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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

A collage of four illustrated book covers on solid-colored backgrounds.

Books beyond Bobst: An art history novel, an athletic autobiography and more

Books beyond Bobst is a book-rec column highlighting what NYU students are reading now, outside of their classes. If you’re in need of a new read, look no further.

“Peggy” by Rebecca Godfrey with Leslie Jamison Before reading "Peggy," I imagined the glamorous art collector Peggy Guggenheim in a luxurious caftan, sitting at her waterfront...

Collage of four illustrated books: on the top left is an illustration of a book cover filled with oranges under a plastic film. The title “BLISS MONTAGE Stories” lies on top of the film. On the top right is an illustration of a black book cover titled “POVERTY, BY AMERICA” on a light green background. On the bottom left is an illustration of a book cover with a black, bold line across it. A bee is in the top right corner, along with the title “The Bee Sting” written between the lines. On the bottom right is an illustration of a dark green book cover with a pink box in the center, titled “THE VIRGIN SUICIDES.” There are five dark green flowers in the box and one of them has a missing petal. A pink petal is in the bottom left corner.

Books beyond Bobst: A modern classic, a short story collection and more

Books beyond Bobst is a book-rec column highlighting what NYU students are reading now, outside of their classes. If you’re in need of a new read, look no further.

“The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray — Emily Genova, Deputy Managing Editor  This nearly 700-page novel follows an Irish family as they reckon with a failing family-run...

A girl sitting on a dormitory desk decorated with pictures and books.

How I learned to love reading again

As casual reading becomes trendy on social media, there is a tendency to read for quantity rather than quality.
Diana C. Sánchez González, Staff Writer April 1, 2024

When someone asks me what my hobbies are, I always answer, “anything that has to do with escapism.” After a long day of lectures and completing assignments, nothing recharges...

An illustration of the covers of three books by Deborah Levy against a light blue background. From left to right: “The Man Who Saw Everything,” “Hot Milk,” “An Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs of Hell.”

Reading Guide: Fall in love with Deborah Levy

Deborah Levy’s writing has the bittersweet simplicity of Hemingway and the intriguing strangeness of Murakami with a key element both authors lack: well-developed female characters.
Audrey Abrahams, Contributing Writer October 28, 2022

Deborah Levy’s fiction is bewitching and addictive. If schoolwork is leaving you with little free time, Levy’s short books are quick but impactful reads that are worth sparing...

Renowned author Fran Lebowitz spoke at NYU’s Casa Italiana on Nov. 11. She shared her experiences as a writer and expressed her annoyance with NYU students. (Photo by Abby Wilson)

‘I’m like the slut of literature’: Fran Lebowitz speaks at NYU’s Casa Italiana

Renowned author Fran Lebowitz discussed style, her career and her annoyance with NYU students.
Abby Wilson, Contributing Writer November 15, 2021

Known for her scathingly honest commentary, renowned author Fran Lebowitz graced the NYU community with her signature dry humor on Nov. 11. It was Casa Italiana’s first in-person...

Bobst Library is a popular spot on campus for twenty-four hour studying. NYU Libraries is launching a project to make 150,000 books available through SimplyE. (Staff Photo by Taylor Knight)

Students will be able to digitally access 150,000 NYU Libraries books from their phones

A new NYU Libraries program will scan coursebooks, ebooks, reference works and audiobooks and make them accessible for students and faculty on their mobile devices and tablets.
Rachel Fadem, Staff Writer April 14, 2021

NYU Libraries launched a pilot project last month to make more than 150,000 books available to faculty and students through SimplyE, a free e-reader app developed by the New York...

Reading, roller skating, listening to true crimes podcast or making the best spicy fried chicken sandwich. We’ve all been there this quarantine season. (Photos by Scott Hogan, Guru Ramanathan, Leo Sheingate, Sasha Cohen. Staff Illustration by Alex Tran)

Culture Desk Faves: Our Quarantine Hobbies

WSN’s Culture desk shares the ways they found to cope with quarantine.

Having spent a majority of 2020 in quarantine, everyone’s had enough time on their hands to become a master baker, handwrite their autobiographies and watch every show Netflix...

Staff Rants: Books

Staff Rants: Books

From John Green to “Little House on the Prairie” — here’s our staff’s takes on books.

On John Green Jake Capriotti, Photo Editor Why is it that between late 2013 and mid-2015 it seemed the internet had a collective crush on John Green? I will admit that I...

At Strand Bookstore, books of scripts line the shelves. Reading the script or screenplay of a production can give audience members a different perspective on the play than just viewing it in theaters. (Staff Photo by Sasha Cohen)

Here’s Why Scripts Deserve as Big of Spotlight as Books

Poems and prose are conventional materials for reading while plays are wrongfully excluded despite their many admirable qualities.
Sasha Cohen, Books and Theater Editor February 10, 2020

Who decided that books and poetry are mainstream? Seriously, I want to know who. Ever since we were young, teachers continuously shove these resources in our hands as if they are...

High School Education Kills Shakespeare All Over Again

High School Education Kills Shakespeare All Over Again

High school analysis of Shakespeare both misses the point of his works and causes many people to dislike them — but this doesn’t have to be the case.
Neil Dittrich, Contributing Writer October 29, 2019

Even mentioning Shakespeare carries such negative connotations for college students that some readers may have already lost interest in this article. The idea of having to sit...

Seminal short fiction writer Amy Hempel and Olympic swimmer turned memoirist Casey Legler read and discuss their recent work at NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House. (via NYU)

Amy Hempel and Casey Legler Read at NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House

Seminal short fiction writer and Olympic swimmer-turned-memoirist joined host Darin Strauss at The Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House for a reading of their recent work, finding connection in their shared fixation with water and unconventional styles.
Julie Goldberg, Books & Theater Editor September 9, 2019

Breaking an Olympic record, in warmups at that, is no easy feat. Neither is building a career on short fiction. On Thursday, NYU’s creative writing program hosted two established...

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe & Bar, an independent bookstore on Crosby St. (Staff Photo by Elaine Chen)

New York’s Indie Bookstores Survive by Promoting Community, Providing Experience

As rent hikes and Amazon pose a continuous threat to the city’s independent bookstores, small business owners tune into community interests and re-define what a bookstore can be.
Julie Goldberg, Books and Theater Editor September 3, 2019

In his novel “American Gods,” Neil Gaiman writes, “What I say is, a town isn’t a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it’s got a bookstore,...