Lisa Butts is a book critic and an editor in academic publishing. She studied poetry and creative nonfiction at the New School and Sarah Lawrence College.
Interviews
"Exile is such a strange and absurd situation. I think there are going to be things you miss so much. You start to wonder whether or not it really was worth it. And what you're willing to give up to get some of those things back."
Monthly Book Lists
See what April books we're excited about. This month's selection includes an International Booker Prize nominee, a novel that features Monica Lewinsky as a patron saint, and more.
Reviews
Lewinsky is Virgil, capably leading Jean through the inferno of predatory male sexual behavior, demonstrating to her that the power she wields—wielded even when she was being taken advantage of—is a force to be reckoned with.
Stories in the World
Stories in the World is a series in which we explore a particular element of a piece of writing in a broader context. Here, Lisa looks at the phenomenon of women who become involved in relationships with queer women while self-identifying as straight, as featured in Max Delsohn's "All Time Low."
Reviews
While we might be living through what is commonly referred to as late-stage capitalism, we are not at the end of anything—we are always in the middle of an unfolding story.
Monthly Book Lists
Check out five books we're looking forward to that are coming out in March, including new releases from Rebecca Solnit and Louise Erdrich.
Features
The stories of the activist group Mothers United in Mass Mothering are refracted through the lenses of layer upon layer of witnesses. We have seen this same thing playing out in Minneapolis, where people are looking, watching, witnessing.
Reviews
A work of quirky alternative history gives agency to women who struggled under the yoke of patriarchy, including Anne Boleyn, Nellie Bly, and Joan of Arc.
Monthly Book Lists
Our takes on six books forthcoming in February 2026, including novels, short story collections, and nonfiction.
Reviews
When you’re living in the fishbowl of your own queer life, when it’s all you’ve ever known, you might not recognize that the people who have always surrounded you do not treat you with a great deal of care. This is the phenomenon that Palaver represents so well.
Features
The ongoing pandemic is affecting authors just as it's affecting everyone else. We’re not supposed to talk about it, and we’re treated with disdain if we take precautions to prevent infection. Just the same, authors are not supposed to write about it.
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