American Rites, Manners, and Customs

The August issue of Vanity Fair features Illusions of Arbus an article about the biopic Fur starring Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus and Robert Downey, Jr. as her lover Lionel Sweeney coming to theatres this November. MQ contributor, Erin Cressida Wilson, wrote the screenplay for the film based on Patricia Bosworth's book, Diane Arbus: A Biography (1984). (Photo courtesy of Mary Ellen Mark.) Thanks for the tip, Emily!

Jennifer Weiner also has a fantastic piece about the current state of women's fiction and chick lit's staying power in ELLE magazine's July issue. She praises her favorite writers such as The Bitch in the House editor Cathi Hanauer and Plum Sykes.