Old Astronauts
A poem by Tim Nolan, illustrated and animated by Emma Burghardt, and read by the author. "Old Astronauts" is one of about a dozen animated poems produced by Minneapolis-based Motionpoems.
A curated selection of videos, including book trailers, brief interviews, and other literary curiosities updated daily.
Daisy's Lullaby
Notre Dame student Will Thwaites performs "Daisy's Lullaby," a song he wrote about the character Daisy Buchanan in F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic American novel The Great Gatsby.
Pasture Poet Eric Borden
Missouri farmer Eric Borden talks about what inspires him to write poetry on the occasion of his releasing a CD of his poems.
Great House by Nicole Krauss
Novelist Nicole Krauss recently appeard on the PBS NewsHour to discuss the inspiration for her third book, Great House, which was published by Norton last month. The novel, about a stolen writing desk, was recently named a finalist for the National Book Award.
Spalding Gray
The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin recently acquired the archives of Spalding Gray, the author, actor, and monologuist who died in 2004. Among the materials in the collection are notebooks and diaries Gray used while writing his performance pieces, including “Swimming to Cambodia,” the first few minutes of which is seen here.
Brian Dettmer's Altered Books
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.
SoulPancake
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.
One Tough Mother
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.
Mr. Pleasant
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.
W. S. Merwin on Being Poet Laureate
The poet laureate recently discussed his new position on the PBS NewsHour. "It's a more public position and role and so forth than I normally would like," says Merwin, whose most recent book, The Shadow of Syrius, won the Pulitzer Prize.