R. O. Kwon 권오경

In this week's Longreads Questionnaire, best-selling author @rokwon shares what she's reading these days, the word she overused in her first novel, and more. longreads.com/2026/04/01/que…

Over the years, I've come to realize that it's on this territory—this no-man's-land between what we desperately yearn for and what we know to be the limits of the possible that I most like to work as a writer. —Kazuo Ishiguro, from his intro to a new edition of Never Let Me Go

“I want to be chill, you know what I mean? It seems nice, but I have this unfortunate personality: I feel the most alive and connected to the world when I’m in the maw of incredible intensity.” —Laura van den Berg, interviewed by @rokwon thebeliever.net/an-interview-w…

Our fall issue is coming! We have essays by @heatherchristle, Oliver Egger, and Ash Sanders; interviews with Laura van den Berg, @BlondieOfficial, and @RichardAyoade, conducted by @rokwon, Emma Ingrisani, and Wallace Shawn; poetry, reviews, a column by @NathanielRich, and more.

Left's strong night, updated: —Mamdani finishes well ahead. —All 10 challenged NYC Progressive Caucus members win, or way up. Jumaane Williams, too. —Left may add councilors (AOC- or WFP-backed newcomers up) —WFP-endorsed candidates win primaries for Syracuse & Buffalo mayor.

South Korea's President-elect Lee Jae-myung: was a child laborer lost the last election by less than 1% survived a knife attack led his party to a general election victory live-streamed his rush to parliament during martial law wins election with biggest vote share since 2012

—Layli Long Soldier

@olivasdan 🖤🖤

@rokwon ¡Felicidades! Lovely seeing you at recent book festivals. Onward!

@mvddm <33

@rokwon 🙌❤️

We’re headed back up the coast! Come see us at the Bay Area Book Festival on June 1, or at our bash with Transit on May 31—we'll be hosting @rokwon and @LaurenMarkham_ for a conversation and party. Learn more and RSVP at eventbrite.com/e/ro-kwon-laur…

@riverheadbooks @ABAbook @ThirdPlaceBooks <3

And another special announcement: EXHIBIT was selected by the @ABAbook for their June "Now in Paperback" Indie Next Pick list 🥳 “There is so much in this layered 200-page gem of a novel about a pair of new artist friends...Completely absorbing.” —Kalani K, @ThirdPlaceBooks

Happy paperback pub day to EXHIBIT by @rokwon 🎉 Don't miss this nationally bestselling book that @voguemagazine calls "the sexiest novel of the year" and @TIME says "is sure to get your heart rate up" 👀🖤 Start reading now: bit.ly/3ZFXXom

"Explain why intellectuals can be attracted by a totalitarian ideology." Hannah Arendt's final exam for Contemporary Issues taught in 1955:

The children of Refaat Alareer are having a horrendous day with the sounds of bombs nearby. We pray for their safety and the safety of everyone in Gaza with this intense escalation. Support us here: chuffed.org/project/113327… Two weeks ago, the children of Refaat Alareer camp planted some mint and basil in the camp as a way to grow their own food. They also planted a significant amount of molokhya, traditional Palestinian plant that’s turned into a stew. Farming is one of the ways people are trying to survive the famine imposed by the military occupation. Bombings specifically target farmland to intensify the famine and deprive people from vegetables. Donate to the Refaat Alareer camp to support their survival during this tough time: chuffed.org/project/113327… Other ways to donate include: paypal.me/mahertali (Paypal option, please make sure to add a message saying "camp") account.venmo.com/u/Maher-Ali (Venmo option, please make sure to add a message saying "camp")

MRS. DALLOWAY was published 100 years ago today. The following year, E.M. Forster reviewed it in The Yale Review. Now online for the first time: his essay on Woolf’s novels to date—including what he called her “exquisite and superbly constructed” masterpiece. yalereview.org/article/forste…

South Koreans who supported the impeachment are jubilant in the streets of Seoul. They are hugging one another, some showing tears of joy

Hélène Cixous: “When I start writing, I’m feeling my way in the dark. It’s a kind of darkness that’s not altogether black—there are a few indicators, lights to guide me, black stars. But the darkness is the one in charge.” (from a 1994 interview, tr. Suzanne Dow, in White Ink)

@latimesfob @latimes 🖤

📚 @rokwon is the author of the nationally bestselling novel "Exhibit," a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Her bestselling first novel, "The Incendiaries," was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award and the @latimes Art Seidenbaum Prize. Kwon’s books have been translated into seven languages and named a best book of the year by over forty publications. 📚 We're so excited that she'll be joining us at the Festival of Books this year! Don't miss her on the panel, "Defining Moments: Novels About Identity, Desire, and the Turning Points in Our Lives," on Saturday, April 26. ⚡ See the full line-up at latimes.com/fob25!

There are several detention facilities in Louisiana where green card holders and undocumented migrants are being detained without due process. Hope journalists are pursuing this.

with thanks to editor @lachristensen 🖤 nytimes.com/2025/03/07/boo…

a joy to write about Sanjena Sathian’s new novel, Goddess Complex, for the @nytimesbooks