Writing advice, reviewing advice, and a new pic of Emily Dickinson
After going to St Jacob’s Market last Thursday, I spent the next few days canning up a storm. I made several dozen jars of spicy dill spears, bread and butter pickles, pickled jalapeños, blueberry jam, strawberry vanilla jam, plain strawberry jam, peach plum ginger jam, brandied peaches, and on Wednesday I had another, more successful, go at making oven dried tomatoes, using sweet orange tomatoes from my garden.
zomg.
Somewhere in there I actually managed to get a few new poems written, and a couple of reviews, though my to-do list doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter.
Linkage:
- An awesome Jim Morrison impersonator sings the theme from Reading Rainbow as if it were performed by the Doors. Magic.
- Neil Gaiman is writing a new Sandman graphic novel. This is pretty exciting. Watch the video announcement on Gaiman’s journal.
- I heart Joss Whedon, here’s an interview with him on io9. Also check out this interview with Ian McKellen. What a voice.
- Borges inspired library maze art sculpture thing. Pretty.
- Practical writing advice from Douglas Coupland on Lit Reactor.
- For contrast, the lately late David Rakoff on “The Writer’s Life” for Salon.com.
- John Self makes a strong case for readers promoting authors’ books. Do it. It works.
- While Wendy Welch encourages you to visit to your local independent bookstore for the sense of community they engender.
- In The New York Times Magazine, Dwight Garner encourages reviewers to return to their critical roots. Another sentiment with which I agree.
- Readings can be gruelling experiences for authors and audience alike. Leigh Stein offers some advice to the former, which is guaranteed to please the latter.
- Sarah Wanenchak on writing about technology in science fiction – though much of this could apply to contemporary fiction as well. Also check out Allison K Gibson’s article in The Millions, from which Wanenchak’s piece takes inspiration.
- A new daguerreotype of Emily Dickinson and friend. Nifty.
- Speaking of poets and poetry, see Willard Spiegelman’s meditation on the changes in American poetry over the past few decades.
Once you’ve made your way through these, pick up the latest issue of Broken Pencil, check out my reviews (because I’m vain), then check out the books I reviewed (because they’re worth it).
Happy reading.
