Crime novelist Sue Grafton passed away earlier this week from cancer. Lit Hub and Vulture both have touching tributes to her and her detective series starring Kinsey Millhone. “Grafton belonged to a cluster of female authors who viewed the private-detective subgenre, previously dominated by Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Grafton’s own hero, Ross Macdonald, in desperate need of subverting” and “The annual release of her latest Kinsey Millhone novel was, for generations of devotees, one of the year’s premier literary events. ” Rest in peace Ms. Grafton.
Remembering Sue Grafton
James Salter on MH370
Well, this was unexpected. James Salter draws on his wartime flight experience to write a brief post about Flight MH370 for The New Yorker.
Draw a Novel
Recommended reading (and doodling): an excerpt from an upcoming translation of Martin Solares's How to Draw a Novel, complete with diagrams and squiggling lines. Pair with our own Hannah Gersen's look at authors's methods for drawing and mapping their own novels-in-progress.
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Antony Gormley, Suicide Artist
According to the New York Post, a new installation by British artist Antony Gormley--life-sized, cast iron sculptures of men placed on rooftops and building ledges around the city--has caused some New Yorkers and NYPD officers to take the sculptures for live jumpers. Oh, the price of art!
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More on Myers
Yesterday, I wrote that I "[had] yet to read a comprehensive debunking" of B.R. Myers. For those still interested, I've been directed to some candidates: Meghan O'Rourke (2001), Daniel Green (2007), the Washington City Paper (2010, concerning neocon ideology and the shadowy RAND corporation), and part I of Steven Moore's The Novel: An Alternative History.
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Recomended Reading
Electric Literature's latest venture, Recommended Reading, features short stories selected by other writers. Check out the Kickstater page for more info. And hey, maybe give 'em some money while you're there.
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We’ve All Been There
Writing for 300 Reviews, a platform which aims “to find a home for criticism of subjects that are neglected in traditional venues,” Level End author and Tuscaloosa Runs This editor Brian Oliu explains a Southern rite of passage: Taking Someone to Waffle House After the Bars Close.