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This short clip presenting the hardcover boxed edition set of Eli Horowitz's newest novel and multimedia project, The Pickle Index (Sudden Oak Books, 2015), demonstrates the ways in which artist Ian Huebert's illustrations from the two volumes match up when placed side by side. A collaboration with developer Russell Quinn, the story is also told through a paperback version, published by FSG Originals, and an interactive app.
Angela Flournoy reads from her debut novel, The Turner House (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015), and speaks about family, food, and her writing process for Well-Read Black Girl. Flournoy is one of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 for 2015.
"You seem to have me figured out to be the next reincarnation of Charles Manson." On December 15, 1971, Gore Vidal, Janet Flanner, and Norman Mailer appeared on the Dick Cavett Show. Mailer, having recently been panned by Vidal in a review, was in a less than pleasant mood. What ensued is considered by many to be the greatest—and funniest—literary feud ever caught on film.
Submissions are currently open for ScreenCraft’s 2015 short story contest. A prize of $1,000 and a consultation with an Academy Award–winning writer and a Hollywood literary manager will be given for a short story or novella with “special cinematic potential.” One second-place winner will receive $300 and a consultation with a literary manager, and ten finalists will receive publication on ScreenCraft’s website and will have their stories submitted to ScreenCraft’s network of literary magazines and publishing professionals.
Using the online submission system, submit an original short story or novella of up to twenty thousand words along with a $39 entry fee by December 5, or with a $49 entry fee between December 6 and the final deadline of December 19. For an additional $50, writers will receive professional feedback on their work. Writers over the age of eighteen, who have not earned more than $50,000 from professional writing services for film or television in the previous year, are eligible to apply. Multiple submissions are accepted. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
The judges are Emily Cooke, senior editor at Harper’s; Valerie Cates, executive story editor at Random House Films; Cheston Knapp, managing editor of Tin House; and Diana Ossana, Academy Award–winning screenwriter of Brokeback Mountain, which she adapted from a short story. Ossana notes that she is looking for “stories that resonate emotionally, in any direction. I’ll be looking for stories that move me, that are structurally sound, and that have compelling characters.”
Founded in 2012, ScreenCraft is an independent screenwriting consultancy “dedicated to helping screenwriters and filmmakers succeed.” ScreenCraft hosts regular live events in New York City and Los Angeles, a variety of annual screenplay and short story competitions, destination residencies, and an annual fellowship program.
Megan Kruse reads from her debut novel, Call Me Home (Hawthorne Books, 2015), for the Burnt Tongue reading series in Portland, Oregon. Kruse is one of the honorees for the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 for 2015.
In Fictitious Dishes: An Album of Literature's Most Memorable Meals (Harper Design, 2014), Dinah Fried’s photographs are inspired by passages from some of her favorite classic and contemporary works of literature. Create a reversal of Fried's project by imagining the fictitious life story behind a meal. Look through some photos of complete meal spreads from different time periods, countries, and types of establishments and choose a photograph that piques your storytelling instincts. Develop a unique character, setting, and situation inspired by the food, tableware, and mood in the photograph.
The newest film adaptation of William Faulkner's novel The Sound and the Fury, directed by James Franco, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2014 and is currently in limited release and on video on demand. Franco previously directed a film adaptation of As I Lay Dying, another of Faulkner's novels, which was released in 2013.
"A novel is a historic reenactment and a short story is a diorama." Elizabeth McCracken discusses the different challenges of writing a novel and a short story, and reads from her latest collection of short stories, Thunderstuck (Dial Press, 2014), at the 2014 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. McCracken will deliver the keynote on January 9 at Poets & Writers Live in Austin, Texas.
Ben Fountain reads from his novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (Ecco, 2012), winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, at the 2012 National Book Award finalists reading in New York City. Fountain will join the Why We Write panel on January 9 at Poets & Writers Live in Austin, Texas.
"We do what everyone says we can't. We write." Trumbo tells the story of legendary screenwriter and novelist Dalton Trumbo, played by Bryan Cranston, who was blacklisted by Hollywood in the 1940s after he was accused of being a Communist. The film is directed by Jay Roach with a screenplay by John McNamara.
