August 25, 2010
Why should the kids on the coasts have all the fun? DISCO is a youth writing center modeled on 826 Valencia, offering free writing classes to local youth. It's located in BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. Fabulous.
Been making edits over your lover's shoulder? You could get an author credit.
The ten top paid authors. The good news is that there is gender balance. The bad news is that authors of color are S.O.L.
Editor, Chris Jackson, is making a deliberate effort to read books by women.
The Brooklyn Book Festival looks pretty h-o-t.
Poets and Writers ranks MFA programs and AWP says rating are silly.
Did you know that a lot of man-on-man romance is written by women for women readers?
How to turn your poetry manuscript into a book
Less is more when it comes to these Stephen King book jackets.
Opportunity Alert: New Voices Award for writers of color who write for kids.
Is all the news coverage of the tragedy at VQR unfairly painting Ted Genoways as workplace bully? Tom Bissell defends his editor and friend. Meanwhile, staff is quitting left and right.
Posted at 07:26 AM | ![[comments]](http://www.tayarijones.com/images/comments.gif)
Comments (1)
Category:
Links
August 18, 2010
I don't quite know the relationship between this photo of Michael Jackson & The Reagans and the post about self-promotion, but it cracked me up.
And this video of a white actress auditioning for a Tyler Perry flick made me scream!
And these people trying to sell J.D. Sallinger's comode made me laugh when I thought it was a joke. Then I remembered that I wrote my first novel in a bathroom stall on my lunch break. Will THAT commode one day be considered historic?
Jonathan Franzen is not the first writer to be on the cover of Time, here are the others. Still, it's annoying the crap out of Shelley.
The recession is making writers desperate and desperate writers are more likely to sell out.
Strange Cargo, an exciting new anthology of emerging talent.(Congrats, Renee!)
An agent sent out a memoir proposal and it was returned unread-- memoir doesn't sell. (Luckily, she didn't take stupid for an answer.)
Literary dating site & famous literary loves.
Camden saves its libraries!
Writers share their favorite fonts.
You don't need a special writing desk to get your work done.
Amish is the new sexy.
Get your research done at home in your pjs.
Terry McMillan is coming to a city near you!
This is a publishing horror story. Don't read it if you are already in a bad mood.
Asian-American Writers Workshop leads WORDSTRIKE against the Arizona Immigration Law.
Kansas writers, here is a great opportunity for you!
A horrible situation at VQR. Is workplace bullying a widespread problem in the academy?
Baldwin vs. Buckley (video)
**Tayari rolls eyes, walks out the room and slams the door.**
Would you like to be a debut writer all over again? Just take a pen name. (Is this sort of like trying to regain your virginity?)
Considering a Low-Residency MFA?
What to do if someone tried to tell you you are not a "real writer".
Are regular folks connected enough to become literary agents?
Posted at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
August 11, 2010
You have probably noticed that I have sort of slowed down the blog during these dog days of summer. For one, it's just too hot to think. And add to that, my air conditioner hasn't been working. And the biggest factor is that I have given up coffee, which has cost me about 15% of my personality. I am trying to remember why I thought this was such a good idea in the first place. In the meanwhile, here are some pretty good links.
Big publisher? Indie? Self Publish? Moonrat breaks down all your options.
I, too, noticed that only when the topic is "overrated" writers, the list is really diverse.
Ten excellent rules for writing fiction.
Jericho Brown on the topic of labels, or, as he calls them, adjectives.
The Kindle is a cold shower?
Not literary, I know. But, "My Humps" in sign language.
Eat, Pray, SPEND. What's the deal with Priv-Lit?
More Kindle hateration.
Lauren Cerand is the coolest person in publishing.
Really good interview with Aimee Bender.
So you want to be an agent?
Pretty captivating depression-era photo from Puerto Rico.
Posted at 01:49 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
August 01, 2010
I'm home from the Hurston/Wright Writers Week workshops. The experience was really intense. The class was terrific-- beautiful writing and beautiful spirits. But still, I am really really tired. Next summer, I am going to limit myself to just one summer course. School will be starting in a week and I've much to do prepare. But enough about me. Here are some juicy links.
Hmm... You can't help but raise your eyebrows at this.
A happy story in publishing.
Want to keep a journal, but don't know where to start?
NPR wants to know why you write.
One editor explains why she isn't crazy about the present tense.
Stacey D'Erasmo talks about writing over the long haul.
Book give away! Five books given away free and clear, but if you pay for postage you can really score.
Romance writers raise $61,000 for literacy!
Sarah Manguso's secrets of revision.
Helpful links for folks trying to get published.
Baby bookworm, Fidel speaks, Muppet Bio, $139 Kindle, and other links.
Posted at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
July 20, 2010
OMG OMG OMG OMG! The Uncollected Baldwin Essays! With an introduction by Randall Keenan!!!
When looking at book deals, some things matter more than money.
Publisher's Weekly is in love with Andrew Ervin, one of the "Amazing Eight"!
Rachel Eliza Griffiths who has taken amazing photographs of literary life has had her cameras stolen! Cave Canem is taking up a collection to replace them.
Love advice from Simone de Beauvoir
What to do when you accidentally revise the life of out your story
Lesson: You are NOT your writing. You are not "bleeding onto the page."
An agent says she cool with hard-luck memoirs, but there needs to be at least a glimmer of hope.
Faulkner at Virginia: an audio archive.
Writing in Real Life remembers Harvey Pekar.
This is not literary, but this 1979 interview of Dick Clark interviewing Prince is hilarious.
Don't mock your villains.
That stupid stuff you posted on facebook could cost you a book deal.
Are poetry and ebook format incompatible?
Read Olufemi Terry's short story, "Stickfighting," that won the Caine prize for African Writing.
Mo Money, Mo Problems. The drama drama drama surrounding the blockbuster, The Shack.
Nigerian Novelist, Nnedi Okorafor, will not be silenced.
LEBRON! The Musical. (I love these things. Keep em coming, Ben.)
Pearl Cleage interviewed at The Root.
Posted at 07:17 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
July 08, 2010
Writers on Africa. (Abani!)
I luuurve these Dr. Seuss chucks.
So, the whole internet is talking about Gary Shteyngart's book trailer. I was watching it, envying the fact that he has to give not one whit of thought to being "universal."
Author memorabilia. My fave is the locket of Jane Austen's hair, prettier than it sounds.
Interesting video about an upcoming exhibition about Fela Kuti.
The oldest living Pullman porter looks back.
The women of The Daily Show say that the show isn't a sexist hellhole.
Man threatens Obama in a poem. (a poem???)
Apparently the only black films that make money have Tyler Perry attached. So now what to do?
W.E.B. DuBois' Crisis Magazine to be digitized.
Can the NYT bestseller list be bought? Why do I suspect that I can't afford it?
Debra Dickerson wants you to chip in to help finance her new book. (She doesn't reveal the subject, but she says she has a realy good idea for it.)
Kyla Marshell says that Janell Monae needs to perform like I write.
Broken Social Contracts, the film about rape at Spelman/Morehouse, will be released on line in six parts.
Jamaica Kinkaid reflects on her improbable life.
Posted at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
July 05, 2010
Hi everyone! I've been sort of MIA. Family reunion was held last week in Oakdale, Louisiana. (I felt like I was in a Tyler Perry script, but Shemar never showed up!) We were celebrating the 100th anniversary of my grandmother's birth. Willie Mae Jones has been gone about fifteen years now, but her legacy lives on with almost 100 children, grandchildren, and great grands, and even great-greats. I fell head over heels with my first cousin thrice removed, Giovanna. At the tender age of ten, she is a marvel. I came back home optimistic about the future. Look at her with her Mama.
But okay, on with the links.
Bernice MacFadden gives the director's cut of her Washington Post article about black writers and the literary marketplace. I have lots of thoughts on this which I will post tomorrow.
Anika marks the 40th Anniversary of The Bluest Eye.
Lauren Hill is back, on NPR.
40 writers over 40. And 10 under 10.
Remembering Fred Hampton and a YA novel about (Black)Panther Parents.
Niki Herd breaks it down from Arizona.
A lawyer advises writers about copyright.
So meta, a link-bucket within a link-bucket. (Very good stuff over there.)
When submitting to an editor, It's all about the first line.
Octavia Butler finally inducted to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Who's afraid of Amiri Baraka? Writing about real people in fiction.
A list of book blogs.
Great photos of homemade soccer balls.
How to stay safe on public wi-fi networks.
Indie bookstores! Indie presses!
Congratulation is Tinesha Davis who is in Tuscany on the Book In A Day Fellowship!
How awful. Jackie Mitchard, the first Oprah author and really nice person, is wiped out by a Ponzi scheme.
Terrific writing advice for you at every stage in your process.
55 Secret Street recognizes fabulous women, including little ol me.
Posted at 11:28 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
May 11, 2010
RIP Rane Arroyo. He was one of the first people I met at my first AWP. I didn't even know he had been ill.
Am I the only person who didn't find the Bronte Sisters Action Figures to be really funny. I think I may have smiled once, sorta.
Reading is good for you!
Have budget cuts hurt your education? Write about it and win a cash prize!
It's called the Capote House, but Truman just rented the basement. Anyway, it's for sale.
Lena Horne: Glamorous Revolutionary.
I must go to Columbia to see the Gorey drawings.
Cool giveaway. Recommend a short-story collection in order to maybe win one!
Say it out loud! I write romances and I'm proud!
Posted at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
May 06, 2010
New Yorkers, don't forget that SWEET: Actors Reading Writers is tonight!This post about being a black woman at Harvard Law School is long, but totally worth reading.
Jason Pinter says Men Don't Read and everybody is freaking out over it.
Congrats to Nam Le on wining the Pen/Malamud Award.
I'm looking forward to the new Anne Lammott novel, Imperfect Birds.
Anne Patchett remembers the Nashville flood of 1974.
Friday, Saturday 15, come see and discuss "Black Boy", a documentary on the life of Richard Wright. (Washington, DC BB&P, free.)
The men of Alpha Phi Alpha move their convention from Phoenix! #boycottarizona #whatamanwhatamanwhatamightygoodman
"Fela" and "Fences" score big with Tony award nominations.
John Edgar Wideman on why he decided to self-publish.
The 4th Annual August Wilson Monologue Contest.
Do you need an MFA? The debate continues.
Happy Birthday, Bernadette.
Stunt Writing is when a writer does something crazy and writes about it. Here's how to do it.
I love this little girl. So smart.
Song of Solomon, banned. Really?
Pearl Cleage's newest play, "The Nacirema Society Requests The Honor Of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their Fist One Hundred Years," is opening this fall in Atlanta.
Posted at 07:12 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
April 29, 2010
Are you a sensitive poet?
Ten questions to ask an agent before you sign
I don't really get "poem in your pocket day", but I do love this one by Frank O'Hara.
