The Howling Fantods live-blogged last week’s DFW conference at CUNY.
The David Foster Wallace Conference
Five Favorite Story Collections
Curtis Sittenfeld shares her favorite short story writers, from Alice Munro to new voice Jennine Capo Crucet.
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Scrabble For Cheaters
Next Saturday I will be competing (fiercely, one hopes) in Scrabble For Cheaters, a charity tournament to benefit 826CHI, Chicago’s chapter of the national creative writing organization (founded by Dave Eggers) that provides free tutoring, field trips, writing workshops and the like to over 4,000 Chicago students a year. To support their work, and augment my ability to cheat during the tournament, click here and scroll down to my team – The Dillon Panthers. Thanks!
Staying Sharp
“There tends to be this idea that every piece and every assignment and every gig is always something speaking from the soul. We think that about great writers, that they’re incapable of doing hackwork.” The Rumpus interviewed Michelle Dean about women writers, the research process, and her forthcoming book, Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion. Pair with: Dean’s 2016 Year in Reading entry.
A 19th-Century It Girl
Rachel Vorona Cote takes a look at Letitia Landon's many identities and how she went on to become a cautionary tale about talented women.
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Sensual Data
Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir was published a few weeks ago to great critical acclaim, and this excerpt from the book on carnal writing and sensual data is evidence of why. If Karr’s your thing, we’ve mentioned her in a couple of previous Curiosities over at The Millions.
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Roald Dahl Excerpts on Cereal Boxes
In an attempt to encourage kids to read, Puffin has struck a deal to place Roald Dahl excerpts on the back of at least 10 million cereal boxes in the UK.
Tom McCarthy Gets Interviewed
“There is a vicious rumor circulating that Tom McCarthy is the writer of our generation,” writes Christopher Bollen in Interview as he, ahem, interviews the author and Millions Year in Reading alum.