Links

Cool Links I Found Mostly on Twitter

Posted on September 1, 2011 by TayariJones

Read This

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So Many Links, So Little Time

Posted on August 25, 2011 by TayariJones
Hunter S Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson

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#JustRead This, & Other Links

Posted on April 11, 2011 by TayariJones

I know, I have been a terrible blogger lately. I have been so dialed up with all the Silver Sparrow pre-pub stuff. It’s all I can think about, but I don’t want this blog to be a Silver Sparrow journal. But I miss blogging, so I’m back! I can’t say that I’ll be my normal three-times-a-week self. But I am always on line, so follow me on twitter or tumblr.
Meanwhile, here’s some yummy stuff I have found on line that you will like.

  • #JustRead is a new hashtag started by Dolen to recommend good books.
  • And speaking of the twitter… 15 black writers to follow.
  • Writers and their dogs.
  • To outline, or not to outline. (I vote not, but that’s just me.)
  • Writers talk about their book covers.
  • How to be a good literary critic.
  • Billy Joel changed his mind about publishing his autobiography. And gave back MILLIONS of dollars that he got as an advance.
  • Crazy dog-walking ad.
  • A delicious pear-Riesling sorbet
  • Stages of grief after a critique.
    And the highlights from my tumblr–

  • Cupcake-a-pa-looza
  • The murder map for the Atlanta Child Murders.
  • Fela’s Queens
  • A young Chinua Achebe. (so handsome!)
  • The flip side of the Rosa Parks myth. Youhave to see this.
    • Posted in Links | 1 Comment

    A Million Little Links

    Posted on December 2, 2010 by TayariJones

  • Thank you, everybody for donating to Leaving Atlanta: The Film! We are making such terrific progress. (HUG)
  • Yesterday was World AIDS Day. Annie Lennox on why she is an AIDS activist.
  • My post from last year about why you should take an HIV test. I did.
  • Antonya Nelson remembers the serial killer in her hometown. Obviously, I can relate.
  • Interview with Amy Hempel. I love her writing. I was especially moved by the way she talked about her experience in a writing workshop at Columbia. I know that people have a lot of issues with writing programs, but when the right student connects with the right teacher– magic happens. I know my mentor, Ron Carlson, actually changed the way my brain works and I really mean that.
  • o_o. The NPR rap.
  • There is a lovely photo of Langston Hughes on my tumblr.
  • James Baldwin on love and memory.
  • Video Lit: Terrance Hayes
  • Lauren’s blog always makes me want to be more glamorous.
  • Five cool links– Margaret Atwood, MFA vs NYC and other stuff.
  • Joy Castro on the New Mexico MFA Dominatrix Sex Scandal Dramafest.
  • The introvert’s guide to surviving writers conferences.
  • Inside james Frey’s Fiction Factory. Long, juicy, dishy article. (To my dying day, I will remember the fabulousness of Oprah’s hair on that day she socked it to him.)
  • There are a lot of “end of year” lists out, but I am not going to list them. That stuff makes me feel anxious, although there are some good books listed, some by people I know. Congrats to everybody, but I am not going to jump down that rabbit hole this year. Love, T
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    Weekend Links

    Posted on November 13, 2010 by TayariJones




    Tumblr Icon

    Originally uploaded by chadarizona
  • I know I haven’t been blogging lately. But I have been tumbling. Check out my page; there are ToMo quotes, Jay-Z’s Gucci coat with his book printed in the lining, cool videos, and other random Tayariness.
  • Thank you, thank you, to everyone who supported LEAVING ATLANTA: THE MOVIE. There’s still time to view the video and help up get this movie to screen.
  • Alfre Woodard reading Glorious.

  • Literary agent is seeking self-published books.
  • Sequel to “Precious” is coming to a bookstore near you.
  • When writers work together, everybody wins.
  • Not literary, but delicious. I made it last night.
  • Interview with Ntozake Shange.
  • I’m not really sure about the point of this “cliche finder“, but it’s a good way to kill some time.
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    Let’s Get The Week Going Links

    Posted on October 18, 2010 by TayariJones
  • Do you have to “get a little slutty” to get published?
  • How to make a book trailer for free. (you have to scroll down)
  • A road paved with pulped books.
  • Thirteen tips to help you get your writing done.
  • An excellent opportunity for a new MFA who needs support, job experience, and time to write.
  • A prison librarian speaks.
  • The poem Ted Hughes wrote the night of Sylvia Plath’s death.
  • Things that you say that might not mean what you think they mean. (excellent link to keep from embarassing yourself.)
  • Since women sort of run publishing, why don’t they RUN publishing?
  • Agate is a terrific press.
  • I read this book, too, and it was funny.
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    Goodbye Varnette Honeywood Links

    Posted on September 16, 2010 by TayariJones

  • RIP, Varnette Honeywood, beautiful artist, Spelman sister, citizen of my world, citizen of THE world.
  • Help making the transition from journalism to fiction.
  • The Hairdresser of Harare, a popular novel about homosexuality in Zimbabwe.
  • Eduardo hipped me to this cool residency on the shore of the Baltic sea. I’m hoping to be on book tour this summer, but I want to go in 2012.
  • Steve Almond on the VQR tragedy.
  • Renee posts one of my favorite Lucille Clifton poems.
  • If you didn’t catch Terry Mac when she came to your town, here is a video of her reading from Getting to Happy.
  • Shelley’s excellent review of Warmth of Other Suns.
  • Unconscious gender bias– this freaked me out.
  • How to write less badly. (Hey, you gotta start somewhere.)
  • Helpful hints for writing dialogue.
  • Alice Walker on the segregation in bookselling.
    • Posted in Links | 3 Comments

    D.I.S.C.O. Links

    Posted on August 25, 2010 by TayariJones




    sackboy disco

    Originally uploaded by [])([](
  • 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 in Links | 1 Comment

    Literary Loos and other Links

    Posted on August 18, 2010 by TayariJones




    Handling Business.

    Originally uploaded by Mrs. Chantalle
  • 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?
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    Mid-Week, Hot, Sweaty, De-Caf Links

    Posted on August 11, 2010 by TayariJones




    wahtever works

    Originally uploaded by doughboy54

    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 in Links | 1 Comment