And the Pursuit of Happiness

"Sincere, yet disarmingly screwy"—I've spent my adult life reading publishers' book publicity, but I've never known it to be as accurate as those four words, which perfectly capture the inspiriting charms of artist Maira Kalman's year-long quest to discover the character of American democracy. A stunning, visually vivid journal, shot through with quirky gravity and profound grace.

May 18: Parade, the "first modern ballet," premiered in Paris on this day in 1917. The production was a collaboration of some of modernism's most famous -- music by Erik Satie, scenario by Jean Cocteau, costumes by Picasso,…

Ethan Rutherford and Matt Burgess (Dogfight: A Love Story) on the writing of Rutherford's surreal and fiercely funny story collection The Peripatetic Coffin

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