To address the state’s ongoing financial shortfalls, California’s government announced last May that they intended to close a quarter of the state’s 278 parks by next July. Upset by the decision to save money at the expense of the state’s natural beauty, three filmmakers embarked on a 3,000 mile trip around the Golden State’s wildlife reserves, recreation areas, and parks to shoot The First 70, a gorgeous documentary about the parks being closed and the individuals fighting to preserve them. You can check out the trailer over here.
John Muir Would Be Proud
The Declining Agony of Influence
According to a study cited in The Guardian, contemporary authors are less likely to be influenced by classic literature than previous generations of writers.
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NYRB Nu Classics?
The New York Review of Books is adding another imprint to its book publishing roster, but this one will be devoted entirely to ebooks.
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Fake Phone Numbers
Recommended reading: This great flash fiction piece by Ben Miller over at the Tin House Open Bar. If we’re talking “flash fiction,” then we’d better mention this piece from The Millions on Lydia Davis and everyone’s favorite 140-character medium, Twitter.
From Musician to Collagist
Musician and Super Bowl bird-flipper M.I.A. will release a 192-page hardcover book this October. M.I.A. will be "an autobiographical monograph in collages." P.S. How good is the "Bad Girls" video?
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After the last word
This weekend--at 2:30 am on Saturday, to be precise--Twitter bot @everyword was set to complete its 7-year run with the final word in the English language: "zymurgy." Unexpectedly, the bot tweeted again half an hour later--with a nontraditional character it had surreptitiously glossed on the first run: éclair. Since @everyword, like Lazarus, probably won't get the same fuss after its second death, check out The Guardian's interview with creator Adam Parrish now.
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“This Book is Delicious!”
The German design firm Korefe partnered up with Gerstenberg Publishing to release a special edition cookbook that's edible. The recipes have been imprinted on fresh pasta pages which can be baked into a lasagna. (via)
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