Book Reviewing in the Age of Social Media

On Tues. evening, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. we’ll be hosting Michael Magras with a talk entitled, “Book Reviewing in the Age of Social Media.” This event is free and open to the public.

Michael Magras is one of America’s more prolific reviewers of books. His essays and book criticism have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Iowa Review, BookPage, Bookreporter, Down East Magazine, Vermont Magazine, and other publications. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and received a partial fellowship in fiction writing from the Vermont Studio Center.

If you love not only to read books but also to talk about them, there’s never been a better time to be a voracious reader. The number of books published worldwide each year is at an all-time high. Despite the fact that newspapers have had to reduce the number of pages dedicated to book reviewing, many excellent literary critics are still writing thoughtful reviews. And with the advent of Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, The Millions, Electric Literature, and dozens of other Internet and social media sites, more people are chatting and writing about books than ever before.

In this talk, literary critic Michael Magras will discuss what it’s like to be a book reviewer in the age of Facebook and Twitter. He’ll talk about his approach to reviewing, the titles he’s reviewed, and the ways in which social media have led to the democratization of book discussions.

For more information on this program, contact the LPL Adult Services Desk at 513-3135 or LPLReference@Gmail.com