In The New York Times, Anne Lamott (of Bird by Bird fame) reveals the one book she’d recommend to President Obama. It might not surprise many readers of her memoir that her choice — Anti-California: Report from our First Parafascist State — is a nonfiction book by her father.
Recommend Them One at a Time
Will the Real Philip Roth Please Stand Up?
Breaking news: turns out Philip Roth doesn't actually have a Twitter account.
An Excess of Symmetry
“What a perfect couple, two halves of the same little orange.” Guernica Magazine has a fantastic flash fiction piece by Andrés Neuman in anticipation of his upcoming collection of stories, The Things We Don’t Do.
The Kindle World
Apropos of Mark O'Connell's contemplation of the Kindle is this piece by The Guardian's Sam Leith on what to expect if the Kindle truly does supplant the printed book.
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A resolution
On the relative statuses of literary, mainstream, and genre fiction: a resolution. (From Stephanie Anderson, manager of WORD in Brooklyn.)
Best Book Covers of 2009
Amazon has 60 books in 10 categories up for a vote for "Best Book Covers of 2009." There's plenty of literary eye candy in the mix.
The Price of Diversity
What is the price of diversity? Colleen Muir asks this question at The Rumpus in relation to the hefty cost of writers’ conferences. A piece of her essay: “I’m not claiming that Breadloaf [sic] lacks for talent, or that its writers don’t have interesting things to say. But it certainly lacks for diversity in at least one significant way, because most attendees share a privileged experience of the world.” Pair with Gail Gauthier’s essay on working in the kitchen crew at Bread Loaf.
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