So just how much has the Harvard endowment lost? Answer: Nobody knows but its a lot–likely more than 25% in the past year, and that might be optimistic. This is not good news for faculty, staff, and students in Cambridge. Read Nina Munk on Hard Times at Harvard | vanityfair.com.
For everyone who ever imagined being a novelist, the New Yorker has a nice essay/review of a recent book on creative writing programs. There are lots of gems inside, including how creative writing programs feed the beast of the university system and the uncomfortable relation between teaching creative writing and so-called authenticity of voice. On the latter, Louis Menand writes, “Authenticity is a snark—although someone will always go hunting for it.” Louis Menand, Show or Tell: A Critic at Large: The New Yorker.
