Recommended Reading: Alexandra Schwartz on Boris Vian’s Mood Indigo.
L’Ecrivain
Stars and Bodies
Recommended listening: David Naimon interviews Sarah Gerard, author of Binary Star, about "anorexia and astronomy, stars and bodies." Pair with Alex Norcia's Millions review of Gerard's novel here.
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The Finnish Word for Author is “Kirjailija”
Jill Timbers, the translator charged with converting J.K. Rowling’s next book into Finnish, will have to complete the 480-page project in just three weeks. She writes about the work over here, and then adds some more information on the Three Percent blog.
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Verse Play
“A must-read for: anyone who has grappled with mood disorders/And: anyone interested in the nature of creativity/And: anyone interested in insightful stories told with honesty, pathos, and wit.” On Ellen Forney’s Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michaelangelo & Me.
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And The Problem With That Problem
The problem with memoir is well-known. What’s less well-known is the problem with the problem with memoir.
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New Zadie Smith Story
Recommended Reading: “Meet The President!” by Zadie Smith. (Yes, that Zadie Smith.)
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A Cure for Writer’s Block
"Don’t discount the two greatest cures for [writer's] Block: plagiarism and suicide." Joshua Cohen dispenses some curious advice to writers at Ask the Paris Review.
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PEN World Voices Begins
Attention New Yorkers: The 2010 PEN World Voices Festival kicks off today with Claire Messud, Lorraine Adams, and Norman Rush. Update: Audio of this stimulating discussion of diversity in literature is available at WNYC. And it looks like many World Voices events will be streaming live at the PEN Website, accessible whether you hang your hat in New York or Nome (or Wasilla). Tonight catch Patti Smith, Rodrigo Frésan, and Salman Rushdie.
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