Lit Hub Daily: September 11, 2026
Where does Harlan Coben get ideas? “Sometimes, it’s a simple ‘what-if.’” | Lit Hub Craft Phillip Lopate explores the lore and legacy of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” | Lit Hub Biography Steven W. Thrasher reads No God But Us.
Lit Hub Daily is a daily digest published by Literary Hub, an online platform dedicated to literature, culture, and the arts. Founded by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature, Literary Hub aggregates news, criticism, fiction, poetry, and interviews from across the literary world. The September 11, 2026 edition features a curated selection of articles, essays, and reviews spanning topics such as children’s literature, queer studies, colonial history, and contemporary fiction. The platform also highlights podcasts, reading lists, and book reviews, including Book Marks, which tracks the best-reviewed books of the week. Literary Hub operates multiple social media channels, including Instagram, Twitter (Threads), TikTok, and YouTube, to share content with a global audience.
The edition includes several notable literary pieces. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is explored by Phillip Lopate, who examines its cultural impact and enduring legacy. Harlan Coben discusses his creative process in an interview, explaining how simple questions like ‘what-if’ inspire his crime fiction. Steven W. Thrasher reviews two books, No God But Us and The Sense of Brown, reflecting on the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks through the perspectives of queer Afghan refugees. Additionally, the edition features a poem by Marcus Wicker titled Late Summer in the Anthropocene, which reflects on environmental themes, and an excerpt from Amanda Peters’s new novel The Birthing Tree.
Linford D. Fisher’s essay On the forgotten enslavement of Native Americans examines the historical enslavement of Indigenous peoples in the United States, a topic central to his Cundill Prize-shortlisted book Stealing America. The essay highlights the often-overlooked role of Native American enslavement in U.S. history. Another essay, On the demonization of Palestinian kites, discusses how colonial powers frame acts of hope or resistance—such as flying kites—as existential threats. These essays contribute to broader conversations about colonialism, power, and cultural representation.
Book Marks highlights the best-reviewed books of the week, including Emma Cline’s Switzy, Francis Fukuyama’s In the Realm of the Last Man, and R.F. Kuang’s Taipei. These reviews provide insights into the literary merit and reception of contemporary works. CrimeReads, a sister publication of Literary Hub, also features a list of the most anticipated mystery, thriller, and crime novels for fall 2026, curated by Molly Odintz. This section serves as a guide for readers seeking new literary discoveries.
The edition includes interdisciplinary articles that connect literature to other fields. JSTOR Daily explores whether The Legend of Zelda video game series is queer-coded, suggesting that its themes and characters subtly reflect LGBTQ+ experiences. The Los Angeles Review of Books examines manga through the lens of misogyny and the erotic grotesque in Shintaro Kago’s Brain Damage. Aeon discusses medieval mental health practices, including the use of ostrich liver as a remedy. These articles demonstrate how literature intersects with technology, art, and history.
Literary Hub Radio features a range of podcasts, including The Lit Hub Podcast, Awakeners, and Fiction/Non/Fiction. In one interview, Tom Cole speaks with Morgan Bassichis about autofiction, a genre blending autobiography and fiction, particularly focusing on themes of shame and unreliable narration. Another podcast, Beyond the Page, explores the future of poetry of witness in a world marked by catastrophe, featuring discussions on Carolyn Forché’s work. These podcasts provide deeper insights into the creative process and literary trends.
Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp and Anam Zafar discuss the challenges and importance of *children’s literature in translation* in an interview with *Asymptote* magazine. Their conversation highlights the tension between preserving cultural authenticity and making stories accessible to global audiences. This topic is particularly relevant in an era where translation plays a key role in literary diversity and inclusion.
