are prestigious, eye-wateringly expensive MFAs distorting the sorts of books produced in america? we asked someone who is selling their book on the basis of a prestigious, eye-wateringly expensive MFA
Alexander Wells
@ajbwells.bsky.social
Freelance critic/essayist from Aus with bylines at Guardian, Drift, Baffler, European Review of Books, Meanjin, etc. Ex-Berliner Books editor, now at The Auflauf https://sites.google.com/view/ajbwells
a theory: rachel cusk is paying PR bots to sustain odyssey discourse for long enough that nobody gets around to doing rachel cusk discourse
Alle Slides durchlesen. Ja, auch wenn es unbequem ist, sowas anzusprechen. Mir langt‘s irgendwann auch einfach Mal. Ich bin an einem Punkt, an dem ich auch einfach nicht mehr meine Zeit verschwenden will.
we asked berlin's hottest what they're reading this summer
Mathilde Montpetit@mathildegm.bsky.social · last wk.Experimental German poetry, Casanova, Virginia Woolf and John Lanchester's debut novels... Summer reading is looking even more eclectic than usual. What's on your list?
Experimental German poetry, Casanova, Virginia Woolf and John Lanchester's debut novels... Summer reading is looking even more eclectic than usual. What's on your list?
Oi! What are you reading this summer?
Friends and collaborators share what's on their bedside table at the moment.
theauflauf.com
Musk not caring that there are Nazis in the AfD is bad, but the editor of The Economist describing its leader Alice Weidel as a "perfectly thoughtful person" speaks to the much wider normalization of the far right.
Matt Novak@paleofuture.bsky.social · 2w agoAt one point she notes that AfD, the German political party that Musk supports, has "real neo-Nazis." Musk literally just shrugs.
A few weeks ago we had a great chat with @ajbwells.bsky.social on the legacy of neon signs in Germany. Read the full interview here: www.theauflauf.com/p/jesse-simo...
Jesse Simon: ‘Is it possible to be nostalgic for a time you didn’t live in? I think it is.’
The Anglo-American typography expert on the magic of neon, signage in both Germanys, and the umlaut as engineering problem.
theauflauf.com
Cool @ajbwells.bsky.social interview in the Auflauf with a guy who has recorded all Germany's historic neon signs in his new book Neon Deutschland www.theauflauf.com/p/jesse-simo...
Jesse Simon: ‘Is it possible to be nostalgic for a time you didn’t live in? I think it is.’
The Anglo-American typography expert on the magic of neon, signage in both Germanys, and the umlaut as engineering problem.
theauflauf.com
brontosaurus robbed
YouGov@yougov.co.uk · 3w agoWith a T-rex skeleton selling for $50m at auction on Tuesday, our poll shows that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is Brits' top dinosaur, with 30% listing it as their favourite T-rex: favourite of 30% of dinosseurs Stegosaurus: 12% Triceratops: 11% Diplodocus: 10% Velociraptor: 7% yougov.com/en-gb/articl...
Sachsen-Anhalt und MV sind an die AfD verloren? Noch nicht. Denn in beiden Ländern stemmen sich weiter Engagierte gegen Rechtsextremismus und wollen bei den Wahlen das Ruder noch rumreißen. Wir haben ihnen die taz-Titelseite gewidmet und 19 der Aktiven auf 4 Seiten porträtiert taz.de/Vor-den-Wahl...
Hände weg vom Informationsfreiheitsgesetz! Mehr als 100 zivilg. Organisationen, Projekte & Medien fordern von der Bundesregierung, die Abschaffung der Informationsfreiheit zu stoppen. Ein Angriff aufs IFG ist ein Angriff auf die Demokratie – das nehmen wir nicht hin. fragdenstaat.de/artikel/poli...
