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Brian Dettmer, whose art has appeared in past issues of Poets & Writers Magazine, explains his process of altering used books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, and medical guides, to create intricate three-dimensional works that reveal new interpretations of the original books.
Simon & Schuster reports a rise in third quarter income; New England's largest indie bookstore goes up for sale; Scientific American still believes in the future of print books; the power of writers in the digital age; and other news.
Lil Wayne's record label launches a book publishing imprint; Toni Morrison joins France's Legion of Honor; Simon Armitage launches Poetry Parnassus; debating the value of National Novel Writing Month; and other news.
Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight Shrute on The Office, promotes his new book, Soulpancake (Hyperion). Written with Devon Gundry, Golriz Lucina, and Shabnam Mogharabi, the book aims to inspire readers to examine life's big questions and includes art and commentary by authors and artists.
Booker finalist wins major Canadian prize; Apple's iBookstore opens in Australia; there's an app for e-book autographs; rocker-poet Patti Smith stages "Kubla Khan."
A newly released two-DVD set, One Tough Mother, combines the films made of Charles Bukowski's last two readings—in Vancouver in 1979 and in Redondo Beach, California, in 1980. The author of more than sixty books, Bukowski died of leukemia on March 9, 1994.
Last week, we reported on a poetry chapbook contest that recently increased its prize, and this week, we're highlighting an award for a full-length poetry collection that's made a similar move.
Spire Press, founded in New York City in 2002, has recently bumped its annual book prize to one thousand dollars. The winner will also see their collection published by Spire and receive twenty author copies.
Spire counts among its authors Maureen Alsop, Matthew Hittinger, Jennifer MacPherson, Alice Pettway, and Elizabeth Rees, a winner of the aforementioned Codhill Press chapbook contest (she also won Spire's chapbook award in 2007). Last year's book prize winner was Christina Olson for Before I Came Home Naked, which received praise from poets such as Paul Guest, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Katrina Vandenberg.
To submit to this year's contest, send a manuscript of forty-eight to eighty pages with an entry fee of twenty dollars (low-income writers may apply for a waiver) by December 20. Full guidelines are available on the Spire Web site.
Poet Jim Daniels wrote the screenplay for Mr. Pleasant, a film about one weekend in the life of Red, a student in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, in the early 1980s. The film will be shown on Friday, November 19, at the Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Watch the trailer.
Teens are still reading for pleasure; industry professionals debate ISBN numbers for e-books; Dave Eggers sketches the World Series; Zora Neale Hurston is cast as a young detective in a new novel; and other news.
Dzanc Books starts an eBook Club; Melbourne's secondhand bookstores; National Novel Writing Month kicks off today; protests at Arundhati Roy's home in Delhi; and other news.
