I've been in the middle of packing (books -- too many books), so I have no idea if the photocopies of Norman Mailer's Xeroxed butt, which have caused at least three heart attacks and one epileptic seizure, have finally been released to the Internet. But Lizzie reports that there's a new column in this month's Poets & Writers in which Laila, Maud and myself were referenced. I haven't read the column, but I appreciate that Poets & Writers has started to not only pick up on the stories and developments of my peers (Laila was the first to note the scandal), but also gone to the trouble to source them. With literary blogs beginning to develop beyond news filtering and ancillary zingers into full-blown profiles and reviews, I think this might be the beginning of a mutually majestic relationship. But more on this later.
I now return you back to your regularly scheduled hiatus, which means intermittent literary news in the next four days and a vague glow of activity until July 4th. After that, the hope is to up the ante and get this site pepping with some more meaty offerings (along with a design upgrade) within the time allotted.
Also, Rake has unveiled the perfect antidote to the Book Babes.
Posted by DrMabuse at June 20, 2004 09:28 PMEd,
The following comes from the Online Only aspect of P&W:
TALK ABOUT WRITERS GIVING BACK!
JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER RETURNS PEN MONEY
Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated (Houghton Mifflin, 2002), recently announced that he returned the money he received from the PEN American Center when he won the PEN/Robert Bigham Fellowship last month. The fellowship carries with it a $35,000 annual stipend for two consecutive years.
Responding to criticism on Edward Champion’s blog, edrants.com, that this year’s PEN awards were given to a large number of financially secure authors, Foer wrote, “Just wanted to let you guys know that I completely agree with most everything you said about monetary awards and whom they should go to. That's why I gave the money—every cent of it—back to PEN, which is as deserving as groups get. I didn't make a big deal about it, because it didn't seem fair to any other winners, who might have needed the money at the moment. But on the other hand, I'd had to take flack for something I didn't do.”
The PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship is awarded to a promising fiction writer whose debut novel or short story collection represents a "literary achievement." The other two recipients of this year's fellowships are Will Heinrich (The King's Evil, Scribner, 2003) and Monique Truong (The Book of Salt, Houghton Mifflin, 2003).
posted 6.9.04
Posted by: Dan Wickett at June 21, 2004 12:26 PMOkay, I'll bite...what are you doing with photocopies of Mr. Mailer's ass?
Posted by: Susan at June 21, 2004 03:37 PM