The MacArthur Fellowship 'Genius' Grants were awarded this week, and cartoonist/writer Alison Bechdel was among the recipients. NPR did a quick interview with her, following the announcement.

Speaking of cartoonists and major awards, the National Book Award Longlsit was announced this week as well, with cartoonists and frequent New Yorker contributor Roz Chast among the nominees for nonfiction (and the only woman on the nonfiction list). Alexander Chee wrote a nice piece on both Chast and Bechdel over at Salon, and why comics don't usually get the accolades they probably deserve.

Finally, Roxane Gay wrote a little something for Buzzfeed about her love of books and which books specifically shaped her into the writer she is today. I really appreciated this because at her reading I asked her to name her favorite books/writers of the moment, and didn't think to take notes when she responded, so the final few paragraphs align pretty closely with that response.