He is the author of Hip: The History (2004), which was named one of the notable books of the year by The New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. A comprehensive historical examination, Leland offers some contemporary answers to the question, What is “hip”? He surveys the “underground” ideas that have shaped American culture, from sex and music, to race, fashion, drugs and business.

Published in 2007, his latest book, Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of ‘On the Road’ (They’re Not What You Think), was called by The Washington Post “an engaging, fresh and smart take” on the Kerouac mythos. Claiming that On the Road is “a book about how to live your life,” Leland takes an in-depth look at this now-classic if still controversial novel and overturns a number of misconceptions about it—and about Kerouac.

Before joining The New York Times John Leland was an original columnist at SPIN magazine, senior editor at Newsweek and editor-in-chief of Details.

“Could Fitzgerald or Hemingway Get Published Today?”

The Literary Ventures Fund uses a venture philanthropy model, granting both funds and expertise to support small presses, book by book. Jim Bildner, founder of LVF, says, “In the current environment, many of us believe that if great writers like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, or Flannery O’Connor were beginning their careers today, they would have difficulty finding a publisher who could afford to nurture their careers from the beginning. The largest commercial houses dominate the book-publishing world; while at the same time, support for literary works and not-for-profit presses continues to decline. It’s vital that literary works have a new channel to help find their way into the marketplace.”

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