Writing for the Wall Street Journal, David Shapiro remarks on the current popularity of the marathon reading, or “a format of communal public performance that has more in common with the filibuster than the conventional literary reading.” Previously, Jeff Price wrote a piece on our site concerning the particular camaraderie that arises among participants and audience members during marathon readings. (As a bonus: I share a David Foster Wallace anecdote in the comments for that piece.)
On Marathon Readings
Will Hoge
There's a great free download at iTunes right now: Country rocker and (some say) Tom Petty-sound-alike Will Hoge's new single "Even If It Breaks Your Heart." If you like what you hear, Hoge is also on tour right now.
Fake AP Style
A Twitter jokester is compiling a fake AP Stylebook. Example entry: "Instead of prepositions, it's preferable to end sentences with propositions, so why don't we start a dry cleaning business?" (via)
A Borrowing Boom
“Between 1990 and 2014, visits to public libraries grew by a whopping 181%. For context, the population of the United States increased by 28% during that period.” Why the library boom? (via The Digital Reader) See also this paean by Daniel Penev in our own pages,“The Library Is Dead. Long Live the Library!”
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Egan for President
“The power and meaning of the written word are central to the complexities we face today—both as a nation, and globally. To my mind, freedom of expression is a basic human right." Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan has been named the new president of PEN America. Pair with: our own Edan Lepucki's 2010 profile of Egan.
Public Access Poetry
In 1977-1978, a public access TV show called Public Access Poetry featured leading poets from across the country (Ted Berrigan, Ron Padgett, Eileen Myles, John Yau, Brad Gooch). Thirty-one episodes are now online, but the Poetry Project at St. Mark's is seeking funding to post the remaining fifteen reels.
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Thursday Links
Mr. Sarvas aka TEV takes another turn in the limelight, this time in the Jewish Journal.Of course this story comes from a local TV news site: Pornographic comic books sold on Wal-Mart, Target web sites. Film at 11!Five things about children's book awards from a Michigan point of view."Digital textbooks can save college students hundreds of dollars every semester, but the market is off to an unimpressive start."A charming remembrance of Ryszard Kapuscinski by writer Andrew Nagorski.
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