- The Believer reveals the results of its 2006 Believer Book Awards, leaving two spots blank, authored by writers associated with the magazine, “because it would look creepy to include them. (via Scott)
- I like David Kipen. He’s one of the most enthusiastic and passionate literary people I’ve had the pleasure to meet. But his Salon essay smacks of sour grapes. It’s an absolute mistake to attribute the failure of his Big Read campaign to reader ennui, particularly when you consider the Oprah effect. Or perhaps Kipen was too concerned with his own apocalyptic thinking to consider McCarthy’s apocalyptic novel. [UPDATE: Mr. Kipen has asked me why I feel the Big Read campaign, which I think is a fine idea, has failed. It’s a fair question, and my problem with much of the “print reviews are good for you” and the Big Read campaigns is that it prescribes, rather than invites. The public is quite capable of thinking on their own. So why not invite them with more passion and less doom and gloom?]
- Due to the demands of my current schedule, I couldn’t fit the delightful Arthur Phillips into the Segundo lineup (at least not immediately). But thankfully, Mr. Sarvas has taken up the slack.
- Michael Calderone offers a heartbreaking revelation for Sontag fans: Susan was a plagiarist. (via Galleycat)
- The Frank O’Connor longlist. (via Sr. Cheney)
- Apparently, Tao Lin ran away from Levi Asher. This is a bit silly. I will happily broker a détente against such diffidence at a future Tao Lin reading!
- Terry Teachout echoes what I’ve been hoping to see happen. The time has come for stagebloggers to make themselves known. I’m game too.
- “My name is Jerry and I’m a poet.” (via Ron Silliman)
- Marco Roth is not a fictional character, but he sure seems like one sometimes.
- Quiet Bubble examines Stan Brakhage’s excellent film The Act of Seeing with One’s Own Eyes.
- The Poetry Audio Archive. (via James Marcus)
- Is this a solution to gamer widowhood? (via The Underwire)
© 2007, Edward Champion. All rights reserved.
That’s indescribably obnoxious, the Believer putting blanks in like that. I can’t explain it, but it fills me with rage and looks far more arrogant than would seem should the books be there.
Really, that’s damned loathsome.
levi ran away from me. i chased him for 5 blocks. a limousine came and he got in and the limousine ran away leaving smoke.
So the books missing in The Believer list must be by Eggers and Vida, right, or maybe Heidi Julevitz? There’s others by people associated with McSweeney’s, including at least one of their books (The Children’s Hospital) is in the list. They could’ve just disqualified anyone associated with the magazine, though maybe too many writers are associated with the magazine.
Doesn’t fill me with rage. (Frankly, if that’s true, you need psychological help, not kidding.) Though it’s odd and kind of dumb.