Recommended Reading: On terrible writing advice from famous writers.
Since You Asked
I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud
What's a Wordsworth scholar to do when nature offers him no epiphanies?
No Bastion for Books
"She gathered books to display for attendees and discovered that inside the cover of one, 'The Koran for Dummies,' someone had written “lies cover to cover,” drawn a swastika and made a disparaging remark about the Prophet Muhammad." The president of the American Library Association reports “startling increases” in 2016 of vandalism, including hateful messages, at libraries. The Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has begun formally tracking such incidents to determine whether the increase is “a blip or a trend.”
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Hemingway in Love
One of Hemingway’s friends reveals in a new memoir how the writer’s secret lover changed his life and work. Pair with Stephanie Bernhard's Millions essay about cooking with Hemingway.
Parlez-Vous Français?
"Embrasser" means to hug and kiss in French, but the new literary journal of the same name is about embracing unique varieties of international French. Embrasser is a Louisiana-based literary translation journal that aims "to highlight and preserve varieties of French that have been marginalized," founder Emily Thibodeaux said. The journal is accepting fiction poetry, nonfiction, and criticism submissions in English or Louisiana French for its first issue coming out during Mardi Gras 2014.
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Canada, Don’t Take America’s Lead.
Millions staff writer Michael Bourne wrote a sobering piece for Canada’s Globe and Mail about the need for stricter gun control in the United States. “I can implore my new neighbours to maintain strict controls on guns,” he writes. “All our children’s lives depend upon it.”
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Red 14’s Latest Cinematic Book Trailers
After successfully raising funds through their Kickstarter campaign (which we’ve mentioned previously), Red 14 Films has begun releasing the first of their cinematic book trailers. First up is this video for Jason Ockert’s novel, Neighbors of Nothing. Look out for works for Monica Drake, Matt Bell, and Scott Dominic Carter in the near future as well. In the meantime, you can also check out an earlier video put together for Athena Lark’s Avenue of Palms.
Reading Retreats
"Why not plan a vacation dedicated exclusively to reading?" asks Salon's Laura Miller.
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