Ray Johnson and the Iron (John) Cage

A visit to the Black Mountain College Museum.

Jul 7 • Jim Hanas

8

5

June 2026

How Many Books Is That?

Decoding Amazon's Best Seller Ranks.

Jun 23 • Jim Hanas

17

2

2

The Order(ing) of Things

Thoughts on listmaking—and a list of my own.

Jun 16 • Jim Hanas

9

6

1

René Daumal’s Sermon on the Mount

Grace after the death of God.

Jun 9 • Jim Hanas

8

6

2

May 2026

What Counts as a Small Press?

My path to a necessarily unsatisfying answer, plus the small press insights of the month.

May 26 • Jim Hanas

35

2

7

S2E3. Lou Reed's Nephew on Gatekeepers

“They are the only thing standing between us and the doxic heat death of the Internet."

May 5 • Jim Hanas

4

4

April 2026

Growing Up with Wallace Shawn

From "My Dinner with André" to "What We Did Before Our Moth Days."

Apr 28 • Jim Hanas

13

3

2

The Small Press View

Another way of looking at book publishing.

Apr 21 • Jim Hanas

82

17

23

Your Fellow Americans: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know?

Savvy bumpkinism revisited.

Apr 14 • Jim Hanas

9

2

2

Visualizing Literary Substack

Who is recommending whom?

Apr 2 • Jim Hanas

10

1

4

March 2026

S2E2. Lou Reed's Nephew and "The Four Disagreements"

Wherein we learn that L.R.N. is writing a book of his own.

Mar 31 • Jim Hanas

6

2

The Oracle of Bacon: 30 Years Later

And why the Internet only feels small.

Mar 17 • Jim Hanas

11

5

3