Posts by author
Sam Riley
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Remembering Jorge Luis Borges
Today would have been the 112th birthday of Jorge Luis Borges, the esteemed Argentine writer who championed the science fiction genre with his depictions of unreality. This is an archived Paris Review interview he did back in July of 1966…
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Struggling Bay Area Papers
Bay Area News Group is feeling the financial burden that is maintaining viable newspapers in this digital age. Thus, BANG is calling for some major restructuring, namely consolidating their eleven local newspapers into two regional ones and laying off 8%…
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Is That Review For Real?
Amazon.com’s got a new scandal on its hands involving sketchy sale-boosting—buying positive customer reviews. And this is no website-specific phenomenon. Yelp, Citysearch, TripAdvisor are guilty of hosting the fake review as well. Price tags and 5-stars are increasingly associated, undermining…
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An East Coast Earthquake?!
The East Coast just experienced an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude, which is mild in geological terms but shocking otherwise. All of us here living too far to experience the effects of the earthquake hope all you east coasters are safe…
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Tao Lin/ Ben Lerner Conversation on Poetry/A Novel About Poetry
Tao Lin interviews the poet and novelist, Ben Lerner for the Believer. After three poetry collections, Lerner just published a novel, Leaving Atocha Station (Muumuu House excerpts it here). It turns out his poetical prowess is just one of Lerner’s…
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Chatting Through the Ages
This n+1 piece tracks the history of conversation, in different mediums. The vastly diverging worlds of talking vs. conversation vs. chatting online have all experienced their own evolution. Even just focusing on chat itself reveals a trajectory perpetually informed by…
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The Importance of Libyan Fiction
With the political turmoil going down in Libya, and with a history of artistic oppression, specifically the writers that were unjustly imprisoned under Gadhafi’s rule, it should be asked: what’s happening to writers in Libya right now? Hisham Matar, author…
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Music Video Appreciation
There are many ways to appreciate the work of David Foster Wallace. Michael Schur, the man who co-created the tv show, “Parks and Rec,” is reproducing a scene from Infinite Jest in music-video form. Schur’s directorial debut is the coexistence…
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Maud Newton on a DFW-Inspired Trend
Maud Newton’s NY Times essay, “Another Thing to Sort of Pin on David Foster Wallace,” discusses yet another DFW-inspired trend–that is his “slangy approachability.” He defined a writing style that has permeated through the blogosphere. His ability to combine legal…
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The Rumpus in LA: “It’s About Time”
The Rumpus Proudly Presents: “It’s About Time” A Los Angeles Rumpus Event! Saturday September 10th, The Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026, Doors Open 4 pm, show starts 4:30! Featuring Brilliant Authors: Joshuah Bearman, Gabrielle Calvocoressi Music By:…
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All of Us, Anchored in Place
“…isn’t it strange, I mean, this thing about being a human being breathing and thinking and sensing and dwelling always, always, in a place?” This essay in the Millions is all about place and home—how all aspects of living occurs…