Remote Districts

In a cafe in the Financial District in April, I make an asinine proclamation along the lines of, “I like books.” That’s cool, my coffee date obliges. Do I know, then, what those wheatpaste posters across the street are all about? I crane my neck to meet the eyes of New York City scene characters including debut novelist Zoe Dubno, playwright Matthew Gasda, grunge musician Sabrina Fuentes, and a stylist and blogger I recognize only because she was a mid-2010s micro-celebrity in the Seattle Public Schools system. In between their smizes, serif text declares, “Nobody reads anymore.” I don’t need to see the logo to confirm the entity behind this campaign is Book of the Month.