List Journalism Is Alive and Well

Literary Hub, an online publication created by the venerable independent publisher Grove Atlantic and the Internet-age publisher Electric Literature, describes itself as “an organizing principle in the service of literary culture, a single, trusted, daily source for all the news, ideas and richness of contemporary literary life.”

Sounds high brow, doesn’t?

Well, Lit Hub, as it is known, is not shy about being low-brow as well – in this case, list journalism. You know the type: 24 ways to entice HIM into bed (your favorite women’s magazine); the 12 best sports bars in … (fill in the name of your city), etc., etc.

Such lists are irresistible to readers it seems and as a result, publications that employ them attract advertisers. Man is a list-making, list-reading animal. Who's on top? Who or what made the list, who or what didn't? Compelling reading it seems no matter how such lists are drawn up. Nice to have your ad placed right next to, or in the middle of, such an offering.

One can subscribe to daily emails from Lit Hub and I recommend them despite the clickbait nature of a significant amount of what is on offer.

For instance, the May 10, 2018 email version of Literary Hub has links to articles on 15 different topics, four of which fall into the category of list journalism. For those who can’t resist, they are as follows:

1 From New York to Copenhagen, the 12 most popular libraries in the world.

2 From Jia Tolentino on The Pisces to Hanif Abdurraqib on Zora Neal Hurston’s posthumous Barracoon, 5 book reviews you should read this week.

3 10 psychological thrillers that explore the fears and ambivalences of motherhood.

4) From the Canadian Arctic to mountains in Vietnam: 6 books for armchair travelers.

I'm sure there will be more tomorrow.