Ancient Grains Archive

Emily Books Book Club: The Terrible Girls

If you are not familiar with the Emily Books Book Club, or simply have that condition where you struggle to form short-term memories, you may click here. Maybe you already did! This month, Ruth Curry (as the most fervent proponent of THE TERRIBLE GIRLS) and I had a delightful conversation about how good ...Read More

Nobody’s Daughter, by Ross Douthat

Hello. I'm Ross Douthat. Is this thing on? [unintelligible mumbling] I thought there was a...a little secretary inside. With the magnets. Like a dictaphone. I just type in it, then? Okay. We can get rid of this part, though, right, before it goes to press? Great. I'm ...Read More

Misandrist Christmas Carols

This holiday installment of Misandrist Lullabies has been brought to you by an anonymous, misandry-loving reader, on behalf of her terrible, soon-to-be-ex-boss. Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen, Men are incapable of goodness; It is impossible for a man to be good. No man who claims the right to rule ...Read More

Toast Points: The Week of Dec. 13th, 2013

What a curious-looking vintage toast rack I found for you this week! A colour so rarely seen in modern life. It's like a sickly caterpillar, is it not? Monday, Mallory's Patek Philippe piece about intergenerational murder pretty much carried the universe on its back. ...Read More

Three Poems

Woolgathering from Playing Cards in Purgatory, oil on panel, Kelli Hoppmann, 2002 They all cheat, of course: on spouses, at games, or themselves. They color their hair even though their masks would cover it. They practice unnatural expressions, wear heavy gowns with hidden pockets, conceal deadly weapons. Not the least of which are their own bodies. But they are mere amateurs compared to you: their arrows fly disappointingly straight, and they never ...Read More

Femslash Friday: Rory and Paris, The Real Gilmore Girls

Other entries in the series can be found here. Most recently: Adventure Time, Come On, Grab Your Friends. This installment of Femslash Friday is dedicated to Friend of the Toast Rainbow Rowell I am going to make you want something that you may or may ...Read More

A Guide to Summoning the Dead of Wikipedia

So you would like to summon a dead person! I cannot blame you. Dead people are more interesting simply by virtue of being dead. HOWEVER, summoning Lizzie Borden for the nine thousandth time sounds like kind of a bummer. Ditto summoning Anne Boleyn or Bloody Mary, and why would you ever summon a ...Read More

Taylor Swift’s Lesbian Anthems

(Disclaimer: Obviously, I mean to take nothing away from genuine Songs About Lesbians, which are beautiful and frankly, not nearly as ubiquitous as they should be. Nor do I want to disparage the good work of anyone covering a pop song and not changing the pronouns, creating a de facto gay version. ...Read More