Offener Brief: 110 Organisationen fordern: „Hände weg vom IFG! Retten Sie die Informationsfreiheit“
Die Spitzen von SPD und Union wollen das Informationsfreiheitsgesetz faktisch abschaffen. Damit beschädigen sie Transparenz, Pressefreiheit und letztlich die Demokratie. Mit einem Bündnis aus über 100...
fragdenstaat.de
This month on The Auflauf: @gabrielflynn.bsky.social reviews Rebecca Birrell's exploration of the interwar Berlin art scene, Julia Bosson surfs Susan Finlay's craziest brainwave yet, and Hunter Dukes finds out where idiots come from. Plus we finally found a gossip columnist who doesn't use AI!
July Books: Finlay, Emmerling, Birrell
A frenetic Berlin tech satire from Susan Finlay, Leonhard Emmerling's erudite account of idiocy, and Rebecca Birrell on art, fascism, and polyamory in interwar Berlin
theauflauf.substack.com
"Heute hat der Koalitionsausschuss beschlossen: Das seit 20 Jahren etablierte Informationsfreiheitsgesetz (IFG) soll de facto abgeschafft werden."
Jonas Seufert@joseuf.bsky.social · last mo.NEU: Union und SPD planen einen massiven Angriff auf die Presse- und Informationsfreiheit. Das IFG soll de facto abgeschafft werden. Das dürfen wir nicht zulassen.
My poem experiment (plus essay) is up at Creative Critical, check it out!!
Creative Critical@creativecritical.bsky.social · 2mo ago'No, there was something in the poetry itself, something that I was unable to simply dismiss as nostalgic white-nationalist kitsch-mongering, something bittersweet and strange that seemed to rumble away beneath the surface of the text.' New on our website: @ajbwells.bsky.social on Banjo Paterson
'No, there was something in the poetry itself, something that I was unable to simply dismiss as nostalgic white-nationalist kitsch-mongering, something bittersweet and strange that seemed to rumble away beneath the surface of the text.' New on our website: @ajbwells.bsky.social on Banjo Paterson
Overflowed earth: Versions against Banjo Paterson - Creative-Critical
By Alexander Wells. A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson (1864–1941) is probably the best-known and least-liked poet in Australia. His bush ballads, as they are called, still get inflicted on Australian school stude...
creativecritical.net
I wrote a little essay – and then some experimental poems – about Banjo Paterson, the terrible Australian poet I somehow can't get out of my head
Creative Critical@creativecritical.bsky.social · 2mo ago'No, there was something in the poetry itself, something that I was unable to simply dismiss as nostalgic white-nationalist kitsch-mongering, something bittersweet and strange that seemed to rumble away beneath the surface of the text.' New on our website: @ajbwells.bsky.social on Banjo Paterson
Very proud to be publishing @ajbwells.bsky.social's ingenious piece on Banjo Paterson, 'the best-known and least-liked poet in Australia'. Please read and share widely!
Creative Critical@creativecritical.bsky.social · 2mo ago'No, there was something in the poetry itself, something that I was unable to simply dismiss as nostalgic white-nationalist kitsch-mongering, something bittersweet and strange that seemed to rumble away beneath the surface of the text.' New on our website: @ajbwells.bsky.social on Banjo Paterson
'I don’t feel like I can write about anything else, honestly. I feel really compelled by the question of why, and how do we stop. Is it possible to be better? That question haunts everything I do.' @dzenanabanana.bsky.social talks to @ajbwells.bsky.social about their debut collection, after war:
Dženana Vucic: 'History happens to all of us'
The Bosnian-Australian author talks about war, memory, and what poems can do differently.
theauflauf.substack.com
"Yes, I wanted to foreground the idea of erased history—of stories not told." I interviewed Dženana Vucic for this month's AUFLAUF about her debut book, the limits of memoir, and interlingual poetry >> theauflauf.substack.com/p/dzenana-vu...
Dženana Vucic: 'History happens to all of us'
The Bosnian-Australian author talks about war, memory, and what poems can do differently.
theauflauf.substack.com
Interessante Accounts direkt mir einem Klick einverleiben? Dann empfehle ich das 54books Starter Pack, holt es euch, es tut gut.
