoir, Contradiction Days, available July 25 from Catapult, about a soon-to-be-mother whose obsession with the reclusive painter Agnes Martin threatens to upend her life.

Musical Notes

Selections from the Archives

Just like a good mixtape, the selections we’re sharing this month blend genres as they explore a common theme. They all offer surprising answers to the questions raised in our July interview with Kelefa Sanneh on what popular music can teach us about each other.

Kelefa Sanneh Interview Playlist

My conversation with Kelefa Sanneh covered so many artists and so many genres that we thought readers would enjoy a playlist. My hope is that something here gets stuck in your head long enough to prompt some investigating of your own.

What’s Brewing at The Sun

If this month’s Readers Write is any indication, many of you love a strong cup of coffee as much as we do. We couldn’t resist sharing a few of our favorite mugs. Tag us on Instagram with your own!

Christian Girls

Virgie Townsend on Writing about Fundamentalism

As someone who grew up in Southern Baptist and nondenominational churches, I felt seen when I read Virgie Townsend’s work. “Heavenly Bodies” is an excerpt from her debut short-story chapbook, Because We Were Christian Girls. . . . Virgie’s stories capture the complexities of growing up in a strict religious setting, while also showing the friendships and nostalgia that can come from those communities.

Understanding Our Place in the Ecosystem

Selections from the Archives

Dash Lewis’s June interview with Rebecca Priestley on finding hope amid the climate crisis felt timely even before New York and the U.S. East Coast roiled in wildfire smoke from Canada. This month’s archive selections offer more perspectives on how people think of their place within Earth’s ecosystems. The vivid descriptions in Synne Borgen’s “Observations on Ice” this month led us to pieces about the Arctic landscape in particular.