The Dog Stars
Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan (Knopf, 1993) offers what might be the perfect voice-over for Peter Heller's The Dog Stars, the story of a pilot living in a world filled with loss, published this month by Knopf.
Dwight Garner on the Role of a Critic, Fareed Zakaria Responds to Charges, and More
GalleyCat created a flow chart to illustrate Project Guttenberg's top free e-books; Dwight Garner weighs in on the role of a critic in the age of social media; Michele Filgate lists twelve books everyone should read before summer ends; and other news.
Museum Tour
Write a short story in which a museum is the setting for the central conflict. Consider the following questions: What kind of museum is it? Why are the characters there? Do any of the museum's objects trigger a turn in the story? Visit a local museum or peruse one's holdings online to find inspiration.
Helen DeWitt's "Recovery"
In this video for Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, Erin Smith animates and scores a sentence from "Recovery" by Helen DeWitt, set to music by Spookfish. Here's the sentence: "Um, okay, no, not purring like, obviously, producing a sound that is more reminiscent of steam engine FX than your typical purr."
Rick Bass Arrested, Silliman's Flood, and More
Author Rick Bass was arrested Monday with a group of anti-coal protestors for refusing to leave the Montana capitol building; a new law in Argentina offers a pension to aging authors; Verlyn Klinkenborg attempts to shine a light on the origin of sentences; and other news.
Noah & Dru's Novel
In the first episode of UCB Comedy's web series about two best friends trying to coauthor a novel, Noah and Dru agree upon some ground rules to make their weekly casual writer meetings more effective.
A Rose by Any Other Name
During the next week, take note of the various flora and fauna you encounter. Look through classification books or search online for the precise names for the animals, birds, and plants you’ve observed. Choose the most sonorous names and include two in your next poem.
Jeffrey Eugenides as Henry James in Vogue Magazine, Joan Didion Screenplay, and More
The Guardian lists the United Kingdom's one hundred bestselling books of all time; Joan Didion is slotted to pen a film script for director Todd Field; Vogue features Annie Leibovitz photographs with Jonathan Safran Foer, Jeffrey Eugenides, and Junot Díaz in period costume at Edith Wharton's estate; and other news.
The Voices of Fonts
A self-confessed "nerd about fonts" imagines what the voices of some of the most popular fonts would sound like.
Remembering David Rakoff, and More
Author David Rakoff has passed away at forty-seven; Forbes lists the top-earning authors; Charles Simic laments the lost art of writing postcards; and other news.
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