Posts by author
Lyz Lenz
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Just Do the Hard Things
Sara Benincasa has some inspiring words over at Medium: You must tell people exactly what you want from them if you have any hope that they will give it to you. I asked people to review my book (well, my publisher…
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Weekly Geekery
We have the technology, so where is the free time? Writing a better future. Women, the Internet and games. More corrosive than bleach, ammonia and your bathtub. The Internet goes back to the future. Keep your pants on, computers are…
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Slouching Toward Didion
The Daily Beast takes a look at the history of the female essayist from Didion to Dunham: From cultural critic Susan Sontag and journalist-turned-screenwriter-turned-novelist (and Dunham’s mentor) Nora Ephron, and on through to the host of talented female essayists writing today,…
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The Ageless Problem of Agents
The Paris Review blog discovers that in publishing the “sky is always falling.” Every year is an abysmal year for books and a terrific year for books. Editors no longer edit, except when they do; publishers care only for their…
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The Worst Person in the World
Simon Rich talks about humor, writing, and writing humor: I always find something to write about. I mean, you always have some emotion inside of yourself. Sometimes the only emotion you feel is shame or disgust or embarrassment or whatever—it’s…
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Hunger is the Beginning
Desire is transformative, and transgressive: whether it’s an unpeeled onion or a noble lover, to want something, especially for women, can never be entirely benign. A common consequence for careless appetite in fairy tales is monstrous birth– a child that…
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Weekly Geekery
The Internet hates women. Emily Gould’s e-book start up. The rich and powerful find revenge. What’s worse: Your thoughts or getting shocked? Twitter is still better for conversations than dinner with your family.
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A Golden Age for Women Essayist?
On the New York Times, Cheryl Strayed and Benjamin Moser discuss whether this is a golden age for the female essayist. Probably because I’m of the opinion that as long as we still have reason to wedge “women” as a…
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Getting a Bootleg Up
The idea of avoiding a hangover was noble and practical and, as an avid drinker, held my interest. He pointed to a passel of jars in the corner. “Now, see those over there, they’re not filtered yet and need another…
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Sound and the Fury 2.0
Is Lila inspired by The Idiot and The Sounds and The Fury? I’m not sure whether Lila is a stand-in for Christ, but it is clear to me that Robinson has written a character, a new kind of idiot, who…
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Weekly Geekery
Are video games the new social commentary? Are we ready to give them the weight of other media? The Internet is fomenting another revolution. Librarians: bespectacled superheroes for your rights. Growing a library. A book written pre-Internet, sheds light on…
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Satan is Everywhere
Watch yourself. The intrepid investigators at Melville House discovered secret Satanic messages in John Darnielle’s Wolf in White Van: It may seem farfetched to imagine a book which actually uses backmasked Satanist messages as a plot point would have the…