Every picture tells a story, right? But only the best stories take pictures. Such stories get planted in your brain and stay there for days. They show up in the mirror when you’re brushing your teeth. They return in the night and sprinkle your dreams with words. They become your dreams and tickle your teeth and breakdance on your brain.

Yep, that’s what these stories do.

Enjoy.

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Up From The Muck

Jesus has risen. Spring has sprung. And yet the world remains an evil place. Okay, that’s a lousy outlook. But we need the bad in order to enjoy the good, right? When the bad Monday blues strike, it’s a very good thing to know that stacks of books and articles are just waiting for us to get home and read them. To start, we’ll read Rain Taxi’s interview with Mary Karr. Then it’s off to Richard Yates, whose brilliant work is memorialized in the Guardian. St. Clair McKelway was a witty, masterful writer of profiles; SF Gate explains how his New Yorker articles from the early 20th century have stood the test of time. An iconic photograph revered for its acute social portrait is examined in Intelligent Life, bloggers search for their literary place, and translations get a Quixotic makeover. Finally, John Banville is known for his flawless prose. But what happens when Banville’s alter-ego takes the helm? Just like Monday, the answer is a potent mixture of good and bad. — Kevin Murphy

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