One-Two Punch: American Fiction and The Other Black Girl Lampoon the Publishing Industry for Its Views on What a “Black” Book Is

Perhaps because so few people care about the publishing world outside of, well, the publishing world, there aren’t nearly enough “taking the ‘literature business’ to task” movies (instead, there are plenty of “taking the movie business to task” offerings [see: Sunset Boulevard, Singin’ in the Rain, The Player, Barton Fink, Adaptation, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Babylon, among others]). Though it could be quite a … Continue reading One-Two Punch: American Fiction and The Other Black Girl Lampoon the Publishing Industry for Its Views on What a “Black” Book Is

Genna RivieccioJanuary 20, 2024Leave a comment

Criticism, Essay

The Woman In Me: Britney Spears Reckons With Exploitation and the Double Standard She Was Subjected to Her Entire Career

“Hello. Oh my goodness, ew. Strong Britney!” These were the words an on-the-verge-of-tears, twenty-one-year-old Britney Spears uttered while forced into doing an episode of Primetime on November 13, 2003 with Diane Sawyer. And oh, how strong (stronger than yesterday) she had to make herself in the years spent under a microscope that followed. The word “forced” vis-à-vis Primetime feels applicable because, as Spears tells it, … Continue reading The Woman In Me: Britney Spears Reckons With Exploitation and the Double Standard She Was Subjected to Her Entire Career

Genna RivieccioOctober 25, 2023October 26, 20232 Comments

Essay

They’re Trying to Make “Glamorama With Bedbugs” Happen

The bizarre, rather non sequitur spotlight on bedbugs in Paris seems to come at a very “convenient” time for a number of reasons. For one thing, everybody wants to see Paris “flop” in a manner that coincides with the Olympics, when all eyes will be on it more than ever, and, for another, people only care about icky and unpleasant “goings-on” when it affects either … Continue reading They’re Trying to Make “Glamorama With Bedbugs” Happen

Genna RivieccioOctober 18, 2023October 18, 2023Leave a comment

Essay

The Literary Inspiration Behind Olivia Rodrigo’s “All-American Bitch”

With the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, Guts, there’s been a palpable shift in her lyrical style to that of the, let’s call it, “Lana Del Rey variety.” Not just because titles like “all-american bitch,” “the grudge” and “girl i’ve always been” smack of the Del Rey brand, but because she’s taken a more literary route on the first track mentioned (which also happens … Continue reading The Literary Inspiration Behind Olivia Rodrigo’s “All-American Bitch”

Genna RivieccioSeptember 10, 20233 Comments

Essay, Writing and Pop Culture

On That And Just Like That… Moment, Or: Asking A Writer Not To Write About Certain People Is A Particularly Egregious Form of Censorship

As trouble in “paradise” inevitably keeps mounting for the Bradshaw/Shaw reunion, it was plain to see that things were already going to be majorly problematic when Aidan’s (John Corbett) ex-wife, Kathy (Rosemarie DeWitt), called Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) to arrange a little sit-down. Although she tried to tell herself (and her friends) it wasn’t weird, Carrie is no stranger to the uncomfortable revelations that arise … Continue reading On That And Just Like That… Moment, Or: Asking A Writer Not To Write About Certain People Is A Particularly Egregious Form of Censorship

Genna RivieccioAugust 18, 2023August 19, 2023Leave a comment

Essay

The Pros and Cons of Lydia Davis’ “Stance” on Amazon

Described as “one of the most original minds in American fiction today” (not exactly a difficult feat, but anyway…), Lydia Davis is known for something of an irascible, curmudgeonly tone (at least in print). This much was encapsulated in the title of her 2013 short story collection, Can’t and Won’t. As for the latest thing Davis “can’t” and “won’t” do, it’s sell her book on … Continue reading The Pros and Cons of Lydia Davis’ “Stance” on Amazon

Genna RivieccioApril 20, 2023Leave a comment

Essay

On Submission Fees and the Publishers Are Pirates Belief That’s Currently Trending

It’s funny how “the universe” can sometimes make you feel like it gives enough of a shit about you to tailor schadenfreude at your expense. I say this because only this year, seven years after starting The Opiate, I decided to implement a two-dollar submission fee, from which I get $1.64 and then still have to pay a monthly fee in order to use the … Continue reading On Submission Fees and the Publishers Are Pirates Belief That’s Currently Trending

Genna RivieccioApril 8, 2023April 8, 20232 Comments

Essay

There’s Being A Literary Snob And There’s Being A Cunt (Or Rather, A Scrotum)

It’s accurate to say that we don’t live in the most literate of times (no, #BookTok doesn’t count). Any expectation on someone to know what can reasonably be viewed as an “esoteric” reference outside of 2004, when Reese Witherspoon starred in the Mira Nair-directed adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, isn’t exactly realistic. But to a quintessential British/literary snob like Hugh Grant, it ostensibly … Continue reading There’s Being A Literary Snob And There’s Being A Cunt (Or Rather, A Scrotum)

Genna RivieccioMarch 14, 2023March 14, 2023Leave a comment

Essay

From Blacksmith to East Palestine: Don DeLillo Isn’t A Prophet, Just a Realist

Like something out of the film adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, it seems that Don DeLillo’s White Noise has the power to make the plot points on the page come to life in 2023. More specifically, that plot point about the train derailment near Blacksmith. A fictional town in (you guessed it) Ohio, where White Noise’s protagonist, Jack Gladney, works as … Continue reading From Blacksmith to East Palestine: Don DeLillo Isn’t A Prophet, Just a Realist

Genna RivieccioFebruary 16, 2023February 17, 2023Leave a comment

Essay

“A Veritable Minefield of Malapropisms”: Benoit Blanc Dares to Say, in the Current Climate, That Misuse of Language Equates to Idiocy

Because of The Times We Live In, there are a great many things one might shy away from uttering aloud. Lest the real-life Thought Police, who haven’t yet been able to infiltrate the mind, call one out for being offensive, affronting and generally wrong as a person. Among such potential offenses is indicating, in any way, that someone who misuses language is, well, a bit … Continue reading “A Veritable Minefield of Malapropisms”: Benoit Blanc Dares to Say, in the Current Climate, That Misuse of Language Equates to Idiocy

Genna RivieccioDecember 28, 2022December 28, 20221 Comment