The Wednesday Web Browser

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) has posted its list of accepted panel proposals for the 2011 conference in Washington, D.C. I am so excited that both of my proposed teams will be participating! One session is in the "career advancement" category, and will focus on finding, creating, and succeeding in online teaching jobs. The other, within "the craft of fiction," will discuss issues in 21st-century Jewish-American fiction.

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If I needed another reason to want to read Anthony Doerr's new story collection, this interview on The Forward's Sisterhood blog, "Anthony Doerr's Fictional Journey Inside a Jewish Girls' Orphanage," gave it to me. (Historical-fiction writers will particularly appreciate/relate.)

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"Operation Thriller" is bringing thriller writers to entertain members of the military.

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You should certainly read Dwight Garner's review of Tom Grimes's new book, Mentor, which "is ostensibly about Frank Conroy, the gifted memoirist (“Stop-Time”) and novelist (“Body and Soul”) who was the longtime director of the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa." But as Garner writes, reading the actual book "might make [an aspiring writer] climb a tall tree and leap from it."

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If you're a blogger, or want to be one, you may appreciate this ProBlogger post: "Crazy Stuff I've Done as a Blogger, and What I've Learned from It All."

Quotation of the Week: Adam Langer

In an interview occasioned by the recent publication of his latest book, The Thieves of Manhattan (on my tbr list), Adam Langer was asked the following:

"Did you meet with early success, in terms of getting your first novel accepted for publication, or was it a long, hard road for you?"

Langer's response offers this week's "Quotation of the Week":

"If I pretended that my first published novel, Crossing California, was actually the first novel I wrote, I'd say that it was easy. I'd say, yup, I finished the book, got an agent, got a contract, and started work on Book #2. But in saying that, I'd be ignoring the fact that my first novel, Making Tracks, a teen detective story written when I was in high school, is still in a drawer. And so is my second novel, It Takes All Kinds, a 300-page long screed about my first week at Vassar. Also, my third novel, A Rogue in the Limelight, a picaresque journey modeled on Huck Finn and The Confederacy of Dunces, never found the right agent, even though some people (well, my mother) have called it my best novel. One of my earliest agents said that my fourth novel, Indie Jones, a slacker comedy set in Chicago's independent film world, would easily find a home at Doubleday, but that didn't happen. And I stopped looking for an agent for my fifth novel, an existential thriller called American Soil, when I realized there was too much personal shit in it and I really didn't want to deal with having it published. But yeah, once I finished Book #6, it was smooth sailing."

Source: The Huffington Post

(Hat tip to Josh Lambert for the interview link.)

The Wednesday Web Browser

Honestly, sometimes these lists of imminent book releases overwhelm me. I already have a huge list of titles tbr. Now I have to add more! See what the latest batch of "Most Anticipated Summer Reading 2010 and Beyond", courtesy of The Millions, adds for you!
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Win a free spot in Linda Formichelli's Write for Magazines e-course.
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In case you missed the announcement late last week, W.S. Merwin is the new U.S. Poet Laureate.
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A columnist for The New York Times's Opinionator blog describes how she puts her columns together--and where she finds her ideas.
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My latest batch of Jewish literary links collects snippets by or about Michael Chabon, Allison Amend, Gary Shteyngart, Shalom Auslander, and Allegra Goodman.

The Wednesday Web Browser

Join the Madame Bovary read-a-long that is being planned for the fall, using the new translation by Lydia Davis to ground discussion! (Thanks to The Boston Bibliophile for the tip!)
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Over on The Writer magazine's staff blog, one of the wonderful editors I've had the good fortune to work with pretty frequently, Sarah Lange, talks about freelancing with Kelly James-Enger. I've admired James-Enger's work for a long time, so even if her words here brought forth a pang or two for my own former freelance/self-employed life, I was able to focus on and enjoy the Q&A nonetheless. (You'll find James-Enger's new blog, Dollars and Deadlines, linked on our sidebar now, too.)
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Another newcomer to our sidebar list: author Allegra Goodman's blog. I had the privilege of meeting Allegra my first semester in college, when I had a small role in a play she'd written. Twenty-something years later, I'm enjoying the updates preceding the early July publication of her next novel, The Cookbook Collector, which is receiving stellar pre-pub reviews. (I've already pre-ordered my copy.)
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On my "other" blog, My Machberet ("machberet" is the Hebrew word for "notebook"), I seem to be settling into a habit of rounding up links relating to Jewish authors and books on Jewish themes each Friday (just in time for the Sabbath/Shabbat). Last week's collection featured two of my favorite authors (Ludwig Lewisohn and Patrick Modiano), The Forward's summer books section, the transcript from the most recent Jewish Book Council Twitter Book Club, and more.