Ever wonder how Cave Canem got its name?
Nikki Giovanni is leaving the rights to all her books to Virginia Tech.
Can you blog and write at the same time?
Writing and smoking? Peanut butter and jelly.
Bernice MacFadden reads from Glorious.
Weirdly cool
Watch the Story Awards reading.
ZOMG! Anne Franks' diary on display.
Happy 162nd Birthday, Roget's Thesaurus.
Felicia Pride takes a hard look at the black self-help genre.
The new Carribbean Review of Books website has just gone live.
The Langston Hughes home is for sale. (pictures)
It's not nice to use Amazon to get revenge.
Using hiphop to build vocabulary?
Back off parents. Let your kids pick their own books.
The new rules for a successful blog.
Posted at 09:38 PM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
April 21, 2010
Ben Greenman is still feeding his Sly Stone obsession and Sly always gives him something to chew on. (That's Ben's book cover over there on the right.)
Seeking an incredible talented little girl to play the role of Octavia. I've seen her in my dreams, but where is she??
How to pronounce authors' names correctly so you will seem smart at cocktail parties. [via]
The gorgeousness of Rita Dove.
Lizze Skurnick reads for Girls Write Now!
Janice "Girlbomb" Earlbaum gives a sneak peak at her new work.
Why some authors fail.
When I saw this, I thought my mind was in the gutter.
Author-on-Author cage matches.
I love stationery stores like this.
An author mourns the passing of her agent, the one who rescued her from the slush pile.
Who will take over the Schomburg now that Dodson's retiring?
Top with crushed black people pepper. Oops.
How Terrance Hayes writes a poem.
Posted at 07:39 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
April 14, 2010
Good news about Leaving Atlanta: The Movie.
America's most amazing libraries.
The authoress returns.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X gets three new chapters.
Tax tips for writers.
How do publishers pick the lead title?
Natalie Merchant sings 18th century poetry. Lovely video, if you like that kind of thing, and I do!
Look at our handsome Dwayne Betts on the cover of Mosaic!
A writer who is a highschool teacher writes about the murder of one of his students.
Mark Doty skipped AWP this year, for all the right reasons.
Students rate their famous writer professors.
When a great writer is a total jackass.
Essence magazine lists its favorite poets. (No Natasha Trethewey? Really, Essence?)
Harlem School for The Arts closing down?
Everybody loves John Murillo.
How ghostwriting works.
Posted at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 29, 2010
Y'all, my schedule is killing me! Since I last blogged I have done a classroom visit at Dream Yarp Prep in The Bronx. I read about a half dozen student manuscripts. I drafted a book review, wrote and delivered a "talkshop" at the National Black Writers Conference. (This was quite a highlight of a really hectic week.) AND, I used a curling iron to put about 400 spirals in my hair. And to top it all off, I was at work at 7 am, where I remain, dear reader, to this moment. But before I head off to the next task, let me fill you in on what's cool on the itnernet today.
Opportunity alert: Scholarships for the 2011 Key West Literary Seminars.
Congratulations to Tina Chang, Poet Laureate of Brooklyn.
I am so glad that I decided NOT to title my novel, The Bigamist's Daughters.
"Top Ten" black authors on twitter.
I never knew Annie John was out of print, but I am glad to see that it's back.
Maud Newton decodes Sarah Palin. (Deep, y'all.)
My ultra classy publicist.
What do you use your journal for?
Sarah loves the sentences on Walter Mosley.
Book review BINGO. (Can also be used as a drinking game.)
If you have these words in your manuscript, scratch them out.
White Teeth on video.
The Saudi version of American Idol features poets, not singers.
Posted at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 18, 2010
A lovely audio of Natasha reading in Key West. Toward the end of the recording she shares her intense new poems.
The Orange Prize long list is announced. Congrats to Laila Lalami!
Free audio books. (But let me warn you-- you get what you pay for.)
Larry Flynt's crazy book proposal.
Congratulations to the Lambda finalists.
Think you're too artistic to have a day job? Well even Faulkner punched a clock.
Bernice MacFadden on telling our own stories.
Learn Italian, French or Spanish in ten weeks at Idlewild Books!
The making of a book cover.
How agents negotiate a contract.
Thank goodness Romeo couldn't txt Juliette.
Quote of the day: 'The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat's mat is a story.' - John LeCarre
Mayumi hearts Tiphanie Yanique.
How did I miss this? Elizabeth Alexander's gorgeous and weighty rembrance of Lucille Clifton.
Marie Mockett says to book reviewers, new writers need love too.
Posted at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 12, 2010
Erica posted a opportunity and one of her blog readers took the ball and ran with it!
Everything you wanted to know about a career at a publishing house, but were afraid to ask.
Very touching post about how Bernice MacFadden's daughter is paying it back.
Octavia Butler is named to the Sci-Fi hall of fame.(Better posthumously than never.)
Are you an MFAer with something to say?
How make the leap from self-publishing to traditional publishing.
Delicious photos and delicious poetry. What's not to like?
The Cave Canem poetry prize is like American Idol for black poets. It can make you a star!
Rigoberto Gonzalez, the hardest working man in literature, has edited Camina del Sol: Fifteen years of Latino and Latina Writing.
Joy Castro is right on point about this one. It's getting ugly out here, or it's always been ugly. I think that's the point.
What's your genre? Here's a guide.
DGLM summarizes all the advice they gave during slush week. (Read this if you're trying to find an agent.)
Collector donates artifacts belonging to Harriet Tubman.
Posted at 06:37 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 03, 2010
Bernice McFadden is hosting a great giveaway/contest for bloggers as she prepares for the launch of GLORIOUS.
Advice, schmadvice.
RIP Barry Hannah
How the money is paid out when you get a multi-book deal.
Now THIS is a dress fit for The Silver Girl. It's a good thing my size is not avilable or else I would have spent my rent money on it!
Slush Week! The agents at Dystel and Goderich evaluate queries.
Funky new covers for Penguin Classics.
I can't believe it's not Photoshop.
When Oscar lobbying gets ugly.
What do LGBT teens want to read?
Victor LaValle believes in putting it all out there.
John Edgar Wideman self-publishes.
Tyler Perry brings back the crack-addict mama.
Help name the Flannery O'connor peafowl. (I am assuming they have been given some money to fix the place up. When I went there a couple of years ago, the holes in the walls went straight to the outside!)
Pick your favorite font! (Whenever I resubmit something that has been rejected, I change the font to chase off some of the bad mojo.)
The Indies list their favorites. (I am so tired of saying the same thing over and over, but black writers seem to be out of style or something.)
Posted at 03:11 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
February 28, 2010
Abdel has a great blog. The entries take some time, but are worth it if only for his quirky insights.
And Shelly's blog is good too, for her yeah-I-said-it insights.
And if you want to start an author blog, here's how.
Publishing vets, DeBerry and Grant, still get the pre-pub freakout.
Not literary, but still.
Two recordings of Gwendolyn Brooks reading "We Real Cool." This one is a better recitation of the poem, but this one also displays the text and her prefatory remarks are really good.
I would love it if someone from this blog were to solve this literary mystery.
Lorraine Lopez scores a ginormous coup with her Pen/Faulkner nomination. Whoo hoo!!!!
Renee rounds Black History Month by posting fabulous old family photos.
Doug says don't fall for the fast talk. Plagiarism is what it is.
Is Angelina Jolie too foxy to be Scarpetta?
Coe's writing tip of the week: It's okay to suck.
Ten really famous writers give thier Do's and Don'ts
Posted at 06:45 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
February 23, 2010
Newsflash: I spend a LOT of this blog. Now am on this kick where I am scheduling out my day, I'm seeing exactly how much time I spend doing what. I gave myself thirty minutes get these links up. HA! It's been thirty-three and I haven't even started typing them in. But that's okay. I love keeping this blog. I just have to juggle my schedule around a bit. So, with no further ado, here are today's links, though a little abbreviated because I didn't get to check out all my my source sites.
When MFA grads do it, they don't call it self-publishing, they call it indie-lit. (This really annoys me because people on the margins have been publishing their own work for years and they get sneered at.)
The photo on the above is from Relentless Aaron's flickr page. That brother is the hardest working person in "indie-lit." Click on the picture and see all the tags he put on it.
Ralph Ellison's second unfinished 1,000 page novel is now available.
Anne loves Dolen as much as I do.
What? James Patterson uses a ghost writer?
Kind of neat and kind of gross.
Dear Kate Spade: Please make a classic clutch out of Incidents In The Life of a Slave Girl. Thank you.
LA times 2009 Book Prize finalists.
Houghton announces the editors for the next Best American series. You will note a staggering lack of diversity.
Finally, congrats to Carleen Brice. The Lifetime movie, Sins of the Mother, was a great success over the weekend.
Posted at 06:43 AM | Comments (4)
Category:
Links
February 03, 2010
"For, if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night." James Baldwin's open letter to Angela Davis.
FREE workshops at Oakland Public Libraries!
Actually, there is only one way to skin this particular cat.
@colsonwhitehead tickles me to death.
Laila Lalami gets all technical when defending Coetzee.
Oooh pretty!
This is the best title in the world. To bad it's poetry and not a self-help book.
Here is the breakdown of the Kindle/Amazon/Macmillan thing.
"Here’s the deal: men, without thinking, will almost without fail select men. And women, without thinking, will too often select men." Claire Messud makes the case for an all-women's issue.
I'm no fan of Sarah Palin, but I must admit that this has crossed my mind a time or two.
Chicagoans, the Art Institute is offering free admission all month long!
Stan Nelson directs a new documentary on The Freedom Riders.
Photos from Key West Literary Seminars. Scroll down for a pretty picture of Natasha.
Poetry infusion: Medusa.
A first draft is like a Polaroid picture....
Agent-submitted manuscripts are the new slush pile.
Advice on how to make yourself look good. My favorite is "don't mention any awards that aren't a big deal. Any fool with $50 can nominate himself for a Pulitzer, so don't put that in your cover letter."
YA is where it's at.
Marian Wright Edelman (Spelman woman!) remembers her old teacher, Howard Zinn.
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o interviewed.
A new play about Lorraine Hansbury.
The Pulitzer predictions are starting already.
How to sell your book without selling yourself.
Posted at 02:24 PM | Comments (3)
Category:
Links
January 20, 2010
Why, why, why am I so sick on the first day back in class? Here are some links while I wait for the Day-Quil, etc. to kick in.
Poets, the case for staying alive.
A new film about Basquiat debuts at Sundance.
Junot Diaz says Obama needs to get his story together.
A song about my former roomie, novelist Vendela Vida.
The 2010 Girls Write Now reading series is amazing, if we may say so ourselves!
Laila Lalami is featured in a special issue of Callaloo.
On-line publicity basics.
You can cure yourself of overwriting.
Haiti: in ink and tears
August Wilson's Fences is coming back to Broadway with Denzel playing the lead.
