Posts by author

Sam Riley

  • Rombes on IMDB

    Let’s all take a minute to appreciate Nick Rombes and his attention-to-detail dedication to experimental film writing. IMDB gave his latest essay, “10/40/70 #37: Marnie” a much-deserved shout-out. If you haven’t gotten a chance to experience the Rombes screen shot…

  • Cormac McCarthy’s Lunch

    In the spirit of taking on literary identities under the guise of an internet profile (like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s famed twitter), there’s another way to take on the writerly stylings of beloved authors. “Yelping With Cormac” is the blog for…

  • The Commercialization of Literature

    Jack Kerouac’s literary imprint has made its way into some surprising mediums–a t-shirt sold at Urban Outfitters, a lyric of a Katy Perry single. Though the commercialization of literature isn’t exactly breaking news, it is interesting to track the ways…

  • Out With the Old, In With the New

    We always hear about new words being added to the dictionary—things like acronyms are being rewarded with official word legitimacy. So, we’ve learned that the dictionary can stay modern, but what about those antiquated words that have been lost from…

  • “Nerd”

    The etymology of the term “nerd” involves a lot of abbreviation, according to English actor, comedian and writer Simon Pegg. However, there’s a lack of fact-checking and historical verification there. American slang adopted the word over fifty years ago, but…

  • An Interview with Alex Shakar

    Last month’s Rumpus Book Club selection, Luminarium is blowing up all over the interweb. The Bat Segundo (a “cultural podcast”) interviews Alex Shakar. You can hear it or read an excerpt from the interview here. Shakar discusses his perspective on…

  • The Latest in Superhero Stories

    Michael Chabon knows how to turn a phrase. Complex language is part of what makes his work so idiosyncratically his and his veteran wordsmith tendencies are widely applicable and translatable over different mediums (he’s co-writing an HBO series with his…

  • Bookforum Love

    Bookforum’s daily roundup of internet gems shone their literary spotlight on our poetry editor Brian Spears whose piece “The Death and Resurrection of BlazeVOX,” we recently published. We wanted to reciprocate the love. So, here it is. We love you…

  • The Importance of Bulgarian Fiction

    Bulgarian fiction is making waves. Miroslav Penkov moved to the US for college, whereupon he became further interested in illuminating the stories of his country, which was the impetus for writing East of the West. Stories of the homeland are…

  • On Demand Books

    Politics and Prose in D.C. is exemplifying the latest in indie bookstore innovation—they’re introducing the printed-on-demand book. Apparently it takes six minutes to turn over a print book, and customers can watch it happen. And it’s all made possible by…

  • Stumble Magazine Brings You Weekly Joy

    Stumble Magazine’s all about short fiction and photography. Their print publication is published twice a year, which could elicit sad feelings of waiting and prolonged expectancy if the following weren’t true: they’re publishing new content once a week! It’s another…