The Wednesday Web Browser

Zachary Watterson's excellent interview with Charles Johnson focuses on literary mentors and friends. (And don't miss the link to Johnson's take on writing workshops at the end.)
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Want some tips on how to write a good profile? Check out this advice from Linda Formichelli.
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I was happy to see that Creating Van Gogh (a.k.a. John Vanderslice) took me up on the recommendation to read Kathryn Stockett's The Help, and even more pleased to read his own thoughtful response to the book. Another recent post reminded and convinced me to get my hands on William Styron's posthumously-published The Suicide Run.
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Gina Barreca and Steve Almond may have written two entirely different pieces about the recent Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Denver, but I found one interesting convergence in their posts. (Do you see what I see?)
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I really liked Robert Lee Brewer's Monday poetry prompt: "Pick a city, make that the title of your poem, and write a poem." And then I realized/remembered why I might appreciate this particular prompt.

Quotation of the Week: Peter Carey, Interviewed by Gabriel Packard

As a fiction writer, I've never been especially inspired by characters. I know that that sounds awful. I simply don't write "character-driven" fiction, and, much to my discontent, I don't ever find myself "possessed" by a character who simply begs to have his or her story told. When I'm lucky enough to find inspiration for a story, it generally comes from ideas and/or circumstances.

Which is one reason why I was captivated by Gabriel Packard's interview with Peter Carey in the new (March) issue of The Writer. Here's some of Carey's response to Packard's question, "What is the process of writing a novel like for you?":

"When I've finished a novel, I always feel so empty I think I'll never have another idea. So when I have an idea, a single idea, I feel blessed....I'll never ever start with characters. They are there to be discovered. Indeed the greatest pleasure, at the end of the novel, is to have made characters who are multidimensional and complicated."

Ah, there's the rub. You still need to come up with characters who are multidimensional and complicated! The ideas alone can't sustain the fiction!

P.S. Carey's new novel, Parrot & Olivier in America, sounds fantastic (and I'm not just saying that because I have a doctoral degree in modern French history and once took an entire class on Alexis de Tocqueville!). It goes to the top of my tbr list.

The Wednesday Web Browser: NYT Edition

As usual, the NYT After Deadline blog provides useful reminders on grammar, usage, and style.
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How wonderful it was to open the paper a few days ago and see a big, fat article about Open Letter Books, "a small, year-old press here affiliated with the University of Rochester that publishes nothing but literature in translation."
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Like many of you, I suspect, I was caught up for several days this summer following the coverage of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's passing. I've been meaning to read his memoir, True Compass (and I'll do so in 2010). All of which made this piece by Jonathan Karp, the memoir's editor/publisher, compelling reading.
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Adam Begley's travel article on Stendhal's Parma was also quite relevant to me!
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Finally: The NYT asked six prominent authors to name (and read from) books they could never discard.

TBR: Five Titles On My Nightstand

Literally, these five books are stacked on my nightstand. I'd love to say that sometime in the near future I'll have read them all, and will be able to blog about each one, but let's face it: I have no clue when I'll have read them, let alone reflected sufficiently to write about them.

So, as dubious a substitute as it may be, here's a photo of the fab five. I don't know what to think of the fact that this group represents an all-fiction feast. On the other hand, let's celebrate the presence of independent/small press titles, as well as fiction in translation (you can't see the translators' names, but the de Winter book was translated by Jeanette K. Ringold, and Rasskazy [the title means "stories" in Russian] features the work of many translators, including Keith Gessen, Ellen Litman, and Douglas Robinson).

