TODAY: In 1871, Walt Whitman declines Anne Gilchrist’s offer of marriage. How J.R.R. Tolkien’s Catholicism impacted his writing: “Tolkien, it is fair to say, saw God everywhere…above all, in his art.” | Lit HubBiographyStephen Thrasher considersNAZAand the balance of journalistic duty and ethical responsibility in documentary filmmaking. | Lit HubFilmMary Beth Keane, author of Whale Harbor, on grief, craft, andwriting a novel of Irish diaspora. | Lit HubIn ConversationHow Derek Walcott’s epic poem Omeroshelped Schneider K. Rancywrite a Haitian reimagining of The Odyssey.| Lit HubCraftThese 20 new books are out today, including titles by Louise Kennedy, Tom Drury, Elizabeth McCracken, and more! | Lit HubReading ListsWhy fly fishing and writing both require“a blend of technical skill and style.”| Lit HubCraft“I dreamt they took my shoulder, the left one / but my arm was still attached, the join / a thing I was unable.”Read “Mirror,” a poem by Jana Prikrylfrom the collectionThe Channel. | Lit HubPoetry“The hyena boys came to Bonaventure, which was serendipitous, because he was used to avoiding the world before the world spurned him.”Read “Hyena Boys,” a story by Samuel Kọ́láwọléfrom the latest issue of The Common. | Lit HubFictionThe fanfiction site AO3 is down for up to four weeks, but fear not: Intrepid users are creating “survival guides” to help bereft readers cope. | WiredJoshua Bennett makes the case for Great Books programming in the age of AI. | The AtlanticLucy McKeon interviews Katie Kitamura: “That’s kind of the tragedy of all of us—that we change much less than we would like to be able to change.” | BroadcastAs if things weren’t bad enough, we all need to be models now too!| The New York TimesDavid Baconremembers organizer Dolores Huerta. | JacobinPankaj Mishra on the price ofliterary prestige at the end of an empire. | Equator