Bari Weiss has resigned from the New York Times.
This is a loss to the Times, whether they realize it or not. Like any self-respecting native, I was a longtime New York Times reader. While I read the headlines daily, I canceled my subscription last year because David Leonhart's rhetoric was too enraging to be tolerated anymore. When a newspaper calls centrism dangerous, it's officially become a radicalizing outfit.
When James Bennett took over, I thought about renewing my subscription. His was a reign of reason. His op-ed pieces, whether or not I agreed with them, were dogma-free. And then the debacle over Senator Tom Cotton's op-ed ensued, Bennett was ousted, and we were back to square one.
I don't consider myself a centrist, because to do so puts me on a spectrum I don't consider myself to be a participant in, and that I don't consider useful in the last. I am anti-partisan because I am a student of history, like Bari Weiss.
Bari Weiss is someone whose work I respect, both within the Times Op-Ed section and without. Her book "How to Fight Anti-Semitism" was incredibly instructive in my own work visiting high schools and middle schools with the lessons of the Holocaust for our own time. It won the National Jewish Book Award last year, for which my novel "What the Night Sings" was a Finalist, and I was honored to sign a copy for her.
Here is her letter of resignation. It's a must-read for its elucidation of the atmosphere at the New York Times and its moral clarity.
https://www.bariweiss.com/resignation-letter
This was honestly one of my favorite pieces of the year to work on. If you'd like to get your hands on this special illustrated edition of Nicholas Kotar's novella Son of the Deathless, you can get it through our Kickstarter here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1402845448/jolabokaflod-christmas-book-flood-in-a-box
We're so grateful that we were fully funded in about 4 hours, so there are new perks opening up for everyone! We're almost at our 3rd stretch goal, which is very exciting. Go on over and choose your level!
My husband Ben is creating a series of short book trailers for BERLINERS, and I swear, each one is better than the last! Here's the first! Feel free to share on your social media!
This isn't the official trailer, but I wanted to talk about how the idea for Berliners came to me. You can pre-order at https://bookshop.org/books/berliners-9780593428375/9780593428368 and, you know, that other place that starts with an "A".
Hi all,
Since I haven't been as active on here as in the past, I'm going to officially disband this Locals community. If you'd like to stay tuned with my work, the best way to do that is via my email newsletter. Just go to https://vesperillustration.com and at the bottom of every single page there is a newsletter signup. I don't send a ton of mail, just important updates like appearances and new projects. Let's see if I come back in the future, but for now, if you've been a supporter, feel free to end your support and stay in touch via the newsletter or Instagram (@vesperillustration). Thanks to all of you—nothing's over, just paused!
Vesperisms Community, dears:
I'm so excited to announce today that I am doing a collaboration with fantasy author Nicholas Kotar (the Raven Son series, and the fabulous fairy tale/fantasy podcasts In a Certain Kingdom and Fantasy for Our Time).
The dead will rise. The living will fall. The Deathless will reign...
This collaboration is a very special edition of Kotar's novella, Son of the Deathless, available in hardcover with illustrations by none other than Yours Truly—just in time for the Holidays! Here's an illustration in progress to whet your appetite.
With book design by Graphic and Surface Designer for film and television, Heather Pollington (Harry Potter, Malificent, Marvel, and more.), this is going to be a beautiful, gift-worthy edition that will be perfect for yourself or for your holiday giving. Son of the Deathless is one of those cozy winter reads that you want to pair with a warm beverage, a blanket and a crackling fire.
So how does one obtain this ...
