The latest issue of Mr. Esposito’s Quarterly Conversation is now up. There are essays from Daniel Green, Dan Wickett, Dave Munger and Derik Badman.

Judges and brackets have been announced for The Morning News Tournament of Books. There are rumors going around that judge Dale Peck will take an axe to all the losers. But on the bright side, to demonstrate that he has a warm side, he will call the winner “the best writer of his generation.”

RotR-endorsed Ian Rankin is hosting a BBC4 series in which crime fiction writers talk about the music that influences and inspires them. (via Sarah)

Several readers have alerted me to Dave Itzkoff’s science fiction column. For regular Tanenhaus watchers, Mr. Itzkoff’s uninformed stance on science fiction isn’t much of a surprise. I’ll have more to say after the weekend, but thankfully, Matt Cheney, Nick Matmas and Lucius Sorrentino are on the case.