'An absolute stunner: frank, funny, self-aware, constantly surprising ... One of the most insightful representations I've read of what it feels like to be alive these days' GEORGE SAUNDERS ________________________ One day Heidi Julavits sees her son silhouetted by the sun and notices he is at the threshold of what she calls "the end times of childhood." When did this happen, she asks herself. Who is my son becoming-and what qualifies me to be his guide? What follows starts to feel like uncharted waters. Rape allegations rock the university campus where she teaches, unleashing questions of justice and accountability. Julavits begins to wonder how to prepare her son to be the best possible citizen of the world he's about to enter. And what must she learn about herself in order to responsibly steer him. Looking back to her own childhood in Maine, where she often navigated the coastline in a small boat relying on a decades-old sailing guide, Julavits takes us on an intellectual navigation of the self. Throughout, she intertwines her internal investigation with a wide-ranging exploration of what it means to raise a child in a time full of contradictions and moral complexity. Using the past and present as points of orientation, Directions to Myself examines the messy minutiae of contemporary family life alongside knottier philosophical questions of politics and gender. Through it all, Julavits discovers the beauty and the danger of telling stories as a way to locate ourselves, and help others find us. Intimate, rigorous, and refreshingly unsentimental about motherhood and parenting, Directions to Myself is a love letter to Maine and a reckoning with the disappearance of childhood-her children's and her own-that cements Julavits' reputation as one of the most engaged and innovative nonfiction writers today whose work has been called "fascinating" (Washington Post), "scathingly funny" (Los Angeles Times), and "exquisite" (New York Times).

"The Believer"'s mission is to introduce readers to the best and most interesting work in the world of art, culture, and thought--whether that means literature, painting, wrestling, philosophy, or cooking--in an attractive vehicle that's free from the bugbears of condescension, mustiness, and jargony obfuscation. Its content (including essays, interviews, comics, poetry, and reviews) offers fresh perspectives from editors Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Andrew Leland. Each issue includes the popular columns "Stuff I've Been Reading," by Nick Hornby; "What the Swedes Read" (a look at Nobel Prize-winners), by Daniel Handler; and "Real Life Rock Top 10," by Greil Marcus. The July/August Music Issue includes a free CD of new music curated for the magazine, the March/April Film Issue includes a free DVD of otherwise unreleased films, and the November/December Art Issue includes a free, always-changing bonus item.
The "Believer" is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often long. There are also interviews that are very long. We will focus on writers and books we like. We will give people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was "The Optimist."

The Believer, a five-time National Magazine Award finalist, is a bimonthly literature, arts, and culture magazine. In each issue, readers will find journalism and essays that are frequently very long, book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and interviews that are intimate, frank, and also very long. There are intricate illustrations by Tony Millionaire and a rotating cast of guest artists, poems, a comics section, and regular columns by Nick Hornby and Daniel Handler.In The Believer's fall issue, Pablo Calvi reports on an oil pipeline that threatens Ecuadorian indigenous populations, Alex Mar has tea with the Church of Satan's high priest, Daniel Werb discusses harm reduction in Tijuana, and Esme Weijun Wang explores living with schizophrenia. Other essays focus on the anarchist who's quietly fanning the flames of our country's insurrectionary movements and the irresistibly gothic family whose middle son is the inspiration behind Bolano's mad-genius poet in 2666. There are poems by Kay Ryan and Kathleen Ossip, in-depth interviews with Megan Rapinoe, Michael Schur, Jerry Stahl, Sheila Nevins, Ronald Cotton, and Miranda July, and a special section on the theme of silence with work by Diane Cook, Sara Novic, Stephen Burt, Rachel Z. Arndt, Matthew Zapruder, and JW McCormack.

From acclaimed novelist and editor of "The Believer" Heidi Julavits, comes a wildly imaginative novel about grief, female rivalry, and the furious power of a daughter's love.
Julia Severn is a talented student at an elite institute for psychics. When Julia's mentor, the legendary Madame Ackerman, grows jealous of her protegee's talents, she subjects Julia to the painful humiliation of reliving her mother's suicide . . . and then launches a desperate psychic attack.
But Julia's gifts, though a threat to her teacher, prove an asset to others. Soon she's recruited to track down a missing person who might have a connection to her mother. As Julia sifts through ghosts and astral clues, everything she thought she knew about her mother is called into question, and she discovers that her ability to know the minds of others--including her own--goes far deeper than she ever imagined.

