Lisa Levy avatar

    Lisa Levy

    She/her | Critic. Essayist. Migraineur. | Toronto, ON, Canada

    I am a widely published critic and essayist. I write a column about crime books for the Washington Post Book World; I am also a contributing editor at Lit Hub and a founding editor of Crime Reads. My book, FUNERAL IN MY BRAIN: A BIOGRAPHY OF MIGRAINE (under contract to St Martin's), looks at the history, science, and art of migraine through the work of migraineurs from Freud and Darwin to Sylvia Plath and Oliver Sacks. FUNERAL also chronicles my descent into chronic migraine in 2003.

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    Selected work
    • Nonfiction

      36

    Cover of Literary Hub

    Adrian McKinty: Working-Class Hero of Irish Crime Fiction

    Literary Hub, 2016

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary Journalism
    Cover of The Times Literary Supplement (TLS)

    Savage Appetites; Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers review - The TLS

    The Times Literary Supplement (TLS), 2020

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Crime
    Cover of Crime Reads

    The Great Hipster Mystery: Defining a Canon

    Crime Reads, 2019

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Crime Reads

    Jim Jones: Charismatic Micromanager, Gifted Preacher, Lunatic

    Crime Reads, 2017

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Crime
    Cover of Literary Hub

    The Fine Grim Line Between Love and Stalking

    Literary Hub, 2016

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Crime Reads

    Gillian Flynn Is the Real Gone Girl

    Crime Reads, 2022

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of The New York Times

    Why Did Two 12-Year-Olds Try to Murder a Friend?

    The New York Times, 2022

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Washington Post

    Review | In pandemic-fueled thrillers, the danger is in the house

    Washington Post, 2023

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Washington Post

    Review | Women take on bad men in a new wave of dark-comedy crime novels

    Washington Post, 2024

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Washington Post

    Review | Fiction writers are learning the tricks of true crime

    Washington Post, 2023

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of (Re) Ideas

    (Re) An Ideas Journal

    (Re) Ideas, 2020

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Personal Essay
    Cover of CBC

    An American in Toronto: Everything changed just as this writer started calling the city home | CBC Arts

    CBC, 2020

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Personal Essay
    Cover of null

    Weight and Dates

    2020

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Personal Essay
    Cover of Elemental

    My Never-Ending Migraine

    Elemental, 2019

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Journalism
    Cover of Psyche

    My failed analysis gave me confidence and taught me when to quit | Psyche Ideas

    Psyche, 2020

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Personal Essay
    Cover of Literary Hub

    How to Write a Pain Book

    Literary Hub, 2022

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Salon

    The people vs. Courtney Love

    Salon, 2006

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of Crime Reads

    The Underappreciated Genius of ‘Justified’

    Crime Reads, 2019

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of Avidly

    Breaking Up With the Bachelor

    Avidly, 2018

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of Crime Reads

    Rape Stories Are Crime Stories

    Crime Reads, 2018

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Crime Reads

    On Rape Culture in Crime Fiction

    Crime Reads, 2017

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of Literary Hub

    In Defense of Trash

    Literary Hub, 2016

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of The New Republic

    We’re Living in the Joan Rivers Age of Comedy

    The New Republic, 2016

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of The Walrus

    Groupies Deserve More Credit | The Walrus

    The Walrus, 2022

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of The Believer

    Is This Any Fun? - Believer Magazine

    The Believer, 2011

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of The Millions

    Why Does Everyone Love It But Me? An Interview with Daniel Mendelsohn

    The Millions, 2012

    Nonfiction
    Long Read
    Interview
    Cover of The Times Literary Supplement (TLS)

    Sexual consent | TLS

    The Times Literary Supplement (TLS), 2020

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Review
    Cover of Crime Reads

    The Dark and Dreamy Noir of The Great Gatsby

    Crime Reads, 2019

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of The Rumpus

    A Peaceful, but Very Interesting Pursuit - The Rumpus

    The Rumpus, 2012

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Full Stop

    The Generic Life

    Full Stop, 2014

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Literary
    Cover of Los Angeles Review of Books

    How To Think More (But Not Better): Alain de Botton’s School of Life | Los Angeles Review of Books

    Los Angeles Review of Books, 2013

    Nonfiction
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of Los Angeles Review of Books

    Cogito Ergo Boom: Susan Sontag’s Journals | Los Angeles Review of Books

    Los Angeles Review of Books, 2012

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of The Believer

    Critical Intimacy

    The Believer, 2006

    Nonfiction
    Essay
    Cultural Criticism
    Cover of The Believer

    "An Original Adventure"

    The Believer, 2008

    Nonfiction
    Long Read
    Literary
    Cover of null

    "We Are All Modern: Exploring the Vagaries of Consciousness in 20th & 21st Century Biography and Life Writing

    2022

    Nonfiction
    Long Read
    Literary
    Cover of null

    The Unrest | LIGEIA Magazine

    2021

    Nonfiction
    Long Read
    Literary