Zadie Smith: Writing and London

Orwell’s Cuppa

The tea should be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right...

‘Us’ by Legacy Russell

The thing about new blooms is that they tend to bleed— / Those petals birthed / hugging close / that come warmer weather are tricked into jumping away...

‘from An Explanation of America: Countries and Explanations’ by Robert Pinsky

Farah Abdessamad on François-René de Chateaubriand

I spent a good part of my childhood at home staring outside my bedroom window, following the trail of planes approaching the nearby Paris airport in the sky from my banlieue. I envied the passengers...

A Monk Surfing