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Michael Bourne suggests it's time to dispense with the typical book review; the New York Times sits down with William Zinsser, author of the classic On Writing Well; January Gill O’Neil explains why we need poetry more than ever before; and other news.
Choose a favorite or compelling line from another writer's poem, and write your own line with same number of stressed syllables and same vowel sounds. Use this line as the start of a new poem.
What would a world without books look like? Written and codirected by Richard Dadd along with Dan Fryer, The Last Bookshop was shot in bookstores around London and Kent. "We love bookshops," the filmmakers write. "But we saw that many are going through tough times. We wanted to contribute to the cultural debate with our own celebration in support of these glorious independents and their shelves of treasures."
I write literary fiction and have completed four novels and one hundred pages of a memoir with a proposal. I’ve published extensively in literary journals and anthologies—stories excerpted from the novels, in addition to others—and several have won prizes. When I approach an agent about one manuscript, should I cite the breadth of completed work?
Certainly mention publications and prizes, but I wouldn’t mention the earlier works upon first approach. The fact that you have five unpublished projects could be daunting in the context of an initial pitch, and I’d assume most of them had already been shopped at some point if you didn’t say otherwise. Generally, I’d advise focusing on a lead project and on your bio. However, because you’re passionate about more than one form, I think it would be good to convey that you write both fiction and nonfiction. Some agents may only want one or the other, while others may be more interested in the fact you do both.
Last week, the first annual Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction was awarded to Don DeLillo, the author of sixteen novels, including White Noise (Viking, 1985), Libra (Viking, 1988), and Underworld (Scribner, 1997) and, most recently, the short story collection The Angel Esmeralda (Scribner, 2011).
DeLillo, 76, was nominated by a panel of prize-winning authors and literary critics, and will receive the award at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in September. Among a lifetime of literary accolades, DeLillo has twice been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize—for Mao II (Viking, 1991) and Underworld—received a National Book Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award for White Noise, and was a finalist for last year’s Story Prize. In addition to his full-length works, DeLillo has also penned a number of plays, screenplays, short stories, and essays.
“Like Dostoyevsky, Don DeLillo probes deeply into the sociopolitical and moral life of his country,” Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said in the April 25 announcement. “Over a long and important career, he has inspired his readers with the diversity of his themes and the virtuosity of his prose.”
In a statement, DeLillo—a first generation Italian American born and raised in the Bronx—said, “When I received news of this award, my first thoughts were of my mother and father, who came to this country the hard way, as young people confronting a new language and culture. In a significant sense, the Library of Congress Prize is the culmination of their efforts and a tribute to their memory.”
The new prize is inspired by the Creative Achievement Award for fiction, previously given by the Library to Herman Wouk in 2008, John Grisham in 2009, Isabel Allende in 2010, Toni Morrison in 2011, and Philip Roth in 2012. The Prize for American Fiction will, according to the announcement, be given annually "to honor an American writer whose body of work is distinguished not only for its mastery of the art but for its originality of thought and imagination. The award seeks to commend strong, unique, enduring voices that—throughout long, consistently accomplished careers—have told us something about the American experience.”
DeLillo, who often admits that his long career took some time to get started, is currently at work on a novel.
The New Yorker staff writer Hilton Als spoke with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Díaz about work and inspiration at an event earlier this month at the Strand Book Store in New York City.
A frequent contributor to Poets & Writers Magazine (check out his urgent essay in the current issue), Benjamin Percy has a new book coming out. A werewolf novel for the literary set, Red Moon is forthcoming in May from Grand Central Publishing. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
The state of Kentucky has appointed Frank X Walker its new poet laureate; after a brief hospitalization, poet Maya Angelou is resting at home; Ester Bloom refutes the claim that male readers don't read female authors; and other news.
Founded in 1935, Penguin Books revolutionized marketing and publishing by producing inexpensive softcovers with an instantly recognizable design. Richard from AbeBooks.com gives viewers a color-coded survey of the iconic series of books.