Margaret Atwood's Ten Tips fot beating writer's block.
Vic LaValle tells you what to do when someone says that your book "is a black book without being a BLACK book, you know?"
Check out the South African cover of The Help.
Okay, I am miserably signing off now.
Posted at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
January 14, 2010
Goodbye to the Teddy Bear.
Ten books all about the sticky-icky.
When books are down, but not out.
Angela Davis edits a new edition of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
Famous people narrating audio books.
When to get your MFA.
You never know.
The woman who saved Anne Frank's diary passes away at age 100.
Yes you can write your memoir.
I am loving Nalo Hopkinson's art work. I want the lady in red.
Anne Tyler wishes she could un-publish her first book.
My dear friend, Rigoberto Gonzalez, on creative writing and the academy.
What we can learn from a crazy fake-Holocaust book deal.
Posted at 12:13 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
January 07, 2010
Greetings from Seaside, Oregon. I am dead tired, but it's only 6pm local time. Please don't let me fall asleep in my risotto at dinner! Meanwhile, here's a little reading material to entertain you while I get acclimated to my new surroundings.
My agent looks into her crystal ball and makes some predictions about the future of publishing.
Agate Publishing has had enough of Ishmael Reed's Eeyore routine.
A publisher explains why they reject what they reject.
Laura Miller says go read a book you think you are going to hate.
The sad letters of poet Paul Celan.
DeBerry and Grant explain how two writers can author one book.
20 socially conscious films.
Sapphire is taking a victory lap.
The lady who gave Ebony Magazine it's name has passed away.
NYC libraries are closing on Saturdays. Shelley is not pleased.
Mark Sanford's wife is writing a juicy book.
Should writers of color switch up their routines depending on the audience?
The Center For Fiction Conference offers free studio space with registration!!!!
Jayne Anne Philips writes about her hometown: Buckhannon, West Virginia.
Ouch. The downside of being a bestseller.
The top ten questions editors ask themselves when looking at a manuscript.
So Katie Rophie thinks the new generation of writers are scared of sex.
Nichelle Tramble is blogging again.
Posted at 08:07 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
January 01, 2010
To the right is my Year In Facebook. You can see it larger, here.
Carleen posts the music that gets her ready to write. Seeing how upbeat her songs are, I think I see what I am doing wrong.
Reggie Harris remembers Don Belton with an excellent and informative post.
Shelley remembers Consuela Lee. I was not familiar with her work, but she seems like a terrific woman.
Asian American poets, this is a great opportunity.
Jamey Hatley is featured in the new issue of Torch. (On a random note, Jamey has the most gorgeous handwriting ever.)
Authors, please do not call the FBI on people who write nasty amazon reviews. It's not a good look.
Very Weird books.
Black poets write about nature.
The key to literary success? Be a man, or at least write like one.(Very interesting article, but let's not make the conversation about gender in publishing be limited to white women writers talking about white male writers. Remember the lessons we learned in the 70s.)
Writer Beware: a listing of scams that prey on people's dreams.
Browse the 600 fragile book jackets of the H.D. Carberry Collection of Caribbean Studies in Special Collection of the library of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Five essential sites for professional photographers.
Posted at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
December 21, 2009
This is proof that the holiday stress is kicking in. I forgot to include some of the links I had planned to share today. (you can get the rest of the list a little lower on the page.)
The African Diaspora Reading Challenge for 2010
Rigoberto Gonzales highlights books from small presses.
Do you live in a "happy" state? (If you live in NY, you don't.)
When the recession hits artists. (and this woman seems to come from a wealthy-ish family.)
Peter Rock loved this book. I mean he really really loved it.
Harlan Ellison wants his #@!$% money.
Why gift books? Because a scented candle never changed anyone's life.
The 50 most inspiring living authors.
Okay, that feels better. You have the whole list. Now I can go do my hair. xoxo, t
Posted at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
December 16, 2009
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.
Posted at 06:09 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
December 08, 2009
I don't know what's up with me today-- or yesterday, or the day before-- I am having trouble connecting with the world. I suspect that I am just overwhelmed. You know having too much to do can make you do nothing? I'm kind of there. Yesterday, at my writing date, I was having such a hard time concentrating. That said, here are some links until I can get it back together.
Algonquin higlights my short story. (thank you!)
Does twitter sell books? Methinks, no. But selling books isn't the only reason to do something.
RES has released her new album *free* on line. And Sade has released a new single that you can hear without charge.
Algonquin author, Laila Lalami, weighs in on the Swiss Minarets controversy.
Are you turned off by ugly book covers?
Write what you know doesn't mean you don't have to know what you're talking about.
So you meet an editor and she says, "Send me your manuscript." Then what?
Sarah Schulman on familial homophobia.
Alan King on Karibu Books.
Shelley's interesting and ecclectic end-of-year list.
I know the money is for charity, but this is so irritating.
Renee, honey, in Georgia, this is what we call a high-class problem.
Girls Write Now!
Authors of color who tweet.
Nerd Alert: The MLA Handbooks is online.
Crazy Cool Subway Stations.
Isn't Lauren's living room pretty?
Posted at 11:08 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
December 04, 2009
Tiger! The Musical.
Publishers are cutting costs the wrong way.
Hey, that book cover looks really familiar.
Books that die.
The writer and the cat.
Famous foods from literature.
This is silly, but you can download this program on your computer and when you stop writing, it will talk bad about you.
Yemisi hearts the Seattle Public Library and its awesome podcast.
What to expect from your agent, and your editor.
I am not posting on any of the Best of The Year lists because it is way too depressing. Something nasty is afoot. I'll say that and leave it there.
Posted at 07:20 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
November 23, 2009
You can tell when I am not on task when I trash my writing room. My only goal for today is to Take Back My Space. I know times are stressful-- between the economy and the jacked-up state of publishing-- but this is no excuse for me sabotaging my own peace of mind. If you have a writing area-- even if it is just a little desk-- feel free to join me.
There is still time to enter the drawing for Lyrae's beautiful book. (Details below).
David Sedaris is releasing his new audio book on vinyl.
I listened to this recording of Amy Reed reading from her debut, Beautiful, and I was hooked. YA label be damned!
The "SP"-word? Aracelis Girmay speaks out.
Four years after his MFA, he wishes he had thought about more than just convenience.
DeBerry reaches out to Oprah.
Naughty little quip!
Literary costume party in NYC! I think I'm going to go if I can come up with an outfit.
Mashable's 100 Authors that tweet! (And they are all white. What the heck is going on these days???)
The Bad Sex Awards have been announced and passages are posted. Of course these lucky winners are all white, too, but exclusion is not always a bad thing. ;)
Last, may I guide you to Matthew's excellent comment to last week's blog post about the National Book Award. I am thinking of having it tatooed on my forearm.
Posted at 07:28 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
November 18, 2009
Today is the National Book Awards. My boss, Jayne Anne Phillips is a finalist for her amazing novel, Lark and Termite! I'll be at the ceremony and I'll be on twitter.
Do you suffer from Rosa Parks Syndrome? I do, but I am trying to recover.
Salon says goodbye fiction, helloooooo memoir!
Remember when I congratulated Victoria Chang on being brave enough to crunch the numbers on the Whiting Awards? Well, she says she's not brave, she just calls it like she sees it.
Why are people more excited about boy babies?
Although I am sort of Gladwelled-out, I have to chuckle at this post and photo.
Joy congratulates me, more importantly, she announces the publication of a new anthology about writers who made it the hard way.
Butterflies as secret code for gay novels.
Twilight is over, for now.
Not literary, but this made me laugh so hard. Regretsy is a site that posts the ugliest things from etsy.
$3000 grants for DC artists.
YA author, Sara Zarr, says her dad was an alcoholic, but that wasn't all he was.
Is your publisher making money off of you?
The big payback: When an author gets to review a book by somebody who slammed him.
When you get a book deal, but your editor gets fired, they call your book an orphan, and it's a bad situation.
OMG, scammed by your agent! I cannot even imagine how horrible that must feel.
New Jersey, this is a great prize for emerging writers of prose AND poetry.
Posted at 07:37 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
November 15, 2009
Happy Leonard Nimoy Day!
Barbara Kingsolver writes about political topics, but don't call her a "political writer."
A play about the last novelist in the whole world.
Pulitzer Prize winning play, Ruined, is going on the road.
Saaed channels rage into poetry.
Cormac McCarthy: I'm not interested in writing short stories. Anything that doesn't take years of your life and drive you to suicide hardly seems worth doing.
Facebook gave this kid an alibi.
UC Santa Cruz needs a stoner-in-chief.
To MFA or not to MFA.
It's like iTunes for poetry!
How to use an apostrophe.
So don't drive yourself crazy tailoring your query to each agent, but don't do a generic blitz, either.
Bookswim is like Netflix for books, and Renee is hosting a giveaway!
Black Action Figures!
Jenny loved Brother/Sister, which is playing at Public Theatre.
Posted at 08:59 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
November 11, 2009
I lost my blackberry and I am devastated. For real. I may have to take to my bed over this.
This is the craziest book-related ailment I ever heard of!
How to write a great novel-- involves costumes, bathrooms.
Yes, you do need an agent.
Afrobella has some great Sesame Street links.
People need to stop being so roguish.
Get your self-publish on.
Lit mags who tweet.
Doug at Agate sees the bright side in the death of Walden Books.
Inexcusable is a YA novel from the point of view of a date-rapist. Sounds intense and fascinating.
How not to write about Africa
Posted at 08:49 PM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
November 06, 2009
I actually have a lot of links to share, but I noticed a cluster on a particular theme. Many writers, mostly women, are speaking out against the ways that systems of power and opression are affecting artists and their art. These trends are very disturbing, but I am not sure what can be done about it...
Victoria Chang points out what everybody noticed, but no one wanted to say: Black women and Asian-Americans hardly EVER get the Whiting Award. (Leave her a comment on her site for being so brave to speak the truth.)
Women writers are up in arms about the all-male best of 2009 list released by Publisher's Weekly. (But everyone should be alarmed, not just us!)
Bernice MacFadden posts a little known essay by Zora Neale Hurston."The fact that there is no demand for incisive and full-dress stories around Negroes above the servant class is indicative of something of vast importance to this nation." Did ZNH get hold of a time machine and bring back a copy of The Help?
This brings us around to Precious, which Armond White says is "the con job of the year."
Celeste Ng says she's not "the next Amy Tan."
Sorry for posting such an intense set of links. I try to keep this blog very upbeat as my goal is to provide everyone with info, but to also motivate everyone to write. (You'll notice I haven't been linking to a million Publishing Is Over articles. I just don't see how it is helpful.) But the issues I am posting about today are important and something that we all need to think about.