The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. It features long articles, interviews, and book reviews, as well as poems, comics, and a two-page vertically-oriented Schema spread, more or less unreproduceable on the web. The common thread in all these facets is that The Believer gives people and books the benefit of the doubt (the working title of this magazine was The Optimist). On each issue, Charles Burns's beautiful illustrations adorn the cover; our regular raft of writers, artists, and photographers fill the pages; and the feel of the Westcan Printing Group's gorgeous "Roland Enviro 100 Natural" recycled acid-free heavy stock paper warms your heart.

The Believer's mission is to introduce readers to the best and most interesting work in the world of art, culture, and thought--whether that means literature, painting, wrestling, philosophy, or cooking--in an attractive vehicle that's free from the bugbears of condescension, mustiness, and jargony obfuscation. Its content (including essays, interviews, comics, poetry, and reviews) offers fresh perspectives from editors Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Andrew Leland. Each issue includes the popular columns Stuff I've Been Reading, by Nick Hornby; What the Swedes Read (a look at Nobel Prize-winners), by Daniel Handler; and Real Life Rock Top 10, by Greil Marcus. The July/August Music Issue includes a free CD of new music curated for the magazine, the March/April Film Issue includes a free DVD of otherwise unreleased films, and the November/December Art Issue includes a free, always-changing bonus item.
The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often long. There are also interviews that are very long. We will focus on writers and books we like. We will give people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was The Optimist. --The Editors

The Believer, a five-time National Magazine Award finalist, is a bimonthly literature, arts, and culture magazine. In each issue, readers will find journalism and essays that are frequently very long, book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and interviews that are intimate, frank, and also very long. There are intricate illustrations by Tony Millionaire and a rotating cast of guest artists, poems, and regular columns by Nick Hornby and Daniel Handler. The annual Music Issue features Karen Tongson on her namesake, Karen Carpenter, and how the particular whiteness of the Carpenters' sound took off in the Philippines; Michael Snyder on a territory in northeast India in which contemporary Christian gospel is effecting near-total cultural assimilation; Phillip Pantuso on Guyanese songbird smugglers; Stephanie Elizondo Griest on dancers who place art above everything else in their lives; and Sandi Rankaduwa on the evolution of female emcees. There will also be (among other things) a special section on unreliable songwriters; a visual examination of Italo Disco's map to humanity's apotheosis via glitter and robot sex; and interviews with Enya, the LA Phil's Deborah Borda, punk bassist Mike Watt, rapper and producer Lil B, and legendary rock muse Bebe Buell.

The "Believer"'s mission is to introduce readers to the best and most interesting work in the world of art, culture, and thought--whether that means literature, painting, wrestling, philosophy, or cooking--in an attractive vehicle that's free from the bugbears of condescension, mustiness, and jargony obfuscation. Its content (including essays, interviews, comics, poetry, and reviews) offers fresh perspectives from editors Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Andrew Leland. Each issue includes the popular columns "Stuff I've Been Reading," by Nick Hornby; "What the Swedes Read" (a look at Nobel Prize-winners), by Daniel Handler; and "Real Life Rock Top 10," by Greil Marcus. The July/August Music Issue includes a free CD of new music curated for the magazine, the March/April Film Issue includes a free DVD of otherwise unreleased films, and the November/December Art Issue includes a free, always-changing bonus item.
The "Believer" is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often long. There are also interviews that are very long. We will focus on writers and books we like. We will give people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was "The Optimist." --The Editors

"The Believer" is a monthly magazine where length is no object. It features long articles, interviews, and book reviews, as well as poems, comics, and a two-page vertically-oriented Schema spread, more or less unreproduceable on the web. The common thread in all these facets is that The Believer gives people and books the benefit of the doubt (the working title of this magazine was The Optimist).
On each issue, Charles Burns's beautiful illustrations adorn the cover; our regular raft of writers, artists, and photographers fill the pages; and the feel of the Westcan Printing Group's gorgeous "Roland Enviro 100 Natural" recycled acid-free heavy stock paper warms your heart.

