It’s Friday ladies and gentlemen and that means hot dogs. That’s right, it’s time to break out the brisket and lighter fluid and do what Americans do: burn things. But perhaps that’s too harsh. After all, our predilection for fire did save us from the communism. Or did it? Salon discusses. The English writer Edward Hogan has his own predilection. It’s for small towns. His latest book explains. Remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t just a broke governor? We don’t either, but Jacket Copy looks back to when men were men and governing was for sissies. Holy smokes, there’s more Salinger news. Turns out he created the blog. We’ll leave it at that. Moving on, what does a huckster with brimming sexual energy and a soft spot for Greek lettery do when he attends college? Join a frat, of course. What happens to that sexual energy and Greek lettery? The answers are discussed in Alter Net. And finally, Our Stories conducts an interview with an esteemed man of letters. Good stuff all around today. Just enough reading to make you hungry for a couple of sizzling weeners. Happy 4th! — Kevin Murphy
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Tagged as:
Friday's Literary Grab Bag,
Literature in the Media
This ain’t Sesame Street, but the letter of the day is “R”. Research, romance, revisionism, racism and one reckless journalist. Boston is the only place that cares about John Henry, so naturally he made the Globe’s quiz on letters of love. ESPN has enough channels to show poker at any given time, but do you know why only a few of those players are women? Fair and balanced history is in the eye of the beholder. Kevin’s new home brought us grunge, Starbucks and Nike, but the Pacific Northwest is also home to the Northwest Republic, a would-be white supremacist country. In his early days, Hunter S. Thompson asked William Faulkner for a weekly stipend. In case you missed it, he was also in the Rose Garden when Nixon left office. Carry on. — Andrew Geer
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Tagged as:
In Case You Missed It,
Literature in the Media,
Thursday's Flurry of Words
Noted Abroad documents DSM contributor Charlie Geer’s forays in foreign and not-so- foreign parts. Currently he is living and working in Puente Genil, a small town in southern Spain.
14 Gums
by Charlie Geer
As I get ready to shove off to the States for a month or so, I’m thinking that those students of mine who want to keep in good ESL shape might simply spend some time at the supermarket. At the supermarket most products present the fine print—ingredients, nutritional values, health warnings—in straight Spanish, but the large print, the funky-font print meant to grab the eye and make a sale, often comes at the consumer in English. Words like “effect,” “advanced,” “professional,” “fresh” and “digestive” (?) are especially popular. What’s up with this? Is English labeling meant to make a product seem exotic, like French labeling (“parfume,” “eau de toilette,” “J’adore,” etc.) is meant to do in the States? One friend tells me that if a product has English on the label, people will assume it has been thoroughly tested and is reliable. Okay, then.
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Tagged as:
Charlie Geer,
Language,
Noted Abroad
At its best, Twitter is an outlet for a kind of modern day, technological haiku. At its worst, it skins and lays bare only the mangiest 140 characters of expression. We use Twitter. It brings DSM more readers. But Twitter as a means for literature? Not so much. The Christian Science Monitor furthers the discussion. Then it is on to the wonders of childhood, as seen through the eyes of Michael Chabon. After that, we grapple with Marianne Moore’s confounding revisions, learn why American authors are coddled, and finally, across the pond, celebrate Phillip Hoare’s winning of the Samuel Johnson Prize. Happy reading. –Kevin Murphy
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Tagged as:
Literature Contests,
Literature in the Media,
Wednesday's Writerly Happenings
T uesday, June 30. The last day of June. Kevin’s birthday. And the second anniversary of Ingmar Bergman’s death. Today’s briefing starts in the film industry, with Werner Herzog’s reflections on nature’s role in the making of Fitzcarraldo. Zak Smith and The Rumpus has a “Sex” section. Well, they need it, as they continue to focus on porn themes (as we do). Following that, a review of Gilgamesh delves into the sack. But now we move away from bedroom passion (ostensibly) and into the passion of anger. Word is that spite may be a precursor to kindness. Garry Wills patched things up with his friend and ideological opponent Bill Buckley and gives an appreciation humanizing Bill, by revealing his flaws. The “In Case You Missed It” department brings us Scott Simon’s 2005 conversation with n+1 editor Benjamin Kunkel, with an excerpt from Indecision. — Andrew Geer
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Tagged as:
In Case You Missed It,
Literature in the Media,
Tuesday's Literary Briefing
Momento Mori
Her box of whipstitched cardboard open,
lonesome ancestral weft, it allows me to see
Ma in the tall pasture.
