Assorted Links

Stephen King laments declining short story readership. One thing is clear: King is a fantastic writer, as this short essay shows. No, I don’t like his usual subject matter either. But the man can get your attention and keep it.

Karen Russell writes about college and is probably a writer to remember. Her piece stands head and shoulders above the other four in the New York Times Magazine on the same subject:

Some parents, I know, threaten to withhold love and groceries if their kids fail out of pre-med, but my folks never pushed me. In any event, I wasn’t the only one. Plenty of other kids manned that library submarine with me. At Northwestern, the pressure to succeed was intense. Often this created a sharks-in-the-water frenzy that applied not only to academics but also to sororities, extracurricular activities, grants, jobs after college. I didn’t question this; I strapped on my fin.

David Leonhardt discusses U.C.L.A., the CCNY of the 21st century, and affirmative action after Proposition 209 in California. I haven’t thus far given much money to the U.C.L.A. alumni association (M.A. ’94). After reading this, I might.

The FT tears down it’s paywall. At least partially. Felix Salmon is unmoved.

[composed and posted with ecto]