Tin House magazine has posted a short story, “Lissa,” by our own Michael Bourne as part of its regular online Flash Fridays feature. Also be sure to catch his Year In Reading entry that posted earlier today.
“Lissa” by Michael Bourne
Lambda Award Winners Announced
The Lambda Literary Award winners were announced, including Under the Udala Tree author Chinelo Okparanta, Dawn Lundy Martin, and Hasan Namir.
●
●
Yoshimi Takes the Stage
It's been rumored for some time that The Flaming Lips were working with Aaron Sorkin to develop a musical, but yesterday in a press release, the project was given an expected release date, and Sorkin was said to be no longer involved. "Yoshimi" will tell the story of "a young Japanese artist who journeys into a robot world where she must contend with a host of evil forces." (Or, you know, basically this song acted out.)
Everything I Say
Don’t Suck, Don’t Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt by Kristin Hersh is a downright mesmerizing elegy to the eclectic singer-songwriter. Part idiot-savant, part deliberate curmudgeon , Vic Chesnutt (who Rolling Stone has called one of the greatest songwriters of all time) was notoriously difficult to spend a lot of time around. Hersh stopped by Electric Literature for an interview about the book and about losing her dear friend Vic. Bonus: for anyone unfamiliar with Chesnutt’s work, this video will get you close.
●
●
Making the Cut
Even though the advice to "kill your darlings" implies editing your writing is a painful process, some writers relish it. At The New York Times, Pamela Erens discusses the pleasures of trimming down her writing. "For every word I cut, I seem to have more space between my ribs, more lung capacity." For more Erens, read her essay on accepting her book cover.
●
●
What Really Happened in the 1980s
Recommended: Meagan Day on Joan Didion’s essay "In the Realm of the Fisher King," which you can find in Didion's collection After Henry.