We played games with sticks, toys chipped from slate,
burlap sacks, fish like glass, antique marbles,
dogwood chalices, ornate grapes.
On the backyard block Pa cut off chickens’ heads.
Bodies in entrechats around the woodhouse,
their bloody necks spewed.
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Tagged as:
Benjamin Pryor Poetry,
Poetry
OK, kids. Monday is here. And today’s Body of Work lets fly that tantalizing warning of old: don’t try this at home. To be sure, what is dangerous, or unknown, spurs interesting literature. But sometimes it’s up to the foolhardy to demonstrate what is and what is not suitable for average adults. To wit: James Frey, chasing the dollar bills that dance across his brain, is writing young adult science fiction. An esteemed Creative Writing prof from the New School jumped ship and currently is spinning goat milk in Vermont. A Hemingway spawn republishes A Moveable Feast, the Examiner discusses the virtues of drinking while reading, music writer John Faber writes his swan song, the UFC brands its version of knock ‘em dead novels, and finally, in an effort to right what we may have wronged, we issue balance among the sexes, as the Times Higher Education analyzes a book about the modern woman. Happy reading. — Kevin Murphy
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Tagged as:
Literature in the Media,
Monday's Body of Work
It’s been a busy week, but no, we did not go hiking, I mean to Argentina. Kevin moved, and I took to the high seas. So, without further ado, I give you some completely mindless links related to the mainstream news this week. There is very little true literary connection. Instead, I give you celeb-obsession, fake journalism and one from the “in case you missed it” vault. Some Friday afternoon time wasting, if you will. My governor needs some dirty emailing help. Can some please start a mock Sanford-email site? I never liked the King of Pop, but, while I’m not too broken up about that whole thing (you know that whole death thing…), let’s examine his financial relationships with private equity. Farrah hair is gone. In case you missed it, there’s an article about the last song Kurt Cobain recorded. [Disclaimer: I do believe he was murdered by a Courtney Love henchman, but I don't doubt the depths of his depression] To bring some levity back to the fold, a light-hearted Onion link is included. Finally, Happy 35th Birthday Derek Sanderson Jeter! — Andrew Geer
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Tagged as:
In Case You Missed It,
Literature in the Media
A Short Story by Joseph Gannon
When the last guard had exited the corridor and the lights in the cell block had been turned off, the prisoners commenced fishing. The fish itself was a small piece of thin green construction paper folded several times around a quarter to give it weight. A small hole had been punched through one corner with a tack, and through this hole was tied a long strip of dental floss which formed the line. With practiced skill the first prisoner stuck his hand through the bars of his cell and began to swing the line, lasso-style, until he had built up enough momentum to propel it down to the next cell. Thus the folded square of paper was passed down the cell block in orderly fashion until it landed in front of Tyler Colvin’s cell.
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Tagged as:
Short Story
Monday arrives on a somber note. The news from Iran, while heartening to some extent, has got us fuddled. Such dramatic events force hard questions. In terms of literature, what can be done immediately, as the protests continue? N+1 tackles the debate of new media and the current of modern language. Maud Newton recalls a revolutionary in her own right and the Guardian serves a dish of hope: If you have a story and you want to publish it and win some money and see your work in a major periodical then get your pages in order and submit to this year’s short story contest. NPR talks about books about Nikita Krushchev, the world’s first reality television star. There’s a powerful new book by Urrea which alerts readers to the Mexican experience, and finally, Thai writers and readers talk about their influences. It’s all good reading, and worthy of your time. It confirms the power of the written word, and lends credence to the struggle for justice the world wide. — Kevin Murphy
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Tagged as:
Literature Contests,
Literature in the Media,
Monday's Body of Work
