Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for Writers, May 18, 2012 Edition

► The New Yorker's new blog, Page-Turner, offers "Criticism, contention, and conversation about books that matter."

► My morning walking buddy let me know that Anne Lamott was recently on Studio 360. You now have my permission to leave my blog and possibly never return...

► At the Knopf Doubleday YouTube page, the Writers on Writing series features 30-second insights from 28 authors, including Cheryl Strayed, Alexander McCall Smith, Isabel Wilkerson, Chris Bohjalian, and others. (via GalleyCat)

►In preparing for a mini-workshop last night, in which I would be talking about the segmented essay, I stumbled on "This is What the Spaces Say," from Robert Root.

►A many-times published novelist (who's been a midlist and a NYT best-selling author) shares some financial facts of the writing life.

► Finally, rethinking your writing space? For inspiration, check out this post at Metre Maids, where "Some ladies and this guy blog about poetry."

Have a great weekend!

Friday Fridge Clean-Out: March 12th Edition

► Interesting reaction over on The Rumpus to David Shields’s new book Reality Hunger: A Manifesto, which asserts, among other ideas, that the lyric essay and memoir will be the prevailing literary forms, since – yawn (this again?) – the novel is dead and narrative is nothing special.

►Over at First Line Fiction, novelist Lori Ann Bloomfield mixes in frequent posts to spur stalled writers: prompts, exercises, and suggested first lines to use as story starters.

► Ever wonder what goes on inside a “content mill”? Here's an in-depth description of the editorial work flow at Demand Media. Read it and weep.

►The first Book Blogger Convention (to be held May 28 in NYC) has a list on their site of all attendees with links back to all of their blogs. Mighty useful to have on hand if you’ve got a book to promote and are thinking of a DIY book blog tour.

►What do those numbers and letters on an ISBN mean anyway?

►Mediashift takes a look at some of the less talked-about routes to, and outcomes from, self-publishing.

►Massachusetts writers may want to check out the very affordable Writer’s Day at Bay Path College, April 17.

►The Second Pass asked “voracious readers to recommend their favorite out-of-print book.”

►The Atlantic Wire’s Media Diet asks writers what media they consume daily and how, and what they’re currently reading. Anna Quindlen is the latest (and you’ll find links to Susan Orlean and others.)

►And finally, on-air reporters for Chicago’s WGN-AM radio station, owned by the financially teetering Tribune Company have been forbidden by the company’s CEO from uttering a list of 119 words/phrases he deems “newsspeak,” including( really): alleged, motorist, pedestrian, completely, youth, seek, at risk, campaign trail, reportedly. To be fair (which was also on the list), I did find a few I agreed with: fatal death, touch base. But really, Mr. CEO? Over at NPR, Ian Chillag used them all in one sentence.

Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Writing Links for Weekend Reading

►In an interview, writer and northern New Jersey neighbor Alice Elliot Dark talks about the writing process for her essay, The Quiet, which appears in the new collection, Heavy Rotation: Twenty Writers on the Albums that Changed Their Lives. Her essay is about George Harrison and Meet the Beatles!

►The Fall issue of Mississippi Review Online is all nonfiction.

►Copy editors, fact checkers, and proofreaders save writers more often than they torture us. I loved this behind-the-scenes interview with Mary Norris about copy editing at the New Yorker.

►Printers Row is the Chicago Tribune's blog about "readers, writers and books," and also lists Chicagoland literary events.

►Wonder what a conversation might be like between editors of a literary journal who passed on, but really liked, a particular piece of work, and the writer who submitted it? I give you the Potomac Review's blog experiment, The Maybe Dialogue. Reading the four-part series is a combination of eavesdropping on an excellent workshop exchange and an intimate writer-editor conversation. In order, you can find parts one, two, three and four.

►A generous-minded writer shares royalty statements from his traditional print publisher and Kindle, and how they translate into actual profits. In a side-by-side comparison, the results are eye-opening.

►If you've ever had a writing teacher make a huge impression on you and, in turn, a big impact on your work (and I sincerely hope you have had this wonderful, and often upsetting, experience), then like me, you may also love Alexander Chee's piece about studying with Annie Dillard.

► I heard Jack Wiler read a few times and always found his work interesting, unusual, and a more than a little in-your-face. The New Jersey poet died last week.

►If you are a mother and teach in higher education (and, for that matter even if you’re not), check out the Mama PhD blog over at the Chronicle of Higher Education.

►Beauty salons and books. Hey, the Pulpwood Queen may be on to something. Whatever keeps America reading.

►For your weekly dose of writer envy -- publishing deals scored by recent Iowa Writers Workshop grads.

Have a great weekend.

Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Links for writers, readers, geniuses, and people like that

►Advice, tips, and seminar round-ups from the Writer's Digest's conference, The Business of Getting Published, held last weekend in New York City, are gathered here.

►Contemplating a city without free public libraries is terrible enough. And somehow, that city being Philadelphia, historic home to many publishing initiatives, it was even worse to consider. Massive budget shortfalls in the Pennsylvania state budget meant this was slated to occur on October 2, but fortunately letters, pressure, and special legislation eventually prevailed.

►In case you're not caught up with the week's news, the MacArthur Foundation announced its 2009 list of Genius Grant recipients – individuals from various disciplines each receive half a million bucks, no strings attached, just to continue being creative in their respective fields. Literary names include Edwidge Danticat, Deborah Eisenberg, and Heather McHugh.

►I'm happy to know that The New Yorker is going to be exempt from the mandate apparently issued this week to all other Conde Nast magazines to cut expenses by 25 %. I'm a fan of TNY, and want to see it thrive. And I understand that most literary endeavors need funding not tied to profits to survive. Still, I keep hoping someone – and the folks at CN seem massively qualified – will one day work out a way to both support literature in a mass-market publication and be fiscally successful, too. Meanwhile, Go Remnick!

►Speaking of magazines, Web Designers Depot compiled some of the most controversial magazine covers of all time. Agree with the choices? [update: broken link here has been fixed.]

►Attention MFA students, alumni and faculty: What do you think MFA students should expect (demand?) from a program? Erika Dreifus is collecting opinions about this over at her Practicing Writing blog.

►Shelf Awareness bills itself as "daily enlightenment for the book trade." I'd say it's an interesting destination for anyone interested in books, period. My favorite feature is the daily run down on which authors are slated for TV appearances that day.

►At The Rumpus, in a review of Jill McCorkle's new short story collection, Going Away Shoes, Skip Horack notes: "Writers who are able to make us laugh out loud are often viewed with unjust suspicion, as some readers seem to fear that humor is somehow “unliterary,” that what makes us laugh cannot also be profound. That’s nonsense, of course, and the dark humor contained in these stories testifies to what Shakespeare knew well: that humor has the power to expose as much about our struggles and our pains as it does about our triumphs and our joys."

►I'm a sucker for anything British. Don't know why and no longer care. I just go with it. So I'm enjoying a new blog find for all the reasons any procrastinating activity ought to make one both giddy and guilty. It's written by a British author of young adult novels, and she's long winded, funny, honest, a bit crude, no-nonsense but also whimsical, and loaded with Britishisms some of which I still can't puzzle out. She calls herself "crabbit". Just read her and you'll get that one. Start with the recent post, Why Do I Write At All?"

Have a great weekend. Laugh.

Friday Fridge Clean-Out: Book Festivals, Book Blogs, Brown Blockbuster to Buoy Bookstores. And, some other stuff.

• Updates on what's new in the world of literary journals, as well as other issues of interest to writers who submit to journals, are posted at the New Pages blog.

• The Poets Forum on Contemporary Poetry is scheduled for October 15-17 in New York City, and discounted passes are available until Sept 15.

• These three are free:
The Brattleboro (VT) Literary Festival runs October 2 – 4.
September 26 is the date for the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, D.C.
On the West Coast, the San Diego City College International Book Fair runs Sept. 28 – Oct. 3.

• If you have a favorite book blog, check out the list of nominees and vote here until the end of the day on Sept. 12 (that's tomorrow). Speaking about these blogs, one critic wonders if they have a future.

• He may not be your cup of literary tea, but Dan Brown's new novel, debuting this week, has booksellers nationwide bracing for vigorous activity.

• How do editors at the New York Times Book Review make their selections? Some inside info here.

• I was sad to hear that Garrison Keillor had suffered a minor stroke this week, and hope he recuperates fully.

• You can read some wonderful short memoir pieces, by various writers, at the Authentic Writing Stories blog.



Have a great weekend.

Friday Fridge Clean-Out (Late. Again. Shrug.)

I must remember to post this on Fridays, because Saturday Fridge Clean-Out wouldn't be very alliterative, would it? Okay, here's my round-up of some of this week's web finds:

► GOOD magazine has a new blog Signature, about books.

► At the Shifting Careers blog (on the NYTimes site), Michelle Goodman had a lot to say about working for free. Not that writers would know anything about that.

► Attention all grammar geeks: get thee to the Times Topics Grammar page.

► And see what you think of Jacket Copy, the book (and more) blog at the LA Times.

► I just (barely) am getting the hang of Twitter. And now I'm told it's time to Plurk. Think I'll pass. Distractions are not a writer's friend.

Note: "Both!" -- The only way to answer when your 10-year-old asks, while at the library and holding up two books, "Which one should I get Mom?"