54books@54books.bsky.social · 2y agoWir haben ein 54books Starterpack gemacht, mit Menschen, die Texte für 54books geschrieben haben, bei uns im Podcast "Lakonisch Elegant meets 54books" zu Gast waren oder sonstwie mit uns kooperiert haben. (Die Liste ist nicht vollständig, meldet euch gerne, wenn ihr auch dazugehört)
shout out (as ever) to @yanina.bsky.social for the posters, and a huge, huge thank you to our friends @ajbwells.bsky.social and @mathildegm.bsky.social @ The Auflauf, without whom this wouldn't be happening
minor literature[s]@minorliteratures.bsky.social · 2mo agoBerlin weekender — 16th & 17th October ft. @wordkunst.bsky.social Lauren Oyler @elusiveword.bsky.social Ryan Ruby @davidhering.bsky.social @mortenhoijensen.bsky.social @lucykulwiec.bsky.social Jared Pollen @minxmarple.bsky.social @gabrielflynn.bsky.social Martin Lechner, Donna Stonecipher ...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/734.... Artan was named 2025 men’s referee of the year for the Confederation of African Football. FIFA picked him as one of its 52 referees for the World Cup. He was to be the first Somali to officiate at the tournament. It would surely have been the honour of his career.
Somali referee denied entry to U.S. ahead of World Cup (Gift Article)
Omar Artan arrived in Miami from Istanbul on Saturday but was barred from entering the country following a "routine" inspection, CBP said.
nytimes.com
A fantastic evening at @lettretage.de where we discussed the legacy of W.G. Sebald, and the organisers kindly projected the image of a humongous Prussian war memorial for the story about Grudziądz and a depressed Queen Louise that I read.
Paul Scraton@paulscraton.bsky.social · 2mo agoSome pictures from our latest Immer Schon event at Lettretage… this time we were talking about Sebald and I read from A DREAM OF WHITE HORSES (@ofmooseandmen.bsky.social)… it was a fun evening! @marcelkrueger.bsky.social @ajbwells.bsky.social @juliabosson.bsky.social @return2sanders.bsky.social
Some pictures from our latest Immer Schon event at Lettretage… this time we were talking about Sebald and I read from A DREAM OF WHITE HORSES (@ofmooseandmen.bsky.social)… it was a fun evening! @marcelkrueger.bsky.social @ajbwells.bsky.social @juliabosson.bsky.social @return2sanders.bsky.social
In this month's AUFLAUF: - The most depressing street in all Berlin - Rock, funk, and Yes - Northanger Abbey references - Good poetry - Long-awaited John Owen debut - What are history books for? - Gossip columnist seeks hotspot theauflauf.substack.com/p/june-books...
June Books: Rauhut, Miller, Hoyer
The GDR rock band Silly, poems by Alice Miller, and Katja Hoyer on the rise of fascism in interwar Weimar
theauflauf.substack.com
Looking for new perspectives on German history? This month's reviews: @ajbwells.bsky.social on rock in the GDR, me on Alice Miller's search for her family's story, and John Owen on interwar Weimar (the city, not the republic).
June Books: Rauhut, Miller, Hoyer
The GDR rock band Silly, poems by Alice Miller, and Katja Hoyer on the rise of fascism in interwar Weimar
theauflauf.substack.com
"That sentence alone is enough to send indie Berliners of a certain age into a spell of Sebaldian melancholy so extreme it can only be resolved by a twenty-minute angry nap." Read @ajbwells.bsky.social's piece to find out what the sentence was! open.substack.com/pub/theaufla...
June Books: Rauhut, Miller, Hoyer
The GDR rock band Silly, poems by Alice Miller, and Katja Hoyer on the rise of fascism in interwar Weimar
open.substack.com
The New York Times on book coverage: let's find the books with the most money behind them, the most industry hype, the greatest likelihood to saturate the culture without our help, and give them a little extra boost