I love benches. I have spent hours of my life on them watching, writing, reading, dreaming, napping – in parks, on city streets, at airports, on sports teams — but there is one that I don’t like. Our piano bench. It’s puzzling because my time at the piano gives me great pleasure. In fact, what … More Benched by Joe Mills
Washington, D.C.’s public library is bringing attention to banned books in a brand new way: a scavenger hunt. … More Banned Books, Finding Poetry in the Rain & More! Weekly Lit News Roundup by Emily Ramser
Evening falls in La Candelária neighborhood in Bogotá, Colombia. Clouds drape the eastern hills overlooking the old city. Church bells toll, and pigeons break into flight. But in one of the more quiet lanes above the hustle and bustle of the cathedral dominated Plaza Bolívar—Rafael Martínez is bent over the “guts” of an antique book. … More The Bookbinder of Bogota by Tom Darin Liskey
“I don’t make the characters do what I would do in facing these situations—as I’ve already illustrated, my characters seem to thwart me on every level—but I do wind up learning a lot about myself when writing about others. It reminds me of how psychologists say that children play as a way to learn to navigate social situations, that they’re sort of practicing for the real thing. And I guess, in a way, writers are people who have just never stopped playing.” ~ Jen Michalksi … More An Interview with Jen Michalski by Curtis Smith
On September 6th, the debut of the series, Queen Sugar, at Oprah’s OWN attracted a huge audience and received the second best debut in the network’s history. The second night was OWN’s best ever, with 2.14 million viewers. … More Queen Sugar, a Brisbane Walkout, and Much More! Your Weekly Lit News Roundup by Laurel Dowswell
The Labor Day holiday marks an ending and a beginning— readying us for a changing of seasons that moves from summer frivolity to autumn responsibilities. But I agree with poet Jericho Brown when he says, “Labor Day is my favorite holiday.” … More For the Love of Books: A Journey Through the 2016 AJC Decatur Book Festival by Laurel Dowswell
Tonight I am writing in an owl nightie, granny panties and a vintage blue puffy vest with a large orange and white chevron that meets at the zipper. There are limits to self-love. I remember once, as a child, refusing to take a bath and running instead into my room to dress in a leotard … More Routine by Laura Jean Moore
Toward the end of August, I traveled to Edinburgh to catch the end of the annual Fringe Festival, a month-long celebration of theatre, dance, comedy, music, spoken word, and street performance that takes over nearly every corner of the city. Some of the shows are gems, while others are duds; the programming is voluminous, uneven, … More On Representation by Kelly Davio
REVIEWED BY ANNE ELIZABETH WEISGERBER Curing Time by Tim Swink | Pegasus Books, 2014 | ISBN: 978-0991099313 | 212 pages Curing Time by Tim Swink is a southern tale, highlighting the struggles of North Carolina tobacco farmers, circa 1957-9. The plot braids together a love story, local folklore, legacy farming, and predatory banking. Farmer Hume … More Curing Time by Tim Swink
The Neverending Story Gets 3D Google Doodle Google honored The Neverending Story this past Thursday with one of its famous Google Doodles. It marks the 37th anniversary of Michael Ende’s children book. The Doodle includes five slides drawn by Sophie Diao that feature several scenes from the story. In keeping with Google’s theme of honoring writers, … More Honoring Writers with Awards & Google Doodles: Your Lit News Roundup by Emily Ramser
