Defying Gravity: Ryka Aoki’s Light from Uncommon Stars
This book is disarmingly—in fact, unnervingly—amoral.
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Posts Tagged: Neil Gaiman
Notable Twin Cities: 2/10–2/16
Literary events in and around the Twin Cities this week!
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Sound & Vision: Michael Hearst
Allyson McCabe talks with Michael Hearst, a founding member of One Ring Zero, about how he got his start in music and writing, and what he’s been working on recently.
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What to Read When You Want Your Kids to Grow Up to Be Good
A list of picture books to create meaningful conversations with kids about the way America is now and the ways we hope to make it better.
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Faith, Gods, and Gay Sex: A Conversation with Matthew Gallaway
Matthew Gallaway discusses his second novel, #gods, moving from a big publishing house to an indie press, and why it was important to him to depict gay sex in writing.
...moreNotable Twin Cities: 2/5–2/11
Monday 2/5: Button Poetry Live convenes at Camp Bar again for a night of electric spoken word. Hosted by Neil Hilborn featuring poet Omar Holmon, this event includes a free, pre-show workshop next door at Keys Cafe & Bakery at 6 p.m. Show starts at 7:30. Reserve tickets online (free or donation). Tuesday 2/6: Don’t […]
...moreBeyond the Surface
At the Guardian, Alison Flood wonders whether or not genre writing, particularly romance writing, is primarily “rubbish.” In her investigation, she points out how assumptions are often made about the “surface” elements of genre works and cites literary novels that have used the conventions of genre while maintaining their literariness.
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The Rumpus Review of The Revenant
On its surface, The Revenant is a story about revenge and survival. On a deeper level, it’s about how those two motivations factor into a generational battle between the (God-like) forces of nature and industry—a sort of perverted Armageddon.
...moreNeil Gaiman Versus China
The Guardian reports that Neil Gaiman has added his name to a letter urging China’s president Xi Jinping to release dissident writers “languishing in jail for the crime of expressing their opinions.” In addition to Gaiman, several other famed authors, including Jonathan Franzen and Jennifer Eagan, have contributed to the effort, calling for “immediate steps to defend and protect […]
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The Rumpus Interview with Benjamin Percy
Benjamin Percy discusses his latest novel, The Dead Lands, why it’s all about keeping language fresh, and his dream job writing for DC Comics.
...moreWe Shall Not Ban Comics in English Class!
Recently, Tara Shultz, a college student at Crafton Hills College, expressed her shock and disgust at the “pornographic and violent” content in the selection of graphic novels (Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi) used in her English class and called upon the university to excise the texts from the curriculum. Thankfully, it seems like […]
...moreThe Fantasy of Genre
Kazuo Ishiguro and Neil Gaiman discuss genre and its role in the evolution of stories. The interview is part of a special Gaiman and Amanda Palmer collaboration issue at the New Statesman.
...moreControversial Comics
Cartoonists tend to stick together because they have to; . . . their work is disproportionately singled out for suppression both abroad and in the U.S., while at the same time often regarded as not “serious” enough to deserve a full-throttle defense. Neil Gaiman, Art Spiegelman, and Alison Bechdel talk with Salon about why they […]
...moreTrigger Warning
Neil Gaiman talks with The Daily Beast about his new story collection, Trigger Warning, why he chose the controversial title, and why he’s become obsessed with the conversation around trigger warnings: It seemed to me that so much of it was about content, about where do we stand on fiction and stories that upset you […]
...moreThis Week in Short Fiction
It’s only February, but 2015 is already proving to be a treasure trove of big happenings in the world of short stories. Take this past Tuesday, when Kelly Link, Charles Baxter, and Neil Gaiman all released new collections, undoubtedly making the world a few orders of magnitude weirder, smarter, and spookier. With Link’s Get in Trouble, […]
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The Last Book I Loved: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
I couldn’t wait to read it, but I was also infinitely patient. It’s that delayed gratification thing. I’m a sucker for it, and there are books that are worth the wait.
