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Governor responds to hubbub over North Carolina poet laureate; hearing for imprisoned poet in Cameroon; Chin Music Press opens new store and exhibit space; and other news.
Charles Bukowski's poem "Roll the Dice" is the inspiration for this film by Willem Martinot. Read by Tom O'Bedlam and set to music by Tony Anderson, the poem serves as a reminder that if something is important to us, it is worth going all the way.
Hitchhiking can seem scary to those who have never done it before. But, as Jack Kerouac famously portrayed in On the Road, it is also a cheap and interesting way to get from one place to another if you don’t have a car. Have you ever hitched a ride, or do you know someone who has? Write about the experience. If you have never hitchhiked, write about your feelings on the subject—whether you’d ever try it, or why you’ve decided it’s something you would never do.
Women & Children First Bookstore sold; a robot writes poetry in a mall; Joely Richardson to play Emily Dickinson; and other news.
"Weird Al" Yankovic is "gonna familiarize you with the nomenclature" in his latest parody, set to the tune of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." Rules on pronouns, prepositions, contractions, and punctuation are thoroughly covered, along with the misuse of the word "literally."
We've all heard the advice "write what you know," which encourages us to write characters like ourselves or people who are close to us. This week, write from the perspective of a character that is your complete opposite. First, make a list of all the qualities you identify with yourself, and then make a list of qualities on the other end of the spectrum. For example, if you are a woman who lives in the country, write from the point of view of a man who lives in the city. Try to avoid using stereotypes to describe this character's actions or ideas, and instead try to embody this character—climb inside his or her head and live there a while.
A successful Chicago Independent Bookstore Day; the conflict over North Carolina’s new poet laureate; David Mitchell’s new story on Twitter; and other news.
The novelist, critic, and essayist shares why he thinks writers are "predatory in a benevolent way" and how he met his inspiration for Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade (Liveright, 2014), a memoir of his friendship with a con man and convicted murderer.
Nineteenth-century poet Walter Savage Landor's "On Love, on Grief" packs a punch in its brief simplicity: "On love, on grief, on every human thing, / Time sprinkles Lethe's water with his wing." Not only is the poem sonically beautiful, it also takes a cliché (time flies) and transforms it. As writers, we may occasionally stumble upon phrases or situations we want to write that are considered cliché. This week, take one of the clichés you often feel drawn to and try to refresh it.