"The Believer" is a monthly magazine where length is no object. It features long articles, interviews, and book reviews, as well as poems, comics, and a two-page vertically-oriented Schema spread, more or less unreproduceable on the web. The common thread in all these facets is that the "Believer" gives people and books the benefit of the doubt (the working title of this magazine was the "Optimist").
On each issue, Charles Burns's beautiful illustrations adorn the cover; our regular raft of writers, artists, and photographers fill the pages; and the feel of the Westcan Printing Group's gorgeous "Roland Enviro 100 Natural" recycled acid-free heavy stock paper warms your heart.

The Believer's mission is to introduce readers to the best and most interesting work in the world of art, culture, and thought-whether that means literature, painting, wrestling, philosophy, or cooking-in an attractive vehicle that's free from the bugbears of condescension, mustiness, and jargony obfuscation. Its content (including essays, interviews, comics, poetry, and reviews) offers fresh perspectives from editors Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Andrew Leland. Each issue includes the popular columns "Stuff I've Been Reading," by Nick Hornby; "What the Swedes Read" (a look at Nobel Prize-winners), by Daniel Handler; and "Real Life Rock Top 10," by Greil Marcus. The July/August Music Issue includes a free CD of new music curated for the magazine, the March/April Film Issue includes a free DVD of otherwise unreleased films, and the November/December Art Issue includes a free, always-changing bonus item. The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often long. There are also interviews that are very long. We will focus on writers and books we like. We will give people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was The Optimist. --The Editors

Each issue of "The Believer" includes essays on pop culture, politics, art, and music, as well as lengthy interviews with philosophers, politicians, and poets. Nick Hornby has a widely celebrated monthly books column, and Amy Sedaris (and well-known guest-columnists) offers an advice column comprised of hilariously bad advice. The celebrated graphic novelist Charles Burns illustrates the cover each month, and the magazine is littered with illustrations by a wide range of established and emerging artists, with regulars like Tony Millionaire, Marcel Dzama, and others.

The Believer's mission is to introduce readers to the best and most interesting work in the world of art, culture, and thought whether that means literature, painting, wrestling, philosophy, or cooking in an attractive vehicle that's free from the bugbears of condescension, mustiness, and jargony obfuscation. Its content (including essays, interviews, comics, poetry, and reviews) offers fresh perspectives from editors Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Karolina Waclawiak. Each issue includes the popular columns "Stuff I've Been Reading," by Nick Hornby and "What the Swedes Read" (a look at Nobel Prize-winners), by Daniel HandlerThe Summer Issue features new work by Nell Zink, Alvaro Enrigue, and Gary Greenberg; interviews with Robert Coover, Amber Tamblyn, and the New York Public Library's Paul Holdengraber; and new poetry by Rae Armantrout. Also in these pages, and among many other delights, you'll find a special section on the theme of wildlife, essays on the man after whom Jim Jones patterned himself and what it's like to be named after a sibling who died before you were born, examinations of the work of the artists Ray Johnson and Jimmy Robert, and the editors' short lists for the eleventh annual Believer Book Award and the fifth annual Believer Poetry Award.Table of Contents:Pockets of Resistance Catherine FoulkrodHow to Send Things to Germany Nell ZinkThe Divine Inspiration of Jim Jones Adam Morris"Abstract Expressionism": a new poem Andrew NurkinThe Confidence Man Gary Greenberg"Shooting Possums from the Back Porch of Roger's Bar": a new poem Michael McGriffWhat's in a Necronym? Jeannie VanascoA Common Language Kristina ShevoryDescending Night Elisabeth Donnelly(Untitled) Mary Mann"Comics" edited by Alvin BuenaventuraEl Vocho: A Familiar Subject Alvaro EnrigueWhat the Swedes Read Daniel HandlerThe Eleventh Annual Believer Book Award: Short ListRobert Coover interviewed by Aaron Shulman"Canary": a new poem Rae ArmantroutSchema: Top 100 US Drug Brand Names Shoshana AkabasThe Fifth Annual Believer Poetry Award: Short ListPaul Holdengraber interviewed by Lane KoivuJimmy Robert interviewed by Jude StewartSymposium: A discussion on (mostly) books as they relate to the theme of wildlife.Tim Sheedy on the orangutan, Donna Kozloskie on the rising floodwaters, Megan Pugh on a poetic doomsday prophecy, Monica Westin on vegetal being, and Bijan Stephen on spillover.Elizabeth LeCompte interviewed by Hillar LiitojaAmber Tamblyn interviewed by Rachel MatlowCharles Yu interviewed by Lev Grossman