...moreA Girl’s Guide to Activism
A seven-year-old in California scored a big win for the little guy (or, in this case, the little girl) by convincing Abdo Publishing to stop marketing their Biggest, Baddest Book of Bugs exclusively to boys. Young reader Parker Dains took umbrage with the title, and the other titles in the same series, writing: You should […]
...moreTart, Mitchell, and Gaiman to the Rescue
After years of financial struggle, Barnes & Noble’s enlists renowned authors like Donna Tart, David Mitchell and Neil Gaiman to help compete with Amazon this holiday season. While Tart and Mitchell will contribute thousands of signed books to helps bolster sales, Gaiman has planned appearances at several of the chain’s bookstores.
...moreGhost Stories with Neil Gaiman
Vulture spent time with Neil Gaiman perusing the special collections of the New York Public Library, which includes early drafts of Frankenstein, engravings from William Blake, and Jack Kerouac’s blood stains.
...moreThis Week in Short Fiction
It’s that time of year where we’re all craving a good scary story, be it told by candle light, on a screen, or in a book. Neil Gaiman’s middle-reader graphic novel Hansel and Gretel came out on Tuesday of this week, and he recently spoke to TOON Books editor Françoise Mouly and Art Speigelman about […]
...moreFrankenstein’s Legacy
For the Guardian, Neil Gaiman discusses the import of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, suggesting that the book arrived and redefined gothic fiction at a culturally apt moment: Ideas happen when the time is right for them. The ground had been prepared. Gothic fiction had been all the rage for some time: dark, driven men had wandered the corridors of their ancestral […]
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The Last Book I Loved: Krabat
1982 was a shitty year. I was 9 years old and in the 4th grade in Appleton, Wisconsin. My parents were going through a nasty divorce, the kind of thing you see on Jerry Springer.
...moreAmazon vs. Authors: A Rumpus Roundup
More than 900 authors signed a full-page New York Times advertisement scolding Amazon for drawing them into their continuing fight with publisher Hachette. The ad has drawn the ire of self-published authors who see traditional publishing houses as gatekeepers protecting an elite few. In the most meta coverage of the fracas, the New York Times […]
...moreA Reading with Music and Pictures
In an interview with the New York Times, Neil Gaiman discusses his upcoming reading at Carnegie Hall where he will read from his novella, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains. What’s so special about the reading? It will be accompanied by music from the FourPlay string quartet, as well as projected illustrations. Of […]
...moreThe Life Behind the Stories
Step inside Neil Gaiman’s surreal artistic world with Hayley Campbell’s recently released book examining his personal archives. Drawings, notes, and letters in The Art of Neil Gaiman give cult fans and curious newcomers an intimate insight into the fantasy novelist’s creative process. It may not be possible to ever fully understand what goes on in […]
...moreOur Future Depends On Reading!
“Well-meaning adults can easily destroy a child’s love of reading: stop them reading what they enjoy, or give them worthy-but-dull books that you like, the 21st-century equivalents of Victorian “improving” literature. You’ll wind up with a generation convinced that reading is uncool and worse, unpleasant.” Neil Gaiman offers strong words at The Guardian on why […]
...moreNeil Gaiman Reads From Latest Novel
Listen to Neil Gaiman read from his latest novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane (his first book meant for adult readers that he’s written in eight years). He also answers audience questions about this book and others, to very enthusiastic response. It’s an hour long, but definitely worth a listen if you’re a […]
...moreNeil Gaiman Publishes The Ocean at the End of the Lane
According to The Independent, Neil Gaiman’s new novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane, released yesterday, is “possibly Gaiman’s most lyrical, scary and beautiful work yet. It’s a tale about childhood for grown-ups, a fantasy rooted in the darkest corners of reality.” Although Gaiman is known for children’s books such as Coraline and […]
...moreNeil Gaiman Prepares for Six-Month “Sabbatical” from Social Media
Don’t be alarmed come January 2014 when Neil Gaiman suddenly stops updating his blog, Twitter, and Facebook page. Gaiman simply needs a vacation from the pervasive and demanding nature of social media so he can focus on other projects. Yes, he is aware his 500,000 Facebook friends, and 1.5 million blog readers, and 1.8 million […]
...moreSnow Angels
Flavorwire has a collection of photos of authors frolicking in frozen weather. Neil Gaiman’s dog has a weird leash, while Hemingway looks just jaunty as hell.
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