2011
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Questionable Ranking Systems for MFA Programs
Poets & Writers recently ranked the country’s MFA programs, and as rankings often do, it is being received with some hostility. Their hierarchy of MFA programs is based on the word of mouth of MFA applicants, rather than the US…
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Blindsight Review
Carolyn Kellogg of the LA Times reviews Chris Colin’s Blindsight which tells the story of film producer Simon Lewis, and his journey to recovery following a major car crash. Kellogg has great things to say (“Lewis’ story is sprawling and…
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The Latest in Amazon Ventures
Amazon is introducing a new service that presents a noncommittal book-buying option for customers. The company is considering a Netflix-like rental service for ebooks, which unfortunately, only provides more opportunity to devalue books. And this devaluing has only caused publishers…
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A Tall Tale Too True
Set in the 1840s Midwest, Kris Saknussemm’s second novel, Enigmatic Pilot, delivers unexpected characters in a surreal interpretation of American history.
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Dan Weiss’s Morning Coffee
On the political history of orange carrots. Yep. Good news New York: the New York State Pavilion will (probably) be saved. Jellyfish cats and the future of AIDS research. Medically diagnosing classic paintings is a thing people do sometimes.
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Swinging Modern Sounds #31: Reunion Fever
Like other people who once had a childhood, I sometimes give in to fits of longing for the music I cared most about when young. In particular, I give in to reunion fever.
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Genre Writing Shifts in the Industry
The Millions has an interesting essay on why literary authors are transitioning into the world of genre-writing. Whether the cause be jumping on the most marketable bandwagon, or pressure from agents, publisher nudging or a style-change by the author, there…
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1Q84 Book Trailer
Haruki Murakami’s book trailer for his forthcoming 1Q84 is intergalactic. See below:
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Notable San Francisco, This Week: 9/12-9/18
This week in San Francisco! Monday 9/12: Join us and our friends at the Believer Magazine for Let’s Talk About us, September’s Monthly Rumpus-tonight at the Make-Out Room, 7PM $10. Featuring brilliant authors Michelle Tea, Susan Straight, Jesus Angel Garcia, David…
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The Post-Mubarak Literary Scene
What is the state of Egyptian literature after the revolution? Under the dictatorial reign of Mubarak, the literary scene was stifled, plagued with heavy censorship, primarily existing in “pockets of activity”—one of which being the avant-garde publisher Merit, founded by…
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Canteen Magazine’s Hot Authors Project
Writers are reclaiming their rightful hotness with Canteen Magazine’s new project, Hot Authors—because we are all immune to the deluge of celebrity sex symbols. Thus, this is hotness at its most literary. They’ve gone through sixteen authors, all paired with…