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Featuring thrilling new work from Lauren Groff, Ocean Vuong, Rickey Laurentiis, and more, the latest installment of the acclaimed literary journal Freeman's explores the hope and pain of the ever-changing present
About the author
John Freeman was the editor of
Granta until 2013. His books include
Dictionary of the Undoing,
How to Read a Novelist,
Tales of Two Americas, and
Tales of Two Planets. His poetry includes the collections
Maps,
The Park, and the forthcoming
Wind, Trees. In 2021, he edited the anthologies
There's a Revolution Outside,
My Love with Tracy K. Smith, and
The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story. An Executive Editor at Knopf, he teaches writing and literature classes at NYU.
Summary
Featuring thrilling new work from Lauren Groff, Ocean Vuong, Rickey Laurentiis, and more, the latest installment of the acclaimed literary journal Freeman's explores the hope and pain of the ever-changing present
The Covid-19 pandemic forced many of us to reimagine our homes, work, relationships, and adapt to a new way of life–one with far fewer possibilities for interaction. And yet, in this period of intense isolation, we've faced dilemmas which are nearly universal. How to love, to care for aging parents, to find a home, attend to a planet in flux, fight for justice. This vast range of experiences is captured by our greatest storytellers, essayists, and poets, in the new issue of Freeman's: Change.
Some pieces explore the small moments that serve as new routines in a life lived at home, as in Joshua Bennett's essay, where a Coltrane playlist sets the stage for early morning dances with his newborn son as they watch the sun come up. Alejandro Zambra remembers the homes of his past, his dog and cat in New York, his old collection of Chilean literature, homes and possessions he lets go of when he makes a new family in Mexico.
Sometimes, it's the absence of change that drives us to the edge. In Lina Mounzer's "The Gamble," a father's incessant hope for a better life festers and sinks the whole family after they leave Lebanon during the Civil War. In Kamel Daoud's heartbreaking tale, a widow's attempt to retreat into the unchanging past edits her son right from her reality. And in "Final Days," Sayaka Murata imagines a future without aging, where people must choose how and when they want to die, consulting guidebooks like Let's Die Naturally! Super Deaths for Adults & The Best Spots.
With new writing from Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Zahia Rahmani, Yoko Ogawa, Yasmine El Rashidi, Lina Meruane, and Aleksandar Hemon, and featuring work from never-before-published writers like Elizabeth Ayre, Freeman's: Change opens a window into the many-sided ways we adapt.
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Praise for Freeman's
"There's an illustrious new literary journal in town . . . [with] fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by new voices and literary heavyweights . . . alike." —Vogue.com
"A terrific anthology . . . Sure to become a classic in years to come."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Ambitious."—O Magazine
"Freeman draws from a global cache of talent . . . An expansive reading experience."—Kirkus Reviews
"Looking at what John [Freeman] has put together in [his] first edition, I'm struck by how many names I don't know and how diverse and global it is. My only disappointment is that it's going to be twice a year—I think we need it four times a year."—James Wood, Radio Boston
"Illuminating . . . Perfect reading for our ever-accelerating times."‐NPR's Book Concierge
"Freeman's is fresh, provocative, engrossing."—BBC.com
"A first-rate anthology of bold, searching and personal writing by emerging and established writers."—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"From the abstract to the literal, there is no shortage of provocative, thoughtful pieces here."—Publishers Weekly
"Freeman's sets a new standard for literary journals . . . It's refreshing and full of nuanced stories that will linger with you long after you finish them."—Chicago Literati
"[An] infinitely relatable and beautifully crafted prose and poetry anthology . . . Freeman has assembled a thoughtful and profoundly accessible collection of work that connects our vulnerabilities, our expectations and our hopes."—Newcity Lit
"[A] thrillingly unique collection of voices."—Toronto Star
