This week on the bookish internet

• It’s strange to think of poetry as a party favor, but Benjamin Aleshire was once hired to write on-the-spot poetry at a tech convention. It goes about as well as one would think. (LitHub)
• Gwendolyn Smith asks why children’s books have such a powerful hold on us, even years later. (The Guardian)
• Bob Blaisdell writes in praise of Constance Garnett, who introduced the English-speaking world to Russian literature. (LA Review of Books Blog)
• Jessica Plummer tracks the astonishing (and troubling) rise of Harley Quinn. (Book Riot)
• Connor Harrison faces the reality of paring down his book collection in preparation for a transatlantic move. What books are essential? (LitHub)
• Matthew Taub writes about Thomas Morton, Puritan-annoyer and author of the first book banned on this side of the Atlantic. (Atlas Obscura)