Archive for July, 2006

graham greene on the importance of superficiality

Wednesday, July 26th, 2006

“So much in writing depends on the superficiality of one’s days. One may be preoccupied with shopping and income tax returns and chance conversations, but the stream of the unconscious continues to flow undisturbed, solving problems, planning ahead: one sits down sterile and dispirited at the desk, and suddenly the words come as though from [...]

selection: the memoirist’s dilemma

Tuesday, July 25th, 2006

“…a detective must find it as important as a novelist to amass his trivial material before picking out the right clue. But how difficult that picking out is–the release of the real subject…Now that I come to write my own story the problem is still the same, but worse–there are so many more facts, now [...]

Literary Soundtracks

Monday, July 24th, 2006

Lauren Barnholdt, author of Reality Chick, stops by with her literary soundtrack.
1) the soundtrack to your latest book (what did you listen to while you were writing it?)
Oooh, I listened to all kinds of stuff while writing REALITY CHICK. A lot of Gavin Degraw, Lifehouse, and Matchbox Twenty. Also a lot of pop [...]

Teaching After the MFA - How to Get Your Foot in the Door of Academia

Friday, July 21st, 2006

One of my former MFA students just emailed me with a burning question that’s on the mind of many MFA graduates:
I was wondering if you could give me a bit of advice about the teaching world, like how you went about getting your first job. Did you start out with college or did you work [...]

ward 6 goes online

Thursday, July 20th, 2006

There’s a new litzine on the cyberblock, Ward6 Review, edited by Les Kay. The mag is now seeking submissions of fiction (2,000 words & under) and poetry, as well as memoir and reviews. Kay’s tastes are exacting but he’s eager to work with new talent, so don’t be shy–if you have something swell, send it [...]

get your vinyl on

Tuesday, July 18th, 2006

Check out Erika Meitner’s new poem, Vinyl-Sided Epiphany, in Slate. Sample line:
“The bullets we thought were firecrackers
turned out to be bullets…”

John Updike on Bat Segundo

Monday, July 17th, 2006

Ed Champion has a really interesting interview with John Updike up on the fiftieth installment of the Bat Segundo Show. Updike talks at length about his new book, Terrorist, as well as about his politics (and aversion to politics), from Vietnam to the present day.

our orwellian world

Saturday, July 15th, 2006

This excerpt from Emma Larkin’s Finding George Orwell in Burma seemed particularly appropos today:
The world of Nineteen Eighty-Four is divided into three powerful superstates…These three states are permanently at war with each other, fighting in the murky frontier areas between their territories…the war serves no purpose other than to boost nationalism and support for each [...]

Michelle Tea at the Commonwealth Club

Thursday, July 13th, 2006

Michelle Tea says: People! I, Michelle Tea, will be interviewed by the accomplished and fashionable poet, writer and arts advocate Jewelle Gomez, on Tuesday, July 18th, at the Commonwealth Club. If you were looking for a sort of fancy event where you slurp wine and nibble cheese while wearing your cutest shoes, this is maybe [...]

Joshilyn Jackson’s Literary Soundtrack

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006

Joshilyn Jackson, author of Gods in Alabama and, most recently, Between, Georgia, her second #1 Booksense Pick, stops by with her literary soundtrack. The novel received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus. If you want to get a taste of Joshilyn’s winning voice, check out her blog, Faster than Kudzu.
1) the soundtrack to your [...]

Booknotes, Litlife, & Writing Prompts from bestselling author Michelle Richmond