This week’s news in Venn diagrams.
The imminent arrival of fall means I’ve been pulling out all my jackets in eager anticipation—I’m not a fan of summer, especially when it’s been nearly tropical in NYC these past few months. Arguably the best part of pulling out.
This article presents a weekly roundup of news stories summarized using Venn diagrams, a visual tool that uses overlapping circles to show relationships between different sets of information. For example, one diagram might illustrate the overlap between two seemingly unrelated topics, like a 96-year-old murder mystery film with an all-dog cast and a popular social media platform. Another could highlight the connection between a literary figure, such as Emily Wilson—known for her translations of The Odyssey—and a political controversy involving George Santos. The article is written by James Folta, the managing editor of Points in Case and a contributor to Literary Hub, a platform that curates literary news, essays, and book reviews. The format aims to make complex or quirky news stories more engaging and accessible to a general audience by simplifying their key themes into visual overlaps.
The article begins with a personal anecdote about the author’s experience of rediscovering items tucked away in jacket pockets as the seasons change. These items, referred to as Pocket Surprises, include a receipt with the word 'paranoia' written on it, two movie ticket stubs from films the author either enjoyed or disliked, a folded $1 bill from 2021, and a rock with a dark stripe. This introduction sets a lighthearted tone for the rest of the article, which focuses on summarizing news stories in a creative format. The term Pocket Surprises is used metaphorically to suggest unexpected discoveries, much like the news stories highlighted in the Venn diagrams that follow.
The article highlights three specific news stories using Venn diagrams. The first involves a 96-year-old murder mystery silent film with an all-dog cast, which recently gained viral attention online. The second story discusses a significant financial setback for MrBeast, a popular YouTuber and entrepreneur, described as a 'flop' in media trust and safety metrics. The third story explores why Emily Wilson, a renowned translator, is retranslating The Odyssey from scratch, despite her previous acclaimed translation. These stories are presented as examples of how Venn diagrams can visually represent the intersections between seemingly unrelated topics, such as dogs and media, finance and social media, or literature and translation.
Literary Hub is an online platform that curates literary content, including news, essays, book reviews, and podcasts. Founded by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature, it serves as a hub for readers, writers, and critics to explore a wide range of topics related to literature and culture. The platform features sections such as Craft and Criticism, Fiction and Poetry, and News and Culture, covering everything from literary criticism to science and technology. The article is published on Literary Hub, which also hosts related content like CrimeReads for crime fiction and Book Marks for book reviews. The platform aims to make literary content accessible and engaging to a broad audience.
The article is written by James Folta, who is identified as the managing editor of *Points in Case* and a contributor to *Literary Hub*. Folta also co-writes a weekly newsletter focused on humorous writing. The article was published on September 4, 2026, and is part of *Literary Hub*'s ongoing series of news roundups presented in Venn diagram format. The publication includes links to social media platforms where readers can follow *Literary Hub*, such as Threads, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Tumblr. The article concludes with a call to action for readers to subscribe to *Literary Hub*'s daily newsletter for updates and to support the platform through membership.
