Close readers

haley larsen, phd
Dec 01, 2023
Share

Check out this series of interviews! The Close Reader interview series features amazing insights on writing habits, current reads, and coffee shop orders. I’ve done quite a few with my favorite bookstagrammers, essayists, and Substack writers, so far. And there’s more to come…

Close Reader: An interview with Bri Soler

haley larsen, phd
·
November 3, 2023
Close Reader: An interview with Bri Soler

I really enjoy thinking, which sounds sort of silly, but I do. I love making connections, figuring out patterns, and learning new things about others, myself, and the human race. So in a way, close reading means finding out what's being said underneath what's being said, or sometimes things just are, and being okay with that too. I guess I draw parallels between psychoanalysis and close reading in a way.

Read full story

Close Reader: an interview with Sayani Sarkar

haley larsen, phd
·
November 17, 2023
Close Reader: an interview with Sayani Sarkar

Close reading, for me, is an awareness of the realities in which the author wrote a particular prose. Whether historical fiction or science fiction, the plot and the idea, however outlandish or weird, stem from the writer's understanding of the world. Close reading is as close as the reader can understand the writer's universe.

Read full story

Close Reader: An interview with Juliana

haley larsen, phd
·
November 10, 2023
Close Reader: An interview with Juliana

To me, today, closely reading means more of a way to allow yourself to be taken in by the text whenever that happens, to go over the same paragraph, sentence, or even fragment over and over again as you unpack it—rationally, emotionally, you name it.

Read full story

Close Reader: An interview with Sarah

haley larsen, phd
·
December 1, 2023
Close Reader: An interview with Sarah

So I guess I'd just like to say to all those who love to read but aren't confident in their writing or don't like to write—reading is not just a passive act, but a generative one. Readers are just as creative, thoughtful, and observant as writers, even if their creativity never finds its way onto its own page.

Read full story

Close Reader: an interview with Kate Jones

haley larsen, phd
·
December 15, 2023
Close Reader: an interview with Kate Jones

I’m Kate and I live in a city called Sheffield in the county of South Yorkshire in the UK. My city is quite special as despite it being the fifth largest in the UK, it is also the greenest in Europe — we have more trees here than people! A fact I love. We benefit from both the conveniences of a large city but are also right on the edge of the Peak District National Park, which is beautiful for long walks.

Read full story

Close Reader: An interview with Michelle

haley larsen, phd
·
December 22, 2023
Close Reader: An interview with Michelle

What are you reading right now?

Right now I'm reading A Touch of Mistletoe by Barbara Comyns. Despite the title, it is not a cute, Christmas romance. It is bleak and depressing. It's about two sisters who leave home at the ages of 16 and 18 in the 1930s and move to London to start new lives. Along the way they encounter vicious dogs and predatory men and have sad meals of mostly cabbage.

Read full story

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial