Notable Articles
November 1, 2010
The Soul-Sucking Suckiness of B.R. Myers 59
by Garth Risk Hallberg
And so he whirled mirthlessly on, flourishing the word “prose” like a magic wand, working pale variations on his “Reader’s Manifesto.” Take that, Toni Morrison! In your face, Jonathan Franzen!
October 29, 2010
What We Teach When We Teach Writers: On the Quantifiable and the Uncertain 21
by Sonya Chung
“I think the single most defining characteristic of a writer” – I found myself saying to a friend the other day, when she asked my thoughts on the teaching of writing – “I mean the difference between a writer and someone who ‘wants to be a writer,’ is a high tolerance for uncertainty.”
October 27, 2010
The Sorry State of the Rejection Letter 40
by Bill Morris
Sad but true, the rejection letter, like so many things in book publishing, is a shadow of what it used to be.
October 11, 2010
Gratuitous: How Sexism Threatens to Undermine the Internet 11
by Patrick Brown
I like following Lisa’s blog because, for whatever reason, her narrative is compelling. Following it is somewhat akin to watching a reality TV show (Not one of the ones where they try to out-dance each other or diet for money, but one that just follows someone’s daily life). She’s my Jersey Shore.
September 10, 2010
Stieg Larsson: Swedish Narcissus 97
by Janet Potter
In any other book, I would see these tactics as pandering to the baser instincts of the reading public. But in this book, in which Mikael is so obviously a stand-in for Stieg, it’s just tacky. Especially since this Stieg/Mikael amalgamation has also appointed himself head of the Respecting Women Committee.
September 8, 2010
Is Big Back? 21
by Garth Risk Hallberg
A mini-boom in big books would seem to complicate our assumptions about the Incredible Shrinking Attention Span.
