- It’s Stephen Graham Jones Week at the LBC. Look for copious discussion, prolific guest posts from the author and a podcast interview conducted by the divine Ms. Kellogg.
- Speaking of which, Pinky’s Paperhaus uncovers this remarkable blog, which tells of an MFA student who suffered a stroke in her early thirties and had to drop out. The blog is a fascinating portrayal of someone trying to read and write (in short, operate in this grand realm of literature that many of us take for granted) with short-term memory problems, among other things. Also from Carolyn: this call for entries for Hot Metal Bridge.
- The San Francisco Chronicle gets to the AMS news almost a month after everybody else has mulled over it. There isn’t much in the way of new information, but there are quotes from McSweeney’s Eli Horowitz, among other people. (And, no, Ms. DeBare, while you were taking a nap, there were more than rumors circulating through the blogs. Wake up and smell the media convergence.)
- Leave it to Jack Shafer to serve up a contrarian eulogy for Ryszard Kapuściński. (via The Millions)
- Design Notes for the Richard Ford “Existence Period” Roller Coaster in Haddam, New Jersey. (via Tod Goldberg)
- Jeff VanderMeer has just announced another new project. By my count, that makes 43 books published in 2007 which will carry the “Jeff VanderMeer” sobriquet.
- M. John Harrison on worldbuilding: “Worldbuilding is dull. Worldbuilding literalises the urge to invent. Worldbuilding gives an unneccessary permission for acts of writing (indeed, for acts of reading). Worldbuilding numbs the reader’s ability to fulfil their part of the bargain, because it believes that it has to do everything around here if anything is going to get done.”
- Is Wonder Woman the most boring comic book character?
- Filmmakers take note: Jonathan Lethem has initiated The Promiscuous Materials Project. (via East Coast Ed)
- Elizabeth Crane reveals the truth about Eric Schaeffer.
- Maxine has some sad news for A Clockwork Orange fans.
- David Meghan talks with Charity Girl author Michael Lowenthal.
- Norma Khouri: victim? Next thing you know, someone will be making the case for James Frey.
- The Florida Times-Union is convinced that high-school authors are getting a taste of the literary life. But until these kids do their damnedest to shop for cheap groceries, attempt to persuade their supers that the rent is coming (really!) in a few days, and spend countless hours of their writing time trying to track down a promised royalty check from a deadbeat publisher, I don’t think it can be declared that they are “getting a taste.”
- Spring books from the Philly Inquirer.
- Tetris vandalism. (via Alan DeNiro)
- I don’t understand why the New York Times is astonished to learn that black people listen to indie rock. I don’t see a feature article devoted to all the Caucasians who’ve listened to Jedi Mind Tricks and Blade Icewood. Should one’s race dictate one’s cultural tastes? I guess we’ll all have to register with the appropriate government body before we do something dangerous, like consider a work of art without factoring in the artist’s race or ethnicity.
- I’m not sure if Daniel Green is familiar with Smoke, the fighter in Mortal Kombat who was fond of ripping hearts out of his opponents. But this post on Malcolm Jones suggests some familiarity with the phrase “Finish him!”
- I don’t know if this violates any conditions of confidentiality, but Mary Ann Gwinn spills the beans on the NBCC Awards process.
- When in doubt, Ms. Miller, throw caution to the wind and go. It’s nice to have one’s preconceived notions challenged and even changed.
- Auden’s literary executor Edward Mendelson is profiled at Bookforum. (via Jenny D, who shares my desire to visit Iceland one day)
- For the love of architecture, identify this man!
- RIP Wolfgang Iser. Now that Iser has passed on, please respond to his death in 2,000 words, adopting a uniformist cadence.
- The Battlestar Galactica gag reel. (via Fimoculous)
- Girl Scout cookies are now free of transfats. Alas, if only they could have spent all this time improving the cookie flavor and texture.
- In this week’s New Yorker: a new story from DFW.
© 2007, Edward Champion. All rights reserved.
Thanks for the link. Of course some clever person in my comments has said I (or the Times rather) got the wrong estate… but no further details as to why he thinks he’s right and the Times wrong.