Posted at 09:22 AM | Comments (3)
Category:
Links
November 04, 2009
The striking woman in the photo above is Marie NiDiaye, the first black woman to win France's top literary prize, the Prix Goncourt. (thanks Raquel! photo from LAT)
Spooky new story by Kelly Link. I haven't read it yet, but I love her so I will print this story out to read on the subway.
Y'all know how I feel about NaNo, but if you cough up a novel this month, FastPencil will give you a free printed and bound copy of your novel.
Steve Elliot is everywhere! Here he is talking about his book tour. And here is a piece in the LAT with a cool photo.
Speaking of cool photos, I love this one of Sapphire and I also like what Renee has to say.
If you finished your MFA (fiction)in the last five years, you need to apply for this fellowship.
And while we're talking about people who are everywhere: Here is Colson Whitehead in video and in print. (The twitterverse is split on the NYT piece.)
Dystel and Goderich (my agents) are starting a new advice column. You can email your questions.
This is such a pretty book. I am going to buy it eventhough I don't have any kids.
How to write the description that you see on the back of a book.
Lorca's body exhumed.
Orhan Pamuk opens a museum of objects found in his novel.
Angela Davis' UCLA lectures to be published at last.
Posted at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
October 30, 2009
Here are some quick links as we glide into the weekend. Sorry the list is so short, but my dance card is pretty full for the next few days and I am devoting an unreasonable amount of time and energy into fixing my hair. I'll be my regular down-to-earth self by Monday, I promise!
Really spooky writers tell us what scares them.
Deadline is in two days, but here is a great contest for a one-act play.
In Tennessee, someone is going through all the books in the library and scratching out the cuss words.
A.E. Stallings remembers dear Craig Arnold with a poem.
It's good to be a man, apparently. Publishers Weekly's top books for 2009.
Sapphire speak to Katie Couric. (video)
How to pick a low-res MFA.
Lauren explains the basic elements of style. Read it and try and put the same principles to your writing.
On a similar note, agent Jim M talks about having an original voice.
Why has "historical fiction" become an insult?
I hung out with David Dickerson last night. He has a series of zany vlogs to promote his humor memoir, "House of Cards" which is about his time writing greeting cards for Hallmark.
Team Zahara: black women bloggers rush to defend a four-year-old's honor.
Posted at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
October 26, 2009
The CLMP Spelling Bee is tonight, so I am freaking out. As you know from this blog, I am not the world's best speller and my hair in not in a good state. Here are some links to keep you busy while I get my poor little act together.
Why, oh why, must people hate on Toni Morrison like this? Go leave a comment.
Einstein's watch.
Friend of the blog, Jean Thompson, interviewed in the LAT.
Michael Jackson slide show. I like #7.
When grammar nerds scold.
Interesting article on the making of Precious. But must we bring Obama into everything?
How to punctuate dialogue.
She used to shelter the homeless, but now she is homeless herself.
Agents who tweet.
College students revolt against gansta rap.
Unbossed and Unbought, a documentary about Shirley Chisholm, to be screened in NYC this Thursday.
Young black women love twitter the most out of everyone.
Dear Sarah Palin's ghostwriter, Steve Almond feels your pain.
Although I am all Tyler Perryed out, I will post this. Spike Lee called Tyler a coon and hurt his feelings.
Why you should quit while you're ahead: 20 lame sequels to good movies.
New Jersey libraries to beef up their selection of graphic novels.
Deal alert: If you are in ATL, you can go see Angela Davis for just $10!
Posted at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
October 21, 2009
Alex Chee on his time working with Annie Dillard. (I would link directly to the article, but I want you to see the photo on his site.)
The Lambda awards used to give prizes to anyone writing ABOUT gay people. Now they will honor gay writers, exclusively.
Too old for an MFA?
Opinionated folks, go help Kelli pick her author photo.
James Baldwin recalls a trip to San Francisco.
I should have saved this one for Valentine's Day. (Make sure you read the caption.)
Lovely poetry by Renee Simms. The last line... oh!
MFA deadline database.
The story behind Precious.
Authors are getting annoyed at celebrities who try and write novels.
The Guggenheim is free today in honor of its 50th birthday. And there is a cool NYT crossword puzzle marking the day!
Womanist Musings gives a big FAIL to "Good Hair."
Oooh, a smackdown. It's better than a old school hip-hop reponse track.
The case against book clubs.
Three ways to insult your editor.
Great road trips in American literature.
What not to do in a query letter.
Posted at 09:54 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
October 03, 2009
Sarah E. Wright, pioneer of African-American literature dies at age 80.
Sarah Palin's book is blowing up.
Roman Polanski will face charges for raping a 13-year-old girl. Lots of people think he's too brilliant to go to jail. Laila does not.
Classmates: David Foster Wallace and Dan Brown.
Opportunity Alert: 10 writers will get agents!
After twenty years, Chinua Achebe publishes a new novel.
The AUC will get Tupac's papers.
Huntington will get Octavia Butler's.
Racial Stereotypes fight back-- as superheroes!
Congratulations to Maud Newton!
Facebook divorce: OUCH.
Ta-Nehisi Coats on the American Dream. (video)
Excellent update on Khadijah at Harvard.
Oooh, can we go here for my birthday next month?
A literary journal that's all video is looking for submissions.
Pub your book with a video game!
Don't worry. Be unhappy. (Because sometimes, you have to face facts.
Excellent bibliography of Black American Feminism.
You'll never guess who Anne ran into at dinner last week.
What goes down "inside the castle of old-money publishing".
Posted at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
September 28, 2009
Three Black Men are on the NYT list. That's the headline. But we should also note that two of the books are advising black women how to catch a man, which suggests that the real headline is that Sisters Put Brothers on the NYT List. (Sisters are probably responsible for the third book one, but I'm not claiming it. The first two were hard enough.)
Anne's three year old daughter is changing the English language.
This is the harshest "inside publishing" piece I have ever read.
MFA Students, Erika wants to know what you want.
Tracy K is in The New Yorker!
Letter writing for hire.
So this guy thinks that bookstores should group books based on where they have been reviewed, publisher, etc. I think this idea would take the existing prejudices in publishing and put them on crack.
You have to be a true nerd to appreciate this. (I am not a true nerd, so I only appreciated the entry on Gremlins because I had always wondered about the effect of Daylight Savings Time on the little critters.)
Funny article on writers in the workplace. Just imagine my job where EVERYONE is a writer.
Posted at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
September 24, 2009
Get your morning cute on: Roz's precocious kindergartener talking about he's a writer. (And you can hear he's such a little New Yorker.)
Remember Khadijah Williams, the homeless girl who made it to Harvard? There is a fund set up to help her out while she is in school.
You have about ten seconds to get your application together, but wouldn't it be fantastic to be a TED fellow?
Food I miss from Barcelona.
The Europeans don't shy away from NSFW book covers.
Let's get meta with a link-dump within a link dump. Good stuff on this page-- people acting out rejection letters, folks suing their biographers, reports from the Gitmo Library...
Our beloved Dwayne Betts on PBS. (video)
Bronx Princess, a documentary about a Ghanain girl from the Bronx.
"I been locked up all my life": Heartbreaking last words of Texas death row inmates.
Wowza. Jill Scott to star in the movie adaptation of Carleen Brice's novel, Orange Mint and Honey. (Interview with Carleen.)
On the right is a little Barcelona street art, spray paint, I think.
Posted at 08:12 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
September 07, 2009
"Conversate" has made it into the dictionary!
Stephen Elliot writes wherever he wants to.
Book publicity webinar with Lauren Cerand.
Haute Lit talks to Farai Chideya about Kiss The Sky. (If the LA Times updates this list, Farai should be on it.)
Congratulations to Jayne Anne Phillips!
South African lesbian novelist publishes controversial book to bring attention to hate crimes.
Five things that get on editors' nerves.
An excellent explaination of the mechanics of drama in art AND in life!
Lalia Lalami on writing in her third language.
More tributes to Nikki.
When libraries throw books away, citizens rifle through the trash.
Sue William Silverman tells you how to be a fearless memoirist.
Bookkeeping basics for freelancers.
So that whole Roxanne Shante gets a PhD on Warner Music's tab thing was a lie.
Slate says American Casino is a little dull, but still important.
Free workshop for artist-activists of color.
Posted at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
September 01, 2009
RIP Nikki Harris-- poet, blogger, ATLien. There are many loving tributes at The House of Ladylee.
Verve Press is selling their lovely chapbooks on etsy.
It's not just us. Entertainment Weekly loves Nichelle Tramble, too!
When can you write about your kids?
Joy is compiling an anthology about writing about family.
Bat Boy and other assorted aliens have been rescued by Google Books!
There will be a sit-com about the publishing industry. (I'm glad SOMEBODY can laugh about it.)
When to use THAT and when to use WHICH.
Hey fiction writers, nobody is pirating your books. Poets either.
An open letter to Tyler Perry, with love and respect. But really, Tyler. Really.
To quote Bob Marley; "Stolen from Africa, brought to America" to work in hair braiding salons???
Why I love my job.
Short fiction-- SciFi by people of color!
Oxford American has its Southern Issue out. (Why this blog not listed under Blogs by Southern Writers? I am as southern as a biscuit!)
A teacher decided that, instead of telling students what to read, she let them tell her what to teach.
Not literary, but this story from New Orleans blew my mind.
"Accelerated Reading" software turns reading into a form of grade-grubbing.
Dani Shapiro says sometimes it's good for writers to do nothing.
Reading Rainbow was after my time, but I am sad to see it go.
Joy Castro steered me to this lovely and moving essay about a woman who forces herself to remember the past.
Posted at 08:58 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
August 24, 2009
Call her Dr. Roxanne Shante! And even better, she sued Warner Records for back royalities that financed her education! (Here's a video of Roxanne back in the day!)
Give us free! Sketches drawn of the Amistad prisoners as they awaited trail. (link via Light Reading)
A rare unicorn: A tenure track poetry gig in NYC.
Writers block at the end of a manuscript is perfectly normal. (And perfectly maddening.)
Obama's beach reads. Too bad Mr. Obama didn't take Doug Seibold's reccomendation for what the POTUS should read.
New York Magazine's fall list.
Good news: The Dodge Poetry Festival is back on!
Kim Chinquee talks about the difference between short fiction and flash fiction.
Saeed has found the wonderfullust ToMo quote ever.
You all know I have a complicated view of Karrine Steffans. Well the most famous "video vixen" has a new book out and Slate makes some interesting observations.
Not literaty but very disturbing: Costco removes "Lil Monkey" dolls from the shelves.
Vonnegut's advice is still good. (I especially like his advice to write in your own voice.)
Book inspired foods. (So weird you have to click.)
A-Z list of guests of the Bat Segundo Show.
How amazon makes it's sales ranking list.
Old school fan mail.
Posted at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
August 20, 2009
My godchild, Ava, starts preschool today. She is so very very adorable.
