Tayari's Blog: Leaving Vermont

Posted by TayariJones on December 16, 2009 06:09 AM
Filed under Links

Well, here are a few links as I am heading home. Vermont Studio Center is really a nice place. The food was deee-lish and they've just built new studios for the writers, which overlook the river. It's a little pricey to go here, but there are scholarships. But okay, on with the links because I have a plane to catch!

  • Here is the bestsellers list for poetry. I was really surprised by it.
  • Slow down Smokey! Random House needs to back up off the e-rights.
  • More on the Publishers' Weekly cover FAIL. BlogHer, DailyFinance,HTML Giant. PW itself semi-apologizes.
  • James Baldwin on being in the belly of the beast.
  • Anne Patchett says writing is a job, so act like it.
  • Alice Randall has some cool contests on her blog.
  • Pretending to be a man may help your career.
  • Congrats to Justin Torres and the other USA Fellows.
  • Congrats, as well, to January O'Neil. I don't know her but I love her name and how happy she looks.
  • An editor at a small press bids goodbye to an author who has moved on to the big time.

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    There are 1 comments on "Leaving Vermont". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

    Comment #1, by Bethany [TypeKey Profile Page]

    (Figured out my problem and am now leaving a weeks-old comment!)
    PW editor ftw: "To me it is a sweet, tongue-in-cheek funny and striking image of quirky black hair power." O_O I think the problem people may be having is that it's 2009. As a Black woman, I'm quite familiar with the ease with which my passions are labeled "aggressive" or "angry". Thanks for the dozens of fists, though. I also wanna know who put the words "quirky" and "power" together with a straight face and didn't think themselves jovially patronizing and sweetly condescending.

    My initial response to the cover was, it's only offensive depending on the work they're presenting. As in, if they are focusing on intentionally outsider art, that's understandable. Of course, after hearing what you had to say, I realized that's probably not how my initial response sounded so I should articulate the other half: If however this image is supposed to represent anyone else (anyone not decidedly, consciously, willingly contributing to a niche), it's outrageous. Who is going to pick that up and really be interested in reading anything from this list?

    December 26, 2009 08:10 PM

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