Do you want to start a small press? Take advice from Spencer Madsen of Sorry House. In his article “I Made the Mistake of Starting a Small Press and So Can You” at The Toast, Madsen recommends making the book look “better than a breakfast burrito” and listening to 2 Chainz to get started. Pair with: Our article on how Curbside Splendor became a small press to watch.
Better Looking than a Breakfast Burrito
Branching Out
I’ve written before about Wolf in White Van, the new novel by Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle. But there’s another book out by a prominent artist in a field other than writing: Consumed by David Cronenberg, the director of A History of Violence. Sam Costello reviews the new book over at Full-Stop.
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Jane at 40
The Austen Project, launched last year, asks prominent contemporary writers to reimagine Jane Austen's classics in modern times. (Thus far, we've seen Joanna Trollope's Sense and Sensibility and Val McDermid's Northanger Abbey.) In perhaps the most significant adaptation yet, Curtis Sittenfeld has announced that her Pride and Prejudice will feature a 39-year-old Jane Bennet. After all, Jane (23 in the original novel), is "pretty much teetering on the edge of spinsterhood."
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Two-Step
You may have heard that War of the Encyclopaedists is one of those rare novels written by multiple authors. Christopher Robinson and Gavin Kovite worked together to write their debut. In The Guardian, our own Emily St. John Mandel takes a look.
Writing for Their Lives
Over at Bloom check out this 3-part feature—a conversation and excerpts—on fiction writers-cum-memoirists Robin Black (If I Loved You I Would Tell You This, Life Drawing) and Natalie Serber (Shout Her Lovely Name)—former classmates at the Warren Wilson low-res MFA program, both later-life bloomers, and both “writing for their lives” in new memoirs.
Censorship in China
“We have documented cases of at least 47 writers and journalists currently imprisoned in China. The average sentence for a writer is eight years in prison, and some sentences are even harsher.” PEN American Writers send a letter to Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, in response to his visit to the U.S. We have a few pieces about censorship to pair with it.
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Write This Down
"Does handwriting matter?" That's the question some researchers are working to answer and that Maria Konnikova tackles in a piece for The New York Times. The article ends by suggesting that “with handwriting, the very act of putting it down forces you to focus on what’s important... maybe it helps you think better," which is doubtlessly encouraging to every writer who works on their drafts in longhand.
The Transcriptionist’s Tale
"I usually let the thunderous conclusions of love scenes pass without comment, with the exception of one tussle so histrionic that to deny its participants a [JOINT CLIMAXES] seemed downright petty." Our own Matt Seidel discusses his work as a freelancer for a captioning and transcription company at The Morning News.
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