Care to share your own current tbr list?

TBR: Choosing Africa, by B. Susan Bauer

B. Susan Bauer is another wonderful writer I've had the good fortune to get to know via the Internet. We've been corresponding ever since we began finding that lots of our comments in online writing fora seemed to be in sync. And I'm so glad we discovered that.

Now, Susan has announced the publication of her memoir, Choosing Africa. Subtitled "A Midlife Journey from Mission to Meaning," the book centers around the experiences of six years in Namibia, where Susan and her husband lived and taught. I haven't yet read the book, but I have read, and much enjoyed, several of Susan's Africa-inspired writings, which have appeared in The Apalachee Review, Transitions Abroad, and The Raleigh Quarterly.

Susan is a special soul, and I am so happy to be able to congratulate her on her book's publication. If her story sounds interesting to you, please visit the Choosing Africa Web site to learn more.

Friday Find: The Atlantic's Summer Fiction Issue (2009)

I am off in a few hours for a long-anticipated weekend with three of my closest friends from college. We're all celebrating big birthdays in 2009, and it's an off-reunion year for our college class, so we're holding our own mini-reunion and converging in the Midwest. I can't wait!

Before I board the plane this afternoon, I'm hoping to pick up a print copy of The Atlantic's latest fiction issue at the airport. The contents are online, too, so you don't necessarily need to find a newsstand.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Book Release Giveaways from John Griswold

Strange thing about this Internet. Over time, you can make "virtual" friends you care quite a lot about.

For me, one such friend is John Griswold, the eponymous blogger posting on The Education of Oronte Churm. More significant for this post's purposes, John is also the author of the new novel, A Democracy of Ghosts. I've just ordered the book, and I am really hoping it arrives in time for my holiday weekend reading. (Read John's description of his book here.)

Meantime (and until July 10), John is offering a slew of giveaways. Check out these goodies (and if you have ties to Southern Illinois, I think you'll be especially pleased).

And congratulations once again to John on his novel's publication!

The Wednesday Web Browser: Colson Whitehead Edition

One regret I have about my college years is that I didn't get to know as many of the writers and future writers in my class as I might have. One of these college classmates is Colson Whitehead (who probably has no idea who I am).

But I was thrilled to hear him speak at a literary event last year, and I'm following the press on his new book with great interest. That novel, Sag Harbor, has gone to the top of my tbr list.

For more on Colson Whitehead and Sag Harbor, please check the following:

--Radhika Jones's "Dag!"

--Janet Maslin's "Black Teenage Memories, Under the Hamptons Sun"

--Charles McGrath's "Coming of Age in Sag Harbor Amid Privilege and Paradox"

--And for those who love YouTube, you can see/hear Colson Whitehead himself talk about Sag Harbor, the place and the book, right here.

What I Will Be Reading

When, exactly, I'll be reading this, I don't know. I am near the end of a novel, with two books waiting to be read and reviewed, two more sitting on my nightstand, and a host of other titles noted to be bought or borrowed. But I was blown away by the poems by John Updike that were published in the March 16 New Yorker, and you can bet that I'll be reading the collection Endpoint and Other Poems. Hopefully, sometime very soon.

TBR: First We Read, Then We Write

I smiled immediately when I saw the title of one of NewPages.com's latest book reviews: First We Read, Then We Write. You see, quite a few years ago, my sister and I played "school" quite often. I, of course, played the role of the teacher. Since our childhood predated video cameras or cell phones-with-cameras, all we have now to replay these scenes, in addition to our memories, is an audio tape recording of one of these "sessions." This tape was made when I was seven, and my sister was half that age. And if you listen to that recording, as we still do from time to time, you'll hear my bossy self admonishing my "student": "First we read, then we write." (I'm sorry to admit that that line is a lot kinder that some of my other utterances to my preschooler sibling: "That is scribble-scrabble! You get a C-plus on [writing] your name!" and "Don't do that, dodo-bird!" As if anticipating parental scolding once the tape was played back, I quickly corrected myself: "I mean, not dodo-bird. Sweetie-pie.")

