Speaking for You: the Vision of Ralph Ellison: The Vision of Ralph Ellison / Ed. by Kimberly W. Benston.
Just One More Page... (Free subscription) | yesterday
This month Wendy supplied us with a list of first lines and asks which books we’ve read and which would make it to our tbr list on the basis of the first line. Bold = the books I’ve read Pink = tbr pile 1. Call me Ishmael. Herman Melville, Moby-Dick 2. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Jane Austen, Pride...
School Essays (Free subscription) | 02/11/2009
Roaring Twenties was a significant period for various spheres of life in the United States. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement during that period, which still has its impact on literature and art. You are about to start writing an essay on the Harlem Renaissance. Do not worry if you [...]
Rafe McGregor (Free subscription) | 02/11/2009
It's been some time since my last McConfidential, so I'm very pleased to be back with one of my favourite hardboiled detective story authors, Sean Chercover . The natural successor to Chandler, Parker, and Crais, in my humble opinion... Rafe: Tell me a bit about your latest novel or current series. Sean: Trigger City is the second book about Chicago investigative reporter-turned PI Ray Dudgeon, who...
3:AM Magazine (Free subscription) | 29/10/2009
Charges of Iceberg Slim's misogyny may well stick, but he wrote from the inside, documented people who snorted cocaine and stuck needles in their arms, people who sold their bodies, who wore expensive clothes, who beat women with coathangers. As Irvine Welsh says, "one of his most endearing features was that Iceberg Slim never sought any insincere exoneration for the life he led…Iceberg...
Jacket Copy (Free subscription) | 24/10/2009
The Massachusetts-based Small Beer Press has announced that its 2010 planner for writers is coming. The digital version is available now, and those who want to preview the calendar can peek at the month of March. I know some writers...
News: Opinion -- KansasCity.com (Free subscription) | 17/10/2009
By Lewis Diuguid, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist Art often articulates complicated subjects that people either avoid or struggle to describe. The “Black Is, Black Ain’t” art exhibit at the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute illustrated that well. The title came from a line in Ralph Ellison’s book, “Invisible Man.”...
orgtheory.net (Free subscription) | 08/10/2009
As a first-year assistant professor, I decided to skimp a little on the creativity in terms of syllabus development. But I’ve been toying with the idea of incorporating fiction in my later courses. Why? Well, I think undergrads in particular like a little break from academic texts. I also think that having them engage with [...]
The Huge Entity (Free subscription) | 08/10/2009
After author David Foster Wallace committed suicide last September, his longtime agent, Bonnie Nadell, found herself lost in a maze of words. Scattered on two different computers and in hard copies stashed around the cluttered garage where Mr. Foster Wallace had worked in Claremont, Calif., she discovered multiple versions of his final, unfinished novel. She had no idea which draft he preferred. Mr....
3quarksdaily (Free subscription) | 08/10/2009
Alexandra Alter in the Wall Street Journal: A new wave of posthumous books by iconic authors is stirring debate over how publishers should handle fragmentary literary remains. Works by Vladimir Nabokov, William Styron, Graham Greene, Carl Jung and Kurt Vonnegut...
over the cliff, onto the rocks. (Free subscription) | 08/10/2009
Friendly bet, lazily monitored, you got it.Two years? We can make it easier than that [maybe; if they close my library it could take me a couple of years]. Of the top 100 books of all time, only 42 have been banned or challenged [I was a tad confused in my earlier post], which means we can cross Rand and Wolfe [and a host of others] off the list without even batting an eye.The Revised Listbold =
The Fate of the Artist (Free subscription) | 06/10/2009
S ome reading: Ghost Writers - Wall st. Journal, oct 2 A new wave of posthumous books by iconic authors is stirring debate over how publishers should handle fragmentary literary remains. Works by Vladimir Nabokov, William Styron, Graham Greene, Carl Jung and Kurt Vonnegut will hit bookstores this fall. Ralph Ellison and the late thriller writer Donald E. Westlake have posthumous novels due out in 2010....
Neamhspleach (Free subscription) | 05/10/2009
"When I discover who I am, I'll be free." -Ralph Ellison I mentioned previously my problem with the website, The Pursuit Of Harypness. Here is another example with their brand of "feminism." The posts asks "Is No Sex Still Sex Positive?" The fact that they have to ask this question at all bothers me. Why should women, making a reasoned and conscience choice to abstain...
Bookninja (Free subscription) | 02/10/2009
What happens to a book when it’s published posthumously, when there’s not even a finished manuscript, much less an author to send out like a shill wearing a Greek wedding dress? Who knows? What we do know: if they generate sales, publishers will publish them, regardless of their worth. A new wave of posthumous books by [...]
Overheard In Hogtown (Free subscription) | 02/10/2009
Nuit Blanche is a fantastic event for the art lover, but much like TIFF , it requires preparation. And that can be a daunting task. We’ll make it simple for you, courtesy of Martini Boys. This year’s Nuit Blanche is scheduled for Saturday night, October 3rd. They have even made an iPhone app, Night Nav. It will be rather cold with 9C and 5 mm of rain. Of all the great things worth watching,...
Containing Multitudes - American Studies UEA (Free subscription) | 02/10/2009
Coming soon: a host of new works by dead writers, nearly all of them vital figures in the development of American literature - Vladimir Nabokov, William Styron, Kurt Vonnegut, Ralph Ellison and David Foster Wallace. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Alexandra Alter examines this new trend. She also speaks to the venerable Robert Hirst, general editor of the Mark Twain Papers, who defends the
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