Depending on your political persuasion, this is either good news or bad news: Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel will jump in a freezing Lake Michigan if schoolchildren in his city read at least 2 million books this summer.
Polar Incentives
Late American Novel Fans
Word is there have been sightings of the book I co-edited The Late American Novel: Writers on the Future of Books in the wild, though it's officially due in March. You can keep up on all the news about the book, including events and links to excerpts on the book's new Facebook page.
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Dancing with The Rumpus
Tonight's the night, Brooklynites! Join friends of The Rumpus for an evening of comedy, readings, and (of course) dancing. Festivities begin at 8pm.
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Internet Erasure
“There is a wide range of art in the world, but there is an urgent need for art that pushes us and makes us uncomfortable because it forces us to think, to question, to give into it, to resist.” Year in Reading alum Roxane Gay writes on Internet censorship and Dennis Cooper’s now deleted blog.
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Celtic Tiger’s Collapse
Gabriel O'Malley's "Letter From Dublin" for n+1 is an interesting primer on the current state of Ireland following the collapse of the Celtic Tiger.
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The Book of a Young Girl
Anne Frank’s copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales is up for auction, including her signature on the book’s flyleaf. "This book really is the springboard from which her nascent literary career and dreams of being a writer were launched," said Nicholas Lowry, president of Swann Auction Galleries.
What’s the difference between Literary and Genre?
At Well-Read Donkey, Dan Chaon writes about his literary roots.
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Barrelhouse’s Wrestling Issue
Barrelhouse recently revamped their website, but that’s not even the most exciting news out of the D.C.-based literary outfit this week. No, sir. The most exciting news is that the magazine’s newest online issue is “focused on the theme of 1980s professional wrestling.” The list of contributors includes Aaron Burch, Matthew Duffus, and Jeannine Mjoseth.