100 literary tweeters. (101 if you add my feed!)
Um, "Bigamy Novels" is a category????
Not literary: Tyra is taking her weave out on September 8.
A moving poem by Claudia Rankine literally moves through the Bronx.
Who loves Dwayne Betts besides me? The New Yorker, that's who.
If you blog about Bill Clinton he might send you a thank you note, in the mail, on presidential stationary!
What About Our Daughters has hired a reporter to bring back details from the Dunbar Village trial. (We raised money on this blog a year ago to aid the victims.)
Creative Non Fiction is looking for a blog post worth publishing.
Courtney Young holds Tyler Perry accountable for his gender issues.
Would you read a book just because a celebrity liked it? Maybe. Depends on the celebrity.
This is an EXCELLENT list of post-MFA fellowships.
Check out the date stamp on this post. At what point do we get to call it insomnia?
Posted at 02:50 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
August 13, 2009
Laura Ling's story about being held captive just didn't have enough zip, so what if she added a sister-angle? And what if her sister worked for Oprah???
This story about prisoners plagiarizing poetry was a little sad to me.
50 Multi-Cultural Books for young readers.
I, too, enjoy a little Jonathan Kellerman from time to time. I am not ashamed.
Vintage photos from Key West. I like the Tennessee Williams picture at the bottom.
Totally bizzaro amazon review.
A publicist gives advice to authors. (I must say, though, that I hate hate hate the word "pimp". It is not CUTE.)
Fernham gives a really interesting take on a little-known novel by Harlem Renaissance author, Jesse Fauset.
Posted at 09:29 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
August 11, 2009
Authors, file this under what NOT to do. This dude is such a grumpy smurf. He must not need money or exposure.
Book nerd tattoo!
The Louisville Public Library is underwater and needs your help.
New short story by friend of the blog,Nichelle Tramble.
Hurrah for David Anthony Durham, winner of the 2009 Campbell Award. (I love what a flexible writer he is. Go, David, Go!)
I posted earlier about the loss of Peggy Cooper Cafritz's art collection, but this NYT article gives more details about the lost treasures. Ms. Cafritz has always been a major patron of the arts, taking care to nurture black artists. I am sure the collection was insured, but some things can never be replaced.
Have you noticed that editors never give you a flat rejection anymore? It's always,"I love this, but..." Or "It's not you, it's the market..."
Other bloggers are getting into swag. Here are goodies from FunkyBrownChick and WeLoveBlackAuthors.
Ooh Pretty! Another excellent reason to explore the New York Public Library.
A national summit on arts jounalism.
What to do when you are not down with your editor's suggestions.
Not literary: Early video of Rick James. Kurtis Blow turns 50.
Sue William Silverman is an excellent memoirist. She has just published a how-to called Fearless Confessions. Check it out and check out this Q&A.
Posted at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
August 04, 2009
DIY. Make your own fake Kenyan birth certificate.
Just got my copy of Read Hard, Five Years of Great Writing From The Believer. My essay about Black History Month is included.
How E. Lynn encouraged a jewelry saleman to follow his real dream.
Major response to the MFA application coaching scandal.
New Jersey Writers: It's your turn for the Writers Exchange Award. GO FOR IT!
Ed Champion follows up on the no cursing bookstore policy.
Gonzalez is not impressed with Urrea.
Lots of yummy writers will be at the 92nd Street Y this year!
The ABA site has nice monthly links.
Why authors get mad when reviewers give away the ending.
Fire detroys the home of Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a great patron of artists of color.
Why we love vampires.
Sex worker reading series.
Let me just quote the editor: J. Randy Taraborrelli's barely updated bio of Michael Jackson gets slapped upside the head in today's Wash Post.
These are the best books published in the last sixty years? Really?
Posted at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
July 30, 2009
Renee says she learned more about writing novels from The Wire than from the two years she spent getting her MFA.
Percival Everett interviewed on The Bat Segundo Show.
The editors at Vanity Fair take a red pen to Sarah Palin's resignation speech.
Funny persona work. Bubbles The Chimp speaks.
More funny. Inside the beer summit.
This is no funny ha-ha. This is funny weird.
Librarians with tattoos.
Not all Black Girls Know How To Eat. The LA Times is iffy about the cover. I am not feeling the title.
Ghostwriter to the stars passes away at age 90.
Posted at 09:42 PM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
July 27, 2009
Gloria Vanderbilt is 85 years old and writing erotica. Can I tell you how much I love that?
The heroine of Justine Larbalestier's new novel is not white.... so why is there a white girl on the cover?
Literary Feuds: Ever notice when dudes clash, nobody calls it a catfight?
Valerie Boys's bootcamp for non-fiction proposals.
GLBT writers of African descent, here is a great conference for you!
Lorcaloca wonders if he is being too safe with his writing.
Educators, be sure to check out the new lesson plans published in Mosiac.
Seven Hemingways walk into a bar...
Victor LaValle is back.
Glad to know that I wasn't the only one creeped out by The Giving Tree.
Ru Freeman, one of the Amazing Eight, makes her debut and she makes it big.
Posted at 09:53 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
July 23, 2009
Want to sell a book? Put Dan Brown's name on it in big letters. Even if it isn't written by Dan Brown.What not to do when submitting: my agent has posted a really good list of dos and don'ts.
There is a new movie coming out about Assata Shakur. The trailer seems a little low-budget, but it seems like an interesting project.
When PBS gets sexy. This clip is funny. It would be funnier if it were a little bit more diverse. Black nerds exisit. And we are available for parody!
Obama stands up for Henry Louis Gates. Video.
The officer involved speaks.
The new Indiana Review is out. Abdel approves of my selection for the award winning story. **LINK REPAIRED.
Elizabeth Gilbert's ex-husband gets to tell his side of the Eat, Pray, Love divorce. Does this count as keeping it real? Apparently his search for meaning sent him to developing countries. (Who are these people? How do they get to do the travelling break-up?)
Betrayal! Corruption! Embezzlement! This is not a link about New Jersey politics, but the sad end of a prominent Atlanta book club.
Langston Hughes house sold in foreclosure.
The Paris Review publishes two new poems by Craig Arnold. (We miss you!)
Posted at 09:44 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
July 21, 2009
New York has a chance to be the sixth state to forbid the shackling of pregnant women who give birth while incarcerated. (Sometimes they are even strapped across the stomach!) All Gov. Patterson has to do is sign the bill. Call him and tell him to do the right thing: 518-474-8390
The blogosphere is on fire with the Skip Gates situation. The L.A. Times has a thorough overview, including mug shots. If you are in a good mood, don't read the comments.
The new Mosaic is out, and the cover is beautiful.
Hilton Als has some intense commentary on Michael Jackson, race and sexuality.
Jimmy Carter leaves his church over the treatment of women.
Feel good story of the day: Taking a first plane ride at 106 years old.
Goodbye Frank McCourt.
I had no idea fans of The Notebook were this serious.
Good news for academic job seekers. Google will stop listing Rate My Professor!
RIP Judi Ann Mason, African-American pioneer in the field of TV writing.
A nice list of opportunities, including an award for self-published authors.
Posted at 09:47 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
July 19, 2009
Don't ask my how or why, but the "wireless" icon just popped up on my desktop. Whoo Hoo! Here are some links to celebrate.
I saw on twitter that next season ETA Creative Arts Theatre in Chicago will feature plays written by black men, but directed by black women.
BRICK CITY, a new film about Newark,directed by Forrest Whitaker will premiere this fall on the Sundance Channel.
This account of the life of Lena Horne broke my heart.
How to know if a book is PoMo. (By this rubric, Leaving Atlanta is a little bit PoMo. Who knew?)
Melissa Harris Lacewell points out that we celebrate women of color when they don't react to humiliation.
But when you've had enough of the strong silent type, there is always Wendy Williams.
What a cool writing studio!
K.G. Schneider takes a clear-eyed look at the Kindle/Orwell drama.
Scandal at the librarian's conference!
Posted at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
July 07, 2009
EW offers three MiJac must-reads.
My newest obsession: Swarthy Daisy. Adorable t-shirts, tote bags, etc. So cute!
Mark Sandford book deal has been canceled. Can you imagine what would happen if publishers started yanking book deals from all the naughty boys?
Planters made from books.
James Frey is back. I just don't get it.
Oprah's summer reading list. (Does she go out of her way not to seem partial to writers of color?)
Ed Champion is loving himself some Percival Everett.
I'm a little late on this, but this is an excellent piece on writers and twitter.
Ten questions before you quit your day job.
Lauren Cerand: Undomestic Goddess
Posted at 07:52 AM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
June 30, 2009
Lena Horne is 92 years old today!
Table flip update: Alice Hoffman has sort of apologized.
Salon has a cool article about the history of writers getting even with reviewers. Highlights include absolutely nutso Richard Ford SPITTING on Colson Whitehead. And the very last line of the article is a keeper.
Beat writers Kerouac, Ginsberg & Burroughs feature in three new Hollywood films. Yay for more films about writers, but can we get some diversity up in here?
Little, Brown says it's too dangerous to send Luis Urrea to Mexico for his book tour.
Steve Almond never says no.
Samuel Delany answers questions about science fiction.
Chico Lingo on the value of writing books that regular people can read. (via JC)
Posted at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
June 24, 2009
I've been a little quiet lately. Trying to revise a 400 page manuscript is sort of distracting. Please forgive. Here are some pretty good links.
This is my feel good story of the year. A homeless girl gets into Harvard.
An interview with my beloved Ron Carlson.
If you use fountain pens like I do, this guide to pen maintenance will be handy.
MediaBistro's new media panel consisted of only white men. Women respond.
Johnny Temple is bringing diversity to publishing.
And here's why we need Johnny Temple.
A day in the life of an author of urban fiction. Read this, okay. Very interesting.
Shelley examines the class angle associated with the MFA in several posts.
Carleen Brice's new novel, Children of the Waters, has just been released and The Original Oldgirl is psyched!
Posted at 07:12 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
June 17, 2009
Greetings from Provincetown. I am here working, not playng, so I don't have much time to blog. Also, I am busy freezing to death because summer hasn't found it's way to New England! But even though I haven't been able to blog, others have, and here are some pretty tasty links:
Renee Simms (who wrote a great post for this blog), was aasked how she keeps all the balls in the air. She gets really real in response.
I will agree with Eduardo. I'd read this book for the cover and title alone.
Nora Roberts talks about S-E-X.
Sarah W. Tells you what thrillers to read this summer. On the list, Attica Locke!
For those of you who prefer a different type of thrill, Naki has something for you.
Janice Erlbaum is feeling Percival Everett.
Want to get a Ph.D. in Creative Writing?
Grad school is all well and good, but can we talk about how expensive it is?
Fearless Confessions, Sue William Silverman's guide to writing memor, is finally out. Joy loves it.
