The SimplyE Collection: Contemporary Digital Gems Available to All (Even Without a Library Card)

By Emily Pullen, Manager, Reader Services and Engagement
March 18, 2020
SimplyE Logo

As many folks are discovering the Library's e-book collections (and the holds queues are getting longer), we'd like to share some resources with you that are always available. In our SimplyE app (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play), in addition to the Library collection that you can check out books from, there is also the SimplyE Collection. It is a selection of classics and modern material available to anyone, with no library card necessary

SimplyE library app selection page

We can hear you saying "Ugh, I don't really like old stuff, classics are so boring!" We beg to differ, but more on that in a different post. In addition to public domain classics, the SimplyE Collection also has contemporary short stories and essays from journals and magazines. Here are some you can search for—simply type the name of the publication in the search bar to narrow things down. 

SimplyE search screen

Electric Literature: Recommended Reading—Short Stories and Novel Excerpts from dynamic contemporary voices including Patrick DeWitt, Ben Marcus, Grace Paley, Phil Klay, Helen Phillips, Lydia Millet, Etgar Keret, Kevin Barry, Mary Gaitskill, David Foster Wallace, Karen Russell, Deborah Eisenberg, Maggie Shipstead, J. Robert Lennon, and Amelia Gray.

The Atavist Magazinelongform narrative journalism examining both historical and contemporary stories, good for folks who like true crime podcasts or Radiolab. 

Tor.com—science fiction, fantasy, and the universe, including pieces by NK Jemisin, Charlie Jane Anders, Daniel Jose Older, John Scalzi, Alyssa Wong, and Leigh Bardugo. 

A Public Spacean arts, culture, and literary magazine which includes works by Jamel Brinkley, Kate Walbert, Samantha Hunt, and Leslie Jamison.

Words Without Borders—a publication of contemporary international literature, mostly in translation, from dozens of countries and including several Nobel Prize winners. 

Nouvella—an independent publisher dedicated to publishing novella-length fiction. 

Avoid the holds queue by checking out the SimplyE Collection!