“It’s really strange to have the success of a poem be so directly tied to people processing grief. It’s a strange thing, because it’s a blessing and a curse.” The Rumpus interviews poet Maggie Smith about her new collection, Good Bones, her viral poem that shares its name, and her craft. From our archives: Smith’s collection was featured in our round-up of October’s Must-Read Poetry.
The Poem Heard Round the World
They’re Out There. (Ellos están ahí fuera.)
“Peru's air force is reopening an office responsible for investigating UFOs due to ‘increased sightings of anomalous aerial phenomena’ in the country's skies.”
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Tiananmen at 25
Recommended reading: Wilson Quarterly's thoughtful meditation on Tiananmen Square, 25 years later.
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Pathological Point-Making
Recommended Reading: Vinson Cunningham at The New Yorker on what makes an essay "American."
Murakami on 1Q84
A blogger translates a long Murakami interview about 1Q84 (scroll down for parts I, II, and III). (via)
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How Should An Advice Columnist Be
“What matters is you, all alone at your desk at five in the morning.” We've come a long way from Dear Abby and Ann Landers, says Megan Marz in an essay for The Point, in which she looks at a younger generation of columnists that includes Cheryl Strayed, Heather Havrilesky, and Kristen Dombek. And speaking of advice! Have you checked out our new writing-advice counselors Swarm and Spark? No? Well then hie yourself to their column already!
Yes, Professor Orwell?
It’s a student’s worst nightmare: after plowing through a paper you should have completed that morning, you decide to skip the reading you’re supposed to have done the next day. At which point your textbook tells on you.
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