“Suddenly, it seems like gay characters are everywhere in Y.A. literature. Or, if not everywhere, certainly in far more places and in a greater variety than ever before.”
Coming Out of the Woodwork
Bad Behavior
There’s a scandal gaining traction in the UK, and it involves sending books through the mail. The country’s justice secretary, Chris Grayling, is standing by a new law that bans inmates from receiving parcels of books. According to him, the law is intended to make inmates “earn [their] privileges.” (h/t Page-Turner)
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Becoming No One
"It helps to be nobody if you want to be somebody." Over at The Daily Beast, Ted Gioia takes a look at what he calls the new cult of the anonymous artist. From the famously infamous graffiti artist Banksy to the enigmatic Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, there is certainly no denying that, whatever the reason, anonymity is "in." Here's an older Millions essay that takes a look at Banksy, obsession, and the sea.
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The Pale King Is Shipping
This may be a temporary thing, but David Foster Wallace's posthumously published novel The Pale King appears to be shipping now from Amazon, more than two weeks ahead of the official tax day publication date. Update: From the official Pale King Facebook page: the book "doesn't have a one day laydown: stores can sell it as soon as it's in their shop." So looks like the book is now available everywhere. Do you have your copy yet?
Print’s Not Dead
Instead of Craigslist, the people of Berlin use fliers and lampposts to "send romantic messages to strangers they've seen on a train."
Heathcliff Whr R U
The Guardian published a couple of fun pieces earlier this week. The first is a hilarious excerpt from Mallory Ortberg’s Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters. The second is a collection of the top ten most memorable meals in all of literature.
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I just posted a good podcast with Craig Gidney, who recently published a queer YA novel called Bereft. You can check it out at http://chimeraobscura.com/vm/podcast-the-importance-of-being-out
It also features an interview with Ed Hermance, owner of Giovanni’s Room, the oldest operating queer bookstore in America.