Posted at 09:21 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
June 11, 2009
Is 30Rock an updated take on The Muppet Show?
This is worth a chuckle.
The Right To Read is collecting books for Palestinian children.
Actual comments from workshopped stories. (pretty funny)
Galleycat gives love to Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant.
Hard labor: Judge sentences criminal to write a book.
Esquire thinks it's too cute for commercial fiction.
The New Yorker wants to know what you think of your MFA.
Women authors are urged to be more aggressive. That's all well and good, but nobody mentions that aggressive women don't get the same response as aggressive men.
Arcade Publishing files Chapter 11. Sigh.
ToMo Alert: Texas prisons believe that Paradise will cause unrest. The Great Lady takes that as a compliment.
Posted at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
June 09, 2009
Photo on the right is the lighthouse in Edgartown. This place is so pretty, but my time here is almost up!
Girls Write Now needs you. Please go to the site and make a donation.
And Color on Line is having a summer drive for books for girls.
Can your manuscript be too long?
Young Adult fiction walks on the dark side.
Twenty years ago, a publisher rejected Mildred Riley’s romance novel about African-Americans because “black people don’t read.” Well, she's 91-years old and has just published her 13th novel.
Posted at 08:46 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
June 05, 2009
Writing books won't make you rich. Wow. Who knew.
This is pretty funny. As the entry above proves, writers have to learn to laugh at our crazy lives. My favorite line: "No, Oprah hasn't called. If she called me, I would have called you and told you. You don't have to ask me."
College Essay Writing Workshop for NYC girls.
Writers conference for NYC grown-ups!
Creepy graphic novel (well, short story) on line. Topic: What not to ask an author at a signing.
Laila Lalami posts a powerful quote from Maxine Hong Kingston.
Give $5 to Copper Canyon Press and get a free book of poems.
What if someone hijacked your blog and deleted it on the day your book is published?!?
The Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project.
Posted at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
June 03, 2009
I am going to take myself on a little lunchie-play date today. But in the meantime here are some links:
I saw this tie and thought, *ouch* Just a friendly reminder to follow your dreams. (For sale at etsy)
First Black Romance Novelist, Elsie B. Washington, Dies at 66. Can you believe that her groundbreaking novel was published just in 1980.
The Okra Picks are a new way to market southern literature. Why do I have a feeling that novels by the urban southerners like me will not be well represented on this list?
I can't wait to read this new thriller by Attica Locke. I love myself a literary page-turner!
Alexander Chee responds to Marie Mockett.
British Author, Martina Cole is living her life AND chasing that paper. (If you like to live large, click the link!)
I know everybody is all excited about Disney's black princess, but I have to agree with Jezebel. Enough already. Princesses are retro and lame.
Has slam gone too mainstream?
ToMo Alert: The Great One speaks out against censorship.
Big job opportunity at Poets and Writers.
The Washington Post is crazy about Ron Carlson, as am I.
Posted at 10:40 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
June 02, 2009
Drove by the Dorothy West Home yesterday. It's not a museum. Instead the woman who cared for Mrs. West at the end of her life was given the house in Mrs. West's will. My first thought was that the house shouldn't be used, it should be preserved! But then I remembered Alice Walker's excellent short story, "Everyday Use."
Congratulations to the winners of the Lambda Literary Awards.
In India parents are tired of only having American and English books for thier kids.
Can creative writing be taught? I'm sort of over the conversation, but it's worth a link.
New Jersey artists, let's try again to win a state grant.
Beautiful poetry broadsides, signed by the authors. Only $10.
Posted at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
May 31, 2009
I saw this cute Oak Bluffs "gingerbread" house when I was talking a walk, and I just snap a photo with my phone. These houses are sweet; I just wanted to bite them.
Maya Angelou speaks out for gay marraige.
Large Hearted Boy has a wrap up of summer reading lists.
Young Nigerian novelists write a future.
Can a poet be tamed into a professor?
First reading of a novel is to find out what happens. The second time is for the beauty of it all.
Camilio Jose Vergara's lovely photos of a Harlem of the recent past.
A video interview of Walter Mosley talking about his new series.
Amazon is at it again. Authors can't put the word "gay" in their bios.
Posted at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
May 28, 2009
Literary tatoos. What's not to like?
ToMo Alert: She appeared on "On Point" this morning. You can listen here. (Thx, Jarita)
Let's hear it for the grown people. James King wins the Breakthrough Novel Award and Alice Munro scores the Man Booker International.
The fact John Sayles can't get a book deal has been spun as further proof that publishing is over; but some argue that it's just because the book is too dang long.
However, the fact that Kanye--who prides himself on not reading-- has published 52-page book, is not good news.
On a more positive front, Dr. Dolen is loving Ta-Nehisi Coates' memoir.
Got writers block? You might need to spend five minutes writing love notes to yourself.
Vickie just hipped me to the concept of a smart pen. Interesting idea...
The worst thing about poetry readings. (Thx, Eduardo)
Posted at 08:17 PM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
May 27, 2009
This weekend, my friend, Jarita, and I saw a zillion stranded starfish, just like in the story.
"From High School to High Security." Dwayne Betts, friend of the blog and dear to my heart, is recorded on NPR on the occaision of his graduation from The University of Maryland.
The skinny on POV choices and publishing.
When the author hates the movie-version of her book.
Sell your book by giving it away!
Helen Oyeyemi has a new book and I can't wait to get my hot little hands on it.
This is was very very cool-- how a book cover came to be.
Someone has a soft spot for bad second novels.
The Oxford Poetry drama: Derek Walcott was suppossed to be the winner, but he pulled out due to a smear campaign; then it turns out that Ruth Padel--who ended up with the post-- was behind the drama in the first place. So who will get the job now?
A HUGE self-publishing success story.
Mosaic has a new look for the new issue.
Posted at 06:32 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
May 22, 2009
Here is a pretty meaty list of links. I hope it will keep you busy until the holiday weekend is over. Picture on the right is me strolling on the harbor. You can see it, but I am carrying a galley of Ru Freeman's novel,
A Disobedient Girl. I forgot how luxurious it is to read without a pen in my hand. My cell phone doesn't really work up here, so I haven't been handling my business from afar. I've just been enjoying life, making art.
But, um... As it is Memorial Day. Does anyone know where the party is
at in Oak Bluffs? I am digging the peaceful artist thing, but y'all know I am a social creature.
Come on Jack and Jillers. Tell me the password to get into the secret hideout.
Okay, enough about me. Here's the linky-dink.
Shelley is grappling with what "right" she has, as a white writer, to tell stories about people of color. It's an interesting piece, really going there. I mean, is "my girlfriend likes it and she's a woman of color?" a good argument. It's not, but it kinda is, or it kinda could be. But is the other alternative to write a Seinfeld world, in which the PoCs are mysteriously removed from the planet? There's a lot to tangle with over there.
For some reason, I've been following this man-on-man kerfuffle. Here is a recap if you are interested. Dave Eggers gave an inspiring speech in NYC the other day. People swooned. Ed Champion did not; he says the country is in a real crisis--this is no time for rainbows and unicorns. There was this other piece involving a check, but I didn't understand it, so I won't like. So apparently, there was yet another dude who did this sort of aggressive Q&A with Dave, who then wrote back a pretty annoyed response. There are a lot of writers and thinkers throwing names back in forth in these spirited discussions. No PoCs, but whatevs. There are some clubs you don't want to get into.
Here's one for all the Daddy's Girls out there. We are making our fathers into better people.
The L.A. Times blog is launching a new feature: Writers on Writing. (Go get the link from Ericka. And while you're there, get acquainted with her insanely helpful blog.)
The agent who discovered little ol' me, and also Obama.
Can you believe that me and Eminem have something in common?
Professor Tracey is making a summer reading list. Can you recommend something to her?
Your paragraph should be like a hamburger.
Depending on how much you like narratives involving cats, you may (or may not) be a little amused by the happenings at the House of Ladylee.
And last, Mary Roach gives a TED talk for grown folks. This is better than a 10 years of Cosmo. (NSFW, depending where you work.)
Posted at 06:53 AM | Comments (3)
Category:
Links
May 18, 2009
The nice man from Verizon came by the apartment and hooked up my wifi! It was all I could do to keep from jumping into his arms. So here are some interesting links I found as soon as I booted up.
The movie based on Sapphire's PUSH is now called PRECIOUS. Janice posted the trailer. I am so ambivalent about this project, but I think I should wait to see the film. (But does it seem like there is some hinky color stuff going on with the casting?)
Jeffrey Wright reads Walk Whitman.
Esquire announces a fiction contest. The catch is that they get to pick the title.
Al Pacino is starring in a movie adaptation of Gladwell's BLINK. Am I allowed to wonder if any black actors will be on the cast?
For some reason James Frey will not go away. Oprah, do not call him again!
How BookScan can tank your career.
Remembering Eartha Kitt.
Did you know that another author can write a sequel to an existing book without the author's permission?
Farai Chideya's book party.
The Vermont Studio Center, where I will be in residence this Decemeber, has a lot of groovy scholarships. I love how specific they are. Check out the descriptions, and notice that there is one earmarked for members of Cave Canem.
Posted at 04:44 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
May 12, 2009
Dear Mae Jemison, I've loved you ever since I, as a kid, saw your picture in a spacesuit with your teeny-weeny afro! Listening to your Ted Talk on art+science has rekindled the flame.
Galleycat loves Ravi Howard, a friend of this blog.
Maud Newton is the cover girl for Narrative Magazine and she is hosting a giveaway!
E-readers open the door to literary bootleggers.
Why are all kids in stories geniuses?
I only liked one of these book covers. Can you guess which?
Shelley remembers her mom. I really liked this essay.
Black fabulousness on galleycat? Yes, it's true.
More DFW. Can the man rest in peace?
Pearl Cleage on the joy of reading in bed.
John Keene is so over post-blackness.
Posted at 07:03 AM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
May 05, 2009
This book trailer for Hollyhood cracked me up!
James Kelman won the Booker Prize and the resulting hateration nearly ruined his career!
A teacup out there somewhere is missing it's tempest: Colson Whitehead responds to the non-drama of being accused of being a YA novelist.
Opportunity Alert: Submit your work to the Best New Poets 2009.
Remember S.E. Hinton, the author of The Outsiders and That Was Then, This is Now?
I Enjoyed this video of ZZ Packer.
So sad that there has been no good news on the case of Craig Arnold.
What does Edwidge Danticat fear?
Jean Rhys: everyone's favorite brilliant mad woman.
Opportunity Alert: energing writing in Toronto, Diaspora Dialogues is looking for you!
Posted at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
May 01, 2009
Feel good story of the day. A High School Senior from Virginia wins $20,000 toward his college education by reciting poetry.
And speaking of poetry, here is Elizabeth Alexander reading from her work.
