Beer bongs are never a good idea. Besides the killer hangover you’ll inevitably wake up with the next morning, you might also steal literary art. When Mitchel Potter was a frat boy in 1987, he stole a bronze bust of Robert Frost from Wichita State University and hid it in his basement for 25 years until someone tipped off the police. Ironically, Potter didn’t even know who Frost was, but the prosecutor read “The Road Not Taken” at his trial.
Poets Before Bros
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
"I couldn’t put the books down. Now that so many of us complain of diminished attention spans— our own as well as our companions’—it’s worth asking what has made millions of readers willing to suspend their disbelief—to suspend their selves—for thousands of pages." Why have so many people gone gaga for Ferrante and Knausgaard? We have our own theories as well.
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Language is Power
Recommended Reading: Writers are signing a petition in opposition to Donald Trump.
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Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow
Women writers of color can apply for the two-week Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow, which is being organized by Jack Jones Literary Arts, and will take place between October 16-30, 2017. The retreat will feature daily master classes with agents, editors, and publishing professionals, and comes with a $1,050 stipend. Applications are open until May 1, 2017.
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The Realities of a Tiny House
"AYN: This house was built in 1835 but, as you can see, the antiquated design elements suggest the work of a second-rate architect in love with the past who never had an original thought in his wasted life." Go check out the newest episode of Ayn Rand's Objectivist House Hunters at McSweeney's.
UC Press suspends New California Poetry series
Alison Mudditt, director of The University of California Press, has announced the suspension of the New California Poetry series due to state budget cuts and the challenges posed to "our industry and markets which (not unlike the newspaper industry!) require us to rethink and retool to remain a vibrant and relevant voice in the digital age."
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Clearness, Wetness, Coolness
Anne Carson has a new story in this week’s issue of The New Yorker, about swimming and its discontents. As she puts it, “People think swimming is carefree and effortless. A bath! In fact, it is full of anxieties.” Pair with her first published short story in the January issue of Harper's.
Poetry Reviews: What for?
Ahead of National Poetry Month, Publishers Weekly Poetry Reviews Editor Craig Morgan Teicher asks and answers the questions many have contemplated: "What is accomplished by poetry reviews? Do they help sell books? Do they keep the art form in line? Do they spur writers into creating better poetry or kick bad writers out of the halls of Parnassus? Do poetry reviews help readers?"
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