The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. It features long articles, interviews, and book reviews, as well as poems, comics, and a two-page vertically-oriented Schema spread, more or less unreproduceable on the web. The common thread in all these facets is that The Believer gives people and books the benefit of the doubt (the working title of this magazine was The Optimist). On each issue, Charles Burns's beautiful illustrations adorn the cover; our regular raft of writers, artists, and photographers fill the pages; and the feel of the Westcan Printing Group's gorgeous "Roland Enviro 100 Natural" recycled acid-free heavy stock paper warms your heart.

The Believer's mission is to introduce readers to the best and most interesting work in the world of art, culture, and thought--whether that means literature, painting, wrestling, philosophy, or cooking--in an attractive vehicle that's free from the bugbears of condescension, mustiness, and jargony obfuscation. Its content (including essays, interviews, comics, poetry, and reviews) offers fresh perspectives from editors Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Andrew Leland. Each issue includes the popular columns Stuff I've Been Reading, by Nick Hornby; What the Swedes Read (a look at Nobel Prize-winners), by Daniel Handler; and Real Life Rock Top 10, by Greil Marcus. The July/August Music Issue includes a free CD of new music curated for the magazine, the March/April Film Issue includes a free DVD of otherwise unreleased films, and the November/December Art Issue includes a free, always-changing bonus item.
The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often long. There are also interviews that are very long. We will focus on writers and books we like. We will give people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was The Optimist. --The Editors

The "Believer"'s mission is to introduce readers to the best and most interesting work in the world of art, culture, and thought--whether that means literature, painting, wrestling, philosophy, or cooking--in an attractive vehicle that's free from the bugbears of condescension, mustiness, and jargony obfuscation. Its content (including essays, interviews, comics, poetry, and reviews) offers fresh perspectives from editors Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Andrew Leland. Each issue includes the popular columns "Stuff I've Been Reading," by Nick Hornby; "What the Swedes Read" (a look at Nobel Prize-winners), by Daniel Handler; and "Real Life Rock Top 10," by Greil Marcus. The July/August Music Issue includes a free CD of new music curated for the magazine, the March/April Film Issue includes a free DVD of otherwise unreleased films, and the November/December Art Issue includes a free, always-changing bonus item.
The "Believer" is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often long. There are also interviews that are very long. We will focus on writers and books we like. We will give people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was "The Optimist." --The Editors

The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. It features long articles, interviews, and book reviews, as well as poems, comics, and a two-page vertically-oriented Schema spread, more or less unreproduceable on the web. The common thread in all these facets is that the Believer gives people and books the benefit of the doubt (the working title of this magazine was the Optimist).
On each issue, Charles Burns's beautiful illustrations adorn the cover; our regular raft of writers, artists, and photographers fill the pages; and the feel of the Westcan Printing Group's gorgeous Roland Enviro 100 Natural recycled acid-free heavy stock paper warms your heart.

"The Believer" is a monthly magazine where length is no object. It features long articles, interviews, and book reviews, as well as poems, comics, and a two-page vertically-oriented Schema spread, more or less unreproduceable on the web. The common thread in all these facets is that the "Believer" gives people and books the benefit of the doubt (the working title of this magazine was the "Optimist").
On each issue, Charles Burns's beautiful illustrations adorn the cover; our regular raft of writers, artists, and photographers fill the pages; and the feel of the Westcan Printing Group's gorgeous "Roland Enviro 100 Natural" recycled acid-free heavy stock paper warms your heart.

The Believer is a monthly magazine where length is no object. There are book reviews that are not necessarily timely, and that are very often long. There are also interviews that are very long. Focusing on writers and books they like, The Believer gives people and books the benefit of the doubt. The working title of this magazine was The Optimist.