Dear Reader,

Everybody is a critic, as the saying goes. But not everybody is as dedicated to the task of criticism as we are.

Despite the current media climate, we still publish long-form reviews and essays online daily, covering an enormous breadth of subjects, from literature to politics to TV. Our approach has always been unique: rigorous but playful, thorough, and accessible. We’re your biggest critic, covering the high and the low, the good and the bad.

Today we kick off our May Membership Drive, in partnership with the Whiting Foundation, which granted us a Literary Magazine Prize in 2023, citing LARB as a “pillar of West Coast literary culture with national impact … Los Angeles Review of Books astounds with its scope. Its essays, reviews, and interviews are imbued with the irresistible appeal of fresh ideas and the rigor of academic inquiry.” 

The Whiting Foundation has offered to match up to $20,000 in memberships this month. Become a member to support our writers, editors, and staff, and we’ll send you our signature tote, the print edition of the LARB Quarterly, and a special-edition matchbook.

Help us keep doing the work we love to do. Keep us going and growing by becoming a member today.

With gratitude,
Danielle Clough
Publications and Operations Manager