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Jennifer Howard

Writer, editor, journalist.

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Archives for Lit Crit

Dying of Exposure

May 12, 2018

In 2003, I wrote a spirited–some would say snarky–op-ed for the Washington Post. Headlined “It’s a Little Too cozy in the Blogosphere,” it called out what I saw as excessive chumminess and logrolling in the then-new literary blogosphere. I took some heat from members of said blogosphere, some of whom forgave me and went on… Continue reading »

Thanks for the Memoirs

November 10, 2009

Journalists are handed a lot of evidence that the world at large doesn’t think much of our trade. No-one seems to appreciate how selflessly we serve the greater good, what keen-eyed observers and trenchant analysts we are. So there we are, feeling all righteous and aggrieved, and then the news cycle coughs up a reminder… Continue reading »

Remembering Danilo Kiš

October 16, 2009

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the untimely death of the Yugoslav writer Danilo KiÅ¡ (A Tomb for Boris Davidovich, Encyclopedia of the Dead). My friend Rich Byrne pays tribute to KiÅ¡’ “painfully comic vision of human beings careening through a universe of injustice and accident,” and talks about how his work affected the Yugoslav/Serbian… Continue reading »

Howard’s Rules of Reviewing (Wallet-Size)

July 9, 2009

An abridged version for those who don’t want to wade through the chatty one below: 1. Read the book. All of it. 2. Be honest. Say what you think and why. 3. Do not hide behind vagueness and cliche. 4. Resist the temptation to be mean just because you can. 5. Remember that the author… Continue reading »

Howard’s Rules of Reviewing

July 8, 2009

I don’t write many reviews these days. Ten years at Book World gave me my fill, and it was time to focus on on other kinds of writing. That’s been a happy decision, but I still read a lot of reviews (and write them once in a while), and I still find the push-and-pull between… Continue reading »

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Recent Writing

  • Schools of Thought Control
  • The Publishing Ecosystem in the Digital Era: On John B. Thompson’s BOOK WARS
  • A paler shade of white: HAVING AND BEING HAD by Eula Biss

Recent Posts

  • January newsletter: Making space
  • December newsletter: Routines vs. resolutions
  • November newsletter: Platform fatigue

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About Jen

Jen Howard sitting in front of a brick wall. She is smiling.

Writer, journalist, editor, gadabout. Book- and nature lover. Washingtonian. LLC. Read more »

Latest Posts

  • January newsletter: Making space
  • December newsletter: Routines vs. resolutions
  • November newsletter: Platform fatigue
  • October newsletter: Five little pumpkins
  • September newsletter: Two wheels good

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