The Foxed Page

DISCONTENT started with such potential that my very high expectations were somewhat dashed. Serrano starts so strong: she paints the work place, interrogates the internet, incorporates visual art, promotes the concept of the chosen family and more. But much hinged on the ending and for me, it didn't deliver. Listen to see what's working really well and what isn't. Discontent really helps you see why pulling off a strong novel is REALLY HARD TO DO.

Actually, probably, I'd never read it because I was scarred by "The Lottery" in grade school. I should NOT have been afraid. Hangsaman is incredible! It also has some verrrrry confusing elements that deserve the deepest of analysis. Listen in for exactly that. What a masterpiece!

NO READING REQUIRED! Kick off 2026 with a new foxed page experience: an entire short story read to you--with my analysis--in one brief(ish) lecture! Come away feeling transported and inspired by true literary genius (Kincaid's, haha, not mine).

We all read The Catcher in high school (when it was largely wasted on us) but too few of us explore Salinger's short fiction. His stories are SO GOOD. A deep dive into "Bananfish" will not only help you appreciate the inimitable dialogue, the spareness, the characterization and all that makes Salinger one of America's best writers--but you'll end up feeling a little smarter and a little more HUMAN as we kick off 2026.

I fully agree with the Booker Prize judges that FLESH is "singular" and "extraordinary." I can see why it won! I do, though, have a few arguments to make.

NO READING REQUIRED! Find out why we are SO DRAWN to this unlikely, enduring classic. Also: I grapple with the sequel.

This deep dive into the importance of our everyday objects--together with compelling reason why we homebodies love home--was such an eye-opener! Listen in to hear how our things provide crucial, existential cues. Also: allow me to GIVE YOU FULL PERMISSION to handle that not-so-wanted gift you're about to receive this holiday season.

This work might only be 116 pages, but it feels enormous--in the very best of ways. You could study it for years and not fully comprehend its unique structure, its strange atmosphere and the uncanny originality of this prose. Listen in now to find out why Johnson is held as one of the best American writers of all time.

Did you love this when it came out in 2020? Are you picking it up now because Reid seems even smarter after being named as a Booker judge? Either way, listen in to hear why I loved the prose, character development and general vibe of this work. She tackles BIG questions, all in a highly familiar, fraught and delicious domestic world that provides all kinds of grist for my mill.

From gladiators to babies to dogs to basketball--this quick talk touches on a LOT. All in the context of everyday gestures! Listen in to find out the best way to position yourself on a zoom call, how gestures actually make you smarter and why you should NEVER sit on your hands.