Though Michael Cera was the cover boy for the issue, I had a fun chat with his “This Is Our Youth” costars Tavi Gevinson and Kieran Culkin for Time Out just before the play’s Broadway opening.

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/this-is-our-youths-tavi-gevinson-and-kieran-culkin-talk-80s-new-york-wrestlemania-and-backstage-shenanigans

One thing that didn’t make the cut here: Kieran mentioned that the script was his “favorite book” and confessed that he’d been carrying it around for years. Before the interview, I re-read it myself and was struck again by Kenneth Lonergan’s artistry–the careful portrait of characters twitching and glumping toward adulthood, the offhanded dialogue that rewards a reader for making sense of the underlying subtext and thematic information.

My head is often buried in novels and story collections, so it’s nice to be reminded that play-reading is its own pursuit. The whole exercise has me excited about seeing what the production team has done with the show.

I don’t have my own personal anecdote about Robin Williams, so I was happy to join the remembrances last week by just digging into the catalogue of his performances, making note of some famous bits as well as choosing some that just spoke to me about who he was as a comic.

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/features/robin-williams-a-history-in-15-jokes-20140813

With the announcement that Williams was struggling with the early stages of Parkinson’s, it’s clear there are layers to the tragedy and none of them will be easy to process. I’m grateful, though, because this assignment let me laugh despite a heavy heart; I think the man would appreciate the thought that giddiness and grief could go hand-in-hand.

I have seen stray brown leaves on the ground and am doing my best to ignore them. I tell myself there are still some sweet, hot days to be had. Weeks, even. Still doing my best to plow through (read: casually enjoy) a stack of summer books.

I collected suggestions at the top of the season for Conde Nast Traveler from a bunch of authors I admire / am excited about. Trying to pick just a few more from this list and my own, before the crush of fall comes on… I suggest you do the same. Also, eat ice cream! Watch a movie outdoors! And when your friend smugly announces, “Ah, I feel fall in the air!” please feel free to kick him or her in the shins.

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2014-05-23/david-sedaris-jennifer-weiner-and-more-share-their-favorite-summer-reads