So I'll simply have to take a look at this new book, written by Robert D. Richardson and reviewed, in this instance, by John Madera. Alas, the book is not about me and my early teaching "philosophy." Rather, it is subtitled: "Emerson and the Creative Process." According to the review, the book "fill[s] a gap in Emerson’s oeuvre by compiling the famed essayist’s reflections, asides, margin jottings on the art and craft of writing." Given my positive experiences with similar books inspired by Anton Chekhov and Virginia Woolf, that sure sounds good to me!

P.S. Fortunately, I didn't destroy my sister's academic self-esteem all those years ago. She did learn to write, after all! No more scribble-scrabble! Check out her blog, MyMomShops, where she shares stylish and often discounted online finds (and giveaways) for moms, tots, and those who love them!

The Wednesday Web Browser: Conference Call, Promotion via Book Groups, and Jayne Anne Phillips's New Novel

Our friend from Fernham, Anne, who is planning a June conference in New York City, is in search of creative writers influenced by Virginia Woolf. Interested? Click here for more information.
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The indefatigable Josh Henkin is back with book group-based book promotion ideas, this time featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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When La Kakutani touts, I listen. Based on this review, Jayne Anne Phillips's new novel, Lark and Termite, goes to the top of my tbr list.

Friday Find: Best Books Lists, Neatly Packaged

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to drown in the various lists of "best books of the year." So I am grateful to NPR for doing a nice job of collecting its critics' lists and posting all appropriate links in one place. Great resource if you're still looking for gift suggestions, too. Thank you, NPR!

The Wednesday Web Browser: Billy Collins, Bio Contest, and Books

If the Poets & Writers cover story on Billy Collins wasn't enough for you, check out this just-posted profile focusing on him (written by my CUNY colleague Jill Jarvis).
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Want your own copy of the 2009 Poet's Market? If you win this "fake bio contest," it'll be yours! (Hurry--there's a September 1 deadline.)
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New York magazine's Fall Preview has arrived, with a nice big books section.

TBR: The Atlantic's Fiction Issue

Time to take thyself to a newsstand and buy The Atlantic's summer fiction issue. On the other hand, you can read all the contents, plus Web-only material, online. (And poets, you aren't left out here--check for poems and more, such as this Web-only interview with Mary Jo Salter, too.)

Killer Meatballs, and Other Food in Lara Vapnyar's Fiction

Sometimes you just don't know where the "writing about writing" will show up. Yesterday's weekly "Dining In" section in the New York Times, for example, featured a front-page piece on Lara Vapnyar and her new story collection, Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love.

The article displayed so prominently in the food and wine section includes some good descriptions of how, in these stories, "food has the power to define characters, propel plots, cause riots and even commit manslaughter." Plus, there's a snippet about using food in the fiction-writing classroom: When her undergraduates "often turned in work filled with sex and gore," Vapnyar gave them an assignment "to write about food and how characters responded to it, to teach them how preferences, memories and quirks could make up a personality on the page." The article quotes her as saying that beginning writers "'often don't give their characters enough particulars,'" and that "'Food is something that readers can understand.'" Good tip. It's occurred to me more than once that I should probably introduce more food-related elements into my fiction, but for some reason it's something I don't tend to do very much. Maybe it has something to do with my own poor cooking skills. Food for thought (sorry!).

To read the full article, click here.

The Wednesday Web Browser: More on "Letting Go," Summer Reads by Debut Authors, and Musings on What Makes a Memoir Publishable

For thoughts on a topic related to yesterday's post, see Michelle Richmond's brief comments "On the Joy of Not Finishing What You Started."
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Here are nine books by debut authors to consider for your summer reading list, courtesy of NPR.
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What makes a memoir publishable? See what you think of agent Jim McCarthy's take. (Thanks to Tayari for the link.)