Here are a few things I’ve been reading lately:

• Catherynne Valente on the reasons for the prevalence of medievalesque settings in fantasy. Her argument is that the medieval world may have more metaphorical relevance for our society than we might, at first glance, suspect.

• A professional photographer argues that “Choices Are Your Job as an Artist.”

• Two articles on food from Lapham’s Quarterly: Why we have food safety laws, and why, despite Michael Pollan’s best efforts, not all of us are nostalgic for unprocessed food and home cooking.