And speaking of famous-firsts when it comes to black women in the white house, Sojourner Truth is honored by Michelle Obama. And let's not forget Artis Lane, the sister who sculpted the bust!
And Sojourner Truth gets me on the subject of defiant women. Here is a video of Sandra Cisneros saying, among other things, that she hated the Iowa Writers Workshop.
And that brings us to another outspoken woman writer. Honor Moore talks about women who suffer from "Male Approval Desire."
Sarah Jones could sing, "I'm every woman," and not mean it as a metaphor. She is one of the few sisters I have ever seen give a Ted Talk. And she really brings it.
And let's wrap of with another sort of moment of a woman flipping the script. Chantal Biya is the First Lady of Cameroon. She is the polar opposite of Michelle Obama, but I am crazy about her. Flip through the images.
Posted at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
April 20, 2009
An article in Poets and Writers about writers on twitter. I'm quoted calling my favorite indulgence a "crazy time vampire". (Feel free to follow me: @tayari)
An fun piece about books you buy that are already inscribed to other people. I was on ebay yesterday and saw this copy of Leaving Atlanta I signed to a belligerent dude at a bar in Phoenix about 5 years ago. I am trying to remember if he paid me for the book, or if I gave it to him... I guess the real shocker is that I can remember the interaction at all.
The Pulitzers are here!
I didn't know that Common wrote children's books.
Shelly Ettinger is really looking forward to Stacyann Chin's memoir.
Princeton is hosting a ginormous poetry festival.
Dan Brown has a new book coming out and there will be 5,000,000 copies printed.
I don't know what it means that I am not obsessed with Susan Boyle. But this article by Patricia J. Williams was interesting. anyway.
I am, however, really curious about the book Chavez gave to Obama.
How a scholar can write a book that regular people can read.
Drama. Does Michael Crichton's son, born three months after his death, get a share of the estate?
Posted at 04:49 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
April 06, 2009
Natasha Trethewey was suppossed to read at the 92nd Street Y tonight, but bad weather prevented her from flying to NYC. So disappointed!I was forced to drown my sorrows in a vat of creme brullee. (UPDATE: I heard from a reliable source that Marilyn Nelson held it down in Natasha's stead.)
Maud is looking forward to Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche's new book and so is Joy.
Writing In Real Life gets really candid about rejection. Thanks for being so real, girl, all the time.
Can you imagine Odysseus on twitter? I'd follow him.
Michael Crichton died last Novemeber and I totally missed it. But there are posthumous titles in the works. I don't know if that is a good thing.
A Brooklyn boy writes to Malia Obama to ask her to speak her dad on behalf of his.
The grammar police are so annoying.
Everybody loves a self-publishing Cinderella story.
National Poetry Month wouldn't be National Poetry Month without Nikki Giovanni.
Gabriel García Márquez says don't count him out.
If Michelle Obama's image doesn't sell magazines, then what will?
Jennifer holds it down for the ladies.
If you're into crime fiction, bookmark Sarah.
So what do you do when readers talk to you about your characters like they are real people?
Introducing Tania James. If her work is as interesting as this article, I'm all in.
Posted at 10:25 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
April 04, 2009
Can we get some gender parity here, NPR? Good Grief.
This is the funniest title I have seen in some time.
Writers get together and post their complaints about agents.
Very cool book trailers.
Kindle owners on strike!
The Brown Bookshelf: resources for writers and readers of YA books.
Get your poetry ring tone!
Chris Abani reads his poetry.
Wetlands has made it to the US. Is it liberating or gross?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is putting his pen down.
Posted at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 29, 2009
I am not mad at Bob Barker for getting creative in trying to sell his book!
Joy reviews Outsiders Within, a book about transracial adoption. John Raible was also impressed.
These chapbooks are free for downloading. How you are supposed to decide which ones you want, I don't know.
Anika is really annoyed with the ways that media is remembering John Hope Franklin.
I love this hand art. But man, is his publicity photo creepy and colonial, or what?
Princeton is planning a HUGE celebration of Odetta this Thursday. If *only* I didn't have to work.
Here's an interview I did with Superstition Review.
Richard Wright has roots in Fort Greene.
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is trying something new. A blog from the POV of one of her characters.
The No. 2 Ladies' Detective Agency is premiering tonight. Troy Patterson hated it. I'm wondering why no Africans were cast in the lead roles.
Literary tattoos. I love Toni Morrison a lot. But enough to get the last line of Sula tattooed on my neck?
30 Poems in 30 Days. NaPoWriMo.
Posted at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 25, 2009
Today is going to an insanse and busy day for me. But for those of you who have time to enjoy the internets, well here are some things worth checking out.
E.L. Doctorow is reading at Rutgers-Newark tonight. Free.
Mary Gaitskill interview on Slate V. It's not your usual success story.
When I was at the Young Lions Awards, I was feeling bad for the runner ups. Well, I am drying my eyes for Sana Krasikov. She just won the $100,000 Sami Rohr Prize.
For some reason this painting of Elizabeth I really appeals to me.
Sylvia Plath's son, Nicholas, has committed suicide. This is a story about depression, not about poetry.
Chicks dig dudes with verbal skills.
Literary one-hit wonders.
So what happens when a huge movie is sorta kinda based on yourlife, but not really?
Lovely photos from the Academy of American Poets.
If you're into Virginia Woolf, here's a book group for you!
Did you know that many of the big NY publishing houses got their start publishing Jewish authors when others refused?
Posted at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 20, 2009
Picking Cotton is a book by a man who spent years in jail for a rape he didn't commit and the woman who falsely accused him. I heard them on 60 Minutes and it warmed the cockles of my cold cold heart.(That's them on left, as they travel the country telling their story and talking about The Innocence Project.)
Alex Chee writes about his dad at Granta:"His mother gave him a gold belt buckle to sell when he arrived, as she couldn’t give him money, and asked him, whatever he did, not to marry a blue-eyed, blonde-haired American girl."Bush is getting $7M for his memoirs and Obama has a big payday down the line, too.
The deadline for VONA writing workshops is coming up. Hurry!
My novel, The Untelling, has been listed as a book "not about race." I don't know what the heck that is suppossed to mean. A compliment? Is it a nice way of saying my book isn't about racism, per se? Or maybe it's meant be s badge of being an un-scary black person? Would Leaving Atlanta render me ineligible? Being black can be so complicated sometimes.
Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida have written a new film.
Posted at 09:23 AM | Comments (7)
Category:
Links
March 18, 2009
Opportunity Alert: I just heard from Justin Quarry about this really cool residency. He was there last summer. It's a commitment-- three months long. Those of you out there who say you want to really take the plunge, to see what would happen if you tried to do the writing thing full-time, here's a chance to stick your toe in. Here are the details.
The Kerouac Project of Orlando. This is the home where Jack Kerouac lived when On the Road was published, and where he wrote Dharma Bums. Each of four three-month residencies allotted for the year is free, plus residents receive a stipend for food in the form of Publix gift cards. The house is a pretty big cottage (2BR/2BA) in downtown Orlando (forget Disney; as it turns out, there's actual history and culture there--for instance, Zora Neale Hurston's Eatonville just down the road), and because each resident is there alone, and because the house can easily accommodate more than one person, residents are allowed to bring spouses or partners--but not kids or pets. Deadline April 15.
What I love about this:
It is open to emerging writers.
ZNH tourism/research potential
The Publix gift cards.
You can bring your squeeze if you have one.
What I don't love:
When Justin got this terrific gig, he didn't tell me so I didn't get to announce it on the blog! (Belated congrats, Justin. Keep doing your thing!)
Posted at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 17, 2009
Wow, that's a lot of money. Imagine about half of this. That's what AIG is getting.
55 Secret Street is documenting my other fashion love-- beaded barrettes.
Opportunity Alert: Cool colonies in Brazil and in Colorado!
No, Laila. Tell us how you really feel.
Thank you to Laura Madeline Wiseman for using my first novel, Leaving Atlanta, in her mission to make girls more comfortable with that time of the month.
What writers like to read while they eat. When I was on my first book tour, I was so shy about eating along in a restaurant, that I took a book for cover. Now, I like to read magazines while I am dining along. I don't like to think while I eat.
Posted at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
March 12, 2009
Galleycat is integrating!
A license to vandalize, as long as it's poetry. I'm going to do mine with lipstick on my bathroom mirror.
Kaye Gibbons pleads guilty to impersonating a doctor in order to get pain killers. Remember that reading I did with her at AWP Atlanta?
Why we get off on vampire books.
Marlon James takes the high road when reading books by racists. You may remember that Shelley takes a different view.
And they said the seven-figure book deal was a thing of the past.
Two writers, Renee Simms and Nichelle Tramble remember their recently deceased mothers.
The non-fiction students at University of Nebraska are blowing up!
A computer program will find the cliches in your manuscript!
Opportunity Alert: The Frost Place is offering fellowships to educators from under-served communities.
I am posting this just to get on every body's nerves.
Natasha Trethewey is judging the Indiana Review poetry contest.
Pseudononymous writers, you can run but you can't hide from Sarah Weinman.
Helpful hints for how to be happy and be a writer at the same time.
Authors I really like write about their dads.
Posted at 09:44 AM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
March 03, 2009
55 Secret Street has documented my love for my slanket.
This is pretty exciting: Angela Basset is directing the movie version of Percival Everett's novel, Earsure.
Shelly is really over Flannery O'Connor.
Reputation Inflation? It's like grade inflation, but for poets.
Blago gets a book deal, Condi too!
Jesse L. Martin reads James Baldwin. (swoon)
New chapbook prize for a GLBT poet.
LA Times Book Prize finalists, including Nina Revoyr (another swoon)
My agent, the fabulous Jane Dystel, is concerned that editors are rejecting manuscripts without even reading them.
Margarita Engle is the first Latina Newberry Medalist.
Apparently I am not the only person that is feeling prickly about so many depictions of black women as mammies. (Thx Nichelle)
Google wants to make it right with writers. Sign up for your sixty bucks.
Carleen wants to know what you think about the African-American section in the bookstore. Y'all know what I think.
Posted at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
February 16, 2009
I was away this weekend, so I didn't do a special Valentine's Post, but here are two great love-related links cribbed from Fred Smith: Psychotic Letters from Men. (I could totally submit to this one, but I don't want to accidently find myself back on any lunatic's radar!) And this one: Six-Word Memoirs on Love. (One of these made me laugh so hard, I hurt myself. I can't tell you which one because I don't want to overshare.
Mike Tyson collaborated with a cellmate on his memoirs.
Can you believe it's been 20 years since The Ayatollah Khomeini but a hit out on Salman Rushdie?
If you loved Janice Erlbaum's Have You Seen Her like I loved it, you'll want to check out this coda.
So that's what's up with writers and Spanx!
When pressured, Colson Whitehead gets cute.
Voices From The Gaps is a great archive for info about women writers of color.
