Heading to London in the near future? Stop by the British Library’s new Terror and Wonder, which bills itself as the UK’s biggest Gothic exhibition in history. To whet your appetite, you can read this Guardian piece by Neil Gaiman, in which the Sandman author names Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein the apex of Gothic fiction. Related: our own Hannah Gersen on Frankenstein and the “Year Without a Summer.”
Dark Imaginings
Interview with Günter Grass
LOLerature
"Iz in ur Goolag/Havin a sad." LOLerature is the LOLCats for the literary set. Some of the references are pretty obscure, too. The internet is now complete.
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Get Inspired
Cristine Brache curated a great list of web-poetry videos for last month’s O, Miami Poetry Festival, and she was awesome enough to post the entire playlist online for all to see.
November Is the Month for Madrileños
Late November brings work of another favorite Madrileño to the forefront. The final book of Javier Marías's Your Face Tomorrow trilogy, Poison, Shadow, and Farewell, will be published at the end of the month by New Directions. The incomparable Marias will make two New York appearances, a reading at the 92nd St Y (with Paul Auster) and a conversation with Paul Holdengräber at the New York Public Library.
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Hear the Bells
“The findings revealed that across the board, nearly 80 percent of those surveyed who worked in publishing self-identified as white. In Marketing and Publicity, 77 percent were white. These are people who make decisions on how to position books to the press and to consumers, and if and where to send authors on tour — critical considerations in the successful launching of any publication. For writers of color, the lack of diversity in book publicity departments can feel like a death knell.” On the lack of representation in book publishing and publicity campaigns.
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“She’s such a Hermione”
You probably knew a Lothario was a character before his name grew into a generic euphemism for "Guy You Don't Want Your Daughter Dating," but what about "brainiac," "mentor," and "pamphlet"? It turns out character names have been making their way into everyday vocabulary for thousands of years.
A Dialect, A Language, A Struggle
Over at Slate, Mike Vuolo speaks with Bob Garfield about "African-American English," or, as some might say, "Ebonics." The two of them explore its history, misconceptions, and whether or not it's possible or even appropriate for a white writer (such as The Help author Kathryn Stockett) to attempt to write in the dialect of certain African-Americans.
Are You Ready for Some (Writing About) Football?
A whole heap of talented writers got together for American Short Fiction’s NFL Preview. Of particular note: check out Year in Reading alum Michael Schaub opine on his two great loves: “Texas and crushing disappointment.”
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