American Writers

“Part of [Wolfe’s] skewering of society was to also be absolutely his own man,” says National Portrait Gallery curator Brandon Brame Fortune. “For him, that meant wearing this white vanilla colored three-piece suit wherever he went.”

Five Things to Know About Tom Wolfe

The late author had an undeniable influence on American writing

Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell

Dorothy Parker’s FBI File Is Available to Public for First Time in a Decade

Parker was blacklisted by Hollywood just as she was reaching her peak as a screenwriter

Isaac Bashevis Singer by Yousuf Karsh

Scholar Finds New Isaac Bashevis Singer Story

“The Boarder,” which is published for the first time in the <i>New Yorker</i>, was discovered while going through the prominent writer’s vast archives

A new study reveals how Walden Pond has dramatically changed thanks to human activity.

Humans Have Wreaked Havoc on Walden Pond

A new study details the intensity of the damage to this beloved location

Sam and his true love Suzy navigate the wilds of New Penzance in Moonrise Kingdom (2012).

Wes Anderson’s Fastidious Whimsy Has Delighted Moviegoers for Decades

A Smithsonian retrospective breathes fresh life into Anderson’s kaleidoscopic filmography

Dorothy Parker at a typewriter in 1941

Writing in the Public Eye, These Women Brought the 20th Century Into Focus

Michelle Dean’s new book looks at the intellects who cut through the male-dominated public conversation

Martin Luther King Jr.&lsquo;s dream &ndash; which alternated between shattered and hopeful &ndash; can be traced back to Hughes&rsquo; poetry.

In His Speeches, MLK Carefully Evoked the Poetry of Langston Hughes

To avoid being labeled a communist sympathizer, King had to distance himself from Hughes, but he still managed to channel the controversial poet

One Man's Search to Find the Families of the "Deportees" in the Famous Woody Guthrie Song

Seventy years after the 1948 crash, Tim Hernandez is bringing new recognition to the 28 unidentified "braceros" who died when the plane blew up

The wife and daughters of Mark Twain

For Mark Twain, It Was Love At First Sight

The aspiring author knew Olivia Langdon was the one when he first laid eyes on a photograph of her

The frontispiece of Wheatley's poetry collection describes her as a "Negro servant" rather than a slave, though she wasn't freed until after the book's publication.

The Most Notorious Poet in 18th Century America Was An Enslaved Teenager You've Never Heard Of

Phyllis Wheatley was a prodigy, but her ultimate fate reflects the gross racial disparities of 1700s America

A much older Samuel Clemens, perhaps pondering his next invention.

How Mark Twain’s Hatred of Suspenders Drove Him to Invent

Under his given name, Samuel Clemens, Twain held several patents

Janelle Shane's neural network needs a lot of first lines before it can teach itself to write good ones.

This Neural Network Can (Maybe) Start a Novel Better Than You

As the end of NaNoWriMo draws near, take a look at one researcher's effort to help find that perfect first line

A cumulonimbus cloud formation, AKA a thunderstorm.

Our Cloud Names Come From a 1700s Amateur Meteorologist

Luke Howard's nomenclature inspired writers as well as scientists

Lee receiving the Medal of Freedom in 2007

Unpublished Harper Lee Letters Purchased at Auction Share Intimate Reflections

The letters from the <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> scribe include remembrances of Hollywood celebrities, a bit of history and some sass

Robert La Follette

Fake News and Fervent Nationalism Got a Senator Tarred as a Traitor During WWI

The fiery progressive Robert La Follette responded with a classic defense of free speech in wartime

Whaling captured the popular imagination.

The Real-Life Whale That Gave Moby Dick His Name

Mocha Dick had encounters with around 100 ships before he was finally killed

Mark Twain's love of cats pervaded his literature as well as his writing habits.

Mark Twain Liked Cats Better Than People

Who wouldn't?

U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt attends a meeting of the women's CWA officials at Warrenton, Virginia. January 26, 1934.

Collection of Eleanor Roosevelt’s Writing Captures the First Lady’s Lasting Relevance

On the 133rd anniversary of her birth, "ER"'s influence lives on

Hemingway's Earliest Piece of Fiction Discovered

The phony travelogue describes a trip from his home in Illinois across the Atlantic to Ireland and Scotland

Portrait of a Civil War soldier group, circa 1861-65.

The Most 'Realistic' Civil War Novel Was Written Three Decades After It Ended

By an author who wasn't even alive when it occurred

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