Posted at 06:22 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
February 07, 2009
I haven't posted links in a long time, so excuse me for linking to things you have already seen!
RIP Ellen Miller, author of the beautiful and 
disturbing novel, Like Being Killed. It's the kind of book that sticks with you and messes with your sleep. I always wondered what became of the author and I am sorry that this is the end of the story.
Obama's audio book bleeps.
Granta publishes a special issue about fathers. Maud Newton writes about the time her dad hired a prostitute who didn't want to leave.
W.E.B. Dubois: back in print.
Saaed Jones on the topic of "universality".
I've always envied poets because they have the Dodge Festival. Well, now they don't. This recession thing is real.
The movie version of Sapphire's novel, Push, played big at Sundance and got snapped up by Lion's Gate. Let the hand-wringing begin.
Oooh, Mary Gaitskill interviewed splendidly at The Believer.
Suzanne Ondrus wants Aracelis Girmay to be her valentine.
Stephen King thinks Stephanie Meyer is a hack.
Um... start your NEA application right away. It's complicated. And it takes a long time. For example, it takes 3 days for them to send your registration number.
La Bloga interviews children's author Monica Brown.
While the rest of publishing is crashing and burning, self-publishers are blowing up!
Posted at 10:28 PM | Comments (3)
Category:
Links
January 18, 2009
I know I am in DC getting my inauguration on, but I just wanted to post these links. Some are sort of dated since I have been away so long, but I still thought I would post.
Remember Dwyane Betts, who wrote about throwing his laptop to the floor to catch his baby son? Well, his memoir is available for pre-order and I am so proud of him that I tear up everytime I look at the amazon page.
Jane Smiley writes about how 8 years of Bush changed her writing.
Every non-fiction book needs an index and the author has to hire someone to do it.
An interview I did with a Ugandan newspaper.
Top ten out of print books.
Inaugural poet, Elizabeth Alexander, has her work cut out for her.
Fictionaut has a new member-feed.
Newly discovered poems by Langston Hughes.
Congrats to Paul Beatty on his "Creative Capital" Grant. Don't spend it all in one place!
And while we're appluading, give it up for Ravi Howard who won the 2nd Annual Ernest J. Gaines award for literary excellence.
Alexander Chee has some good stuff in his TBR pile.
Sarah Vap says don't edit the life out of your book.
Abdel is the latest to board The-Jericho-Brown-Love-Train.
Gail Konop Baker didn't plan to write a memoir, but then again she the didn't plan on breast cancer either.
Posted at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
January 06, 2009
Elizabeth Alexander double alert: Hear her read. And read what she is going to wear!
Ah! The sweet smell of entitlement. "I'm not talking about potential accusations of "cultural appropriation". I couldn't care less about that."
When publishers use twitter, strangely.
Since studies have shown that most Newberry book winners feature white male protags who live in two parent homes, Joy salutes Jacqueline Woodson.
For anyone who hasn't figured it out by now how much I love GWN.
Here's a heck of a quote.
Will Obama help black writers?
Cave Canem announces ANOTHER poetry book prize.
Poetry from the burbs.
A special issue of Rattle is focusing on African-American poets. Submissions are open.
Seeking creative writers who are influenced by Virginia Woolf.
Posted at 08:47 AM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
January 01, 2009
Galleycat has a month-by-month listing of the year in publishing. This has been a crazy twelve months. From Margaret B. Jones (Who? Oh, her!)way back in March to the total meltdown in December, a LOT has gone down.
This is a weird post about by editor who plunks down six-figures for a book, and still it isn't enough to close the deal.
Want to go to the inauguration as a VIP? Enter the official inaugural essay contest!
National Book Award winner, Judy Blundell has written dozens of books, but this was the first one she was brave enough to write under her real name.
Paperback Writer reveals what she won't be doing in 2009.
When it comes to The Joy of Sex, everyone has something to say.
Toure lists the "Thinking Man's Sex Symbols." Paper bag test, anyone?
5 Tips for the Short Story Writer.
Thoughts on Gaza and thought provoking quotes from Ngugi.
So many writers are waiting for Hollywood to come a'knockin.
The Souls of Black Girls is now available on DVD.
Posted at 02:56 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
December 26, 2008
Next week I am doing a Q&A with the organizer of the "Dreams of My Father" American Scholars Inaugural Ball. And she'll tell us how we can go!
Don't forget to enter the Kore Press short fiction contest. I'm judging and I've got good taste. :)
RIP Eartha Kitt. There are many tributes on the web, but Misstra Knowitall and Afrobella put their blogging where their hearts are.
Christine Zilka, friend of the blog, interviews Alexander Chee, another friend.
Midwestern Malfeasance: This is not literary, but too crazy to omit: Blago has hired R. Kelly's lawyers!
RIP Harold Pinter. Ed has a terrific tribute, but you have to know Pinter's work to really get it.
Anika is not feeling Kwanzaa. But I always liked Kuumba, which is all about creativity.
Publishing is in the toilet, but you knew that already.
Keep those teenage you pictures coming. I am going to post them all on New Years and post the total money raised for GWN!
Posted at 08:58 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
December 21, 2008
The Guardian loves Elizabeth Alexander and so do I.
Graywolf Press also loves her. So much that they are printing a chapbook of her inaugural poem.
25 things to know about self-publishing.
Did you know that stir-frying a fake necklace will make it turn green? Nami Mun tells this and more at a Q&A at Koreanish.
Is the Newberry Award causing kids to hate reading? Some say yes, some say no.
Walter Dean Myers gave a reading in a prison and realised that one of the inmates was a kid he had met earlier at a school.
Posted at 07:26 PM | Comments (2)
Category:
Links
December 19, 2008
George Packer complains that Elizabeth Alexander has been chosen as inaugural poet. Luckily, TaNehisi Coates was on the ready at The Atlantic set the record straight. (Thx Anovelista for letting me know.)
Like me, Reggie H loves Elizabeth Alexander, but he is very displeased about the choice of Rick Warren as inaugural preacher. Novelist, Jane Smiley, is similarly unamused.
This is shaping up to be a grumpy set of links. Remember when Alisa Valdez Rodriguez called Jodi Picoult out on her racism? Well Picoult responded and got smacked down, again. (Note to Jodi: never ever ever try to drag the name of Toni Morrison into a conversation like this. You are NOT Toni Morrison.)
Speaking of people with a lot of nerve, James Frey claims to be writing a "third book of the Bible."
Nerd mixology. NPR lets you mix your own podcast.
I love this Lorrie Moore piece, "How To Be A Writer."
Do you ever look at the New Yorker and wonder how the heck they choose those stories? Now you can ask the editor.
New Akashic Noir anthologies are headed your way. Editors will be Edwidge Danticat and Dennis Lehane.
Spell check is making us write weird.
NPR has organized all their end-of-year lists so you can peruse about fifteen weirdly alienating Best Of lists at once! Tis the season!
Posted at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
December 13, 2008
R.I.P. legendary editor Carol Houck Smith, who passed away at age 85 and worked to the last day.
I hate that I was born too late to attend Howard University in the 1970s.
Alisa Valdes Rodriguez was loving Jodi Picoult's new novel til she got to the racism. Then she re-read the book and got offended all over again.
Who knew Anika was so adorable on video? She bakes a banana bread and gives her holiday book picks.
Would you prefer to go two weeks without sex, or two weeks without the internet?
Word Spy posts newly coined words. My favorite is ninja loan: a loan given to someone with No Income, No Job, and No Assets. Not exactly an acronym, but close. I think it would be a useful shorthand term for describing people you meet on match.com.
The recession is claiming Portland's Feminist Non-Profit Bookstore.
Ever wondered what's the point of having a poet laureate?
Posted at 11:58 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
December 11, 2008
News and Notes has been cancelled!
Did you know that there's been crazy backlash again Jonathan Safran Foer? I feel so lame because I haven't thought too much about him one way another. Should I be backlashing?
Erika has pointers for AWP. And just FYI, The mother ship hotel is full. You'll have to stay in a satellite.
Eduardo Corral posts a memorial and links to a poem.
Some people just know how to stay rich.
Writers gather to say farewell to Studs Terkel.
What happens when you discover your father is a notorious Nazi?
Oprah, girl, don't even worry about it. You are more than your dress size.
Posted at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
December 09, 2008
Toni Morrison was brilliant last night. Of course. And I didn't cry, or make a spectacle of myself in anyway.
Ed Champion helps freelancers keep their heads up!
The best paid authors in the world.
The Lincoln Theatre holds a competition for emerging plaaywrights.
Drama in BookClubVille.
Steel Toe Books is taking submissions for their poetry book contest. They are placing special emphasis on immigrant writers and writers of color.
Wanna write chica-lit? Alisa Valdes Rodriguez is offering writing workshops!
The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago invites applications for the 2008-2009 Artist-in-Residence Program.
Posted at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Links
November 16, 2008
Why do I want this so bad? And why can't I stop watching the crazy videos that go with it?
WARNING: If you are already obsessed with Michelle Obama, do not click this link!
Although we are crazy proud of Rigoberto for being part of the OUT 100, After Ellen points out that there were hardly any women on the list.
Sarah Palin is in line for 7 million dollar book deal! File that under: Only in America.
Jericho Brown has some smart things to say about true meaning of "color blind".
Omnivoracious picks the books that best represent Georgia. No, I am not on the list, but Toni Cade Bambara is, and that's good enough for me.
California Newsreel releases a new documentary on Zora Neal Hurston. (Can we start calling her ZNH?)Here's the trailer.
Dear Mr. Obama: Reggie Harris has some ideas for you, starting with Patricia Smith for inaugural poet.
Posted at 03:46 PM | Comments (1)
Category:
Links
November 12, 2008
Hey, y'all. I'm back home in front of my own computer. Here are some links that caught my eye while I was playing catch-up. I am working to get my Ghana pictures together. I plan to post about the trip over the next couple weeks. Meanwhile, here's some pretty cool stuff to read.
Toni Morrison interviewed on Charlie Rose: "This story is pre-racial. When everyone was for sale or for rent." One more thing she said that I love. "Oh no. I am writing another book, dear." I love her tone. Listening to the interview as I type. She talks about everything. She's so funny and so smart. She is so wry about Updike. And even a little flirtatious. Lord, I love that woman. You MUST check out the interview.
Miriam Makeba: RIP "Mama Africa."
Alice Walker has a blog. She kicks it off with a letter to Barak Obama.
Our favorite poet, Natasha Trethewey, has written a powerful essay on the occasion of the Obama election.
Ed Champion says always look a gift horse in the mouth.
Joy Castro fires back at the NYT.
Tom Brown talks about the relationship between creativity and play.
Black gay writers, Fred Smith and Reggie Harris speak out on Prop 8 and the racial blame-game that followed.
Okay. Getting back in bed now.
Posted at 08:33 AM | Comments (6)
Category:
Links
