Next year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift to Washington. Organizers have hired psychedelic commercial artist Peter Max—whose past clients include several U.S. presidents, Continental Airlines, hedge fund managers, Mikhail Gorbachev, Taylor Swift, and the Super Bowl—to be the event’s official artist. Last week the festival unveiled Max’s poster design, and it’s a big [...]

In which the author briefly discusses five new books he’d read, if time permitted

1. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, by Lydia Davis.
Don't bother studying the jpeg—this book has a really, really intense neon-orange cover which cannot be reproduced on your computer screen. In fact, I wouldn't have glanced at this book twice if not [...]