Two Debuts This Week by Authors We Like, from Venerable Indie Presses We Also Like
Sucks to be me this week, sort of. Now, granted, I was just paid to spend a long weekend in Colorado talking literature, eating great food, and cheerfully screwing around. But the resulting logjam of review-work and teaching-work (plus the upcoming Doomsday Film Festival & Symposium this weekend, about which, more later) caused me to miss not one, but two awesome parties this week. This first, on Tuesday, celebrated the release of Rachel Sherman’s debut novel, Living Room, now available from Open City. The second, last night, was for Daniel Nester’s prose debut, a self-help guide from Soft Skull entitled How to be Inappropriate.
Luckily, even though I missed the parties, I’ve got the books sitting here in front of me. And I swear to Christ, as soon as this death’s head of a month has passed me over, I’m going to read the hell out of ’em. But no need for you to wait for me on this one. Ya’ll should get to it right now. Also, be sure to check both authors’ tour schedules (respective clicking above will take you there). Rachel is reading all over NYC throughout this month and next, at Cakeshop, KGB, and elsewhere. Nester doesn’t seem to have as many dates on his docket, so maybe you should invite him to come read for you. Here’s a taste of his book from McSweeeney’s.
Circumcision
On our way to the Mall today (DC) we passed some Circumcision demonstrators holding up signs like “Circumcision Decreases Sensation” and “Circumcision is Torture.” And, indeed, Circumcision is a touchy subject with many interesting ethical pros and cums. But, honestly, when it comes to circumcision there’s only one legitimate question:
Does Circumcision make you a better or a worse writer? (it must have some effect, right ??)
If it makes you a worse writer then I want the procedure reversed. I want to be uncircumcised. And I want to talk to that cold-hearted bastard of a rabbi who took the knife to me 42 years ago and who therefore was no true patron of the arts.
If it’s better to be circumcised then great. And, thanks Reb (Rabbi). You did a great job.
And keep snipping !!!
And we have a winner…
If only Bush had been a little more horrible
And, no, it’s not Don D., or Roth. A German-Romanian Cruella De Vil lookalike took home the sort-of coveted literary prize, over some other writers who may possibly have deserved it more, despite not living and working under the thumb of a Romanian despot. But, hey, we can’t all be so lucky. Not to take anything away from Herta (sorry about the Cruella thing), but, uh, really? This is worse than that time in 1997 that Dario Fo won, an egregious event that I just read about last week and have been outraged by ever since. Politics? Art? Europeans intimidated by our raw American power and awesomeness? I feel like I need to write a strongly worded letter to someone, but the thing is is that baseball game is on in three hours, so I have to read some pregame analysis and be glad my national sport isn’t soccer, a game for cowards.
Boo, I say.
Manhattan Gets All Worked Up on Adderall
Stephen Elliott leads an Adderall Diaries wheatpasting campaign in what appears to be the East Village, yesterday, accompanied by Karan Mahajan and Alina Simone. New Yorkers, Don’t forget: Elliott reads at the Happy Ending Series at Joe’s Pub on Wednesday, 10/7, and the official release party, sponsored by n+1, is at Bookcourt on 10/8. Non-New Yorkers, be aware: Stephen is doing a massive tour for this book. Virginia? Arkansas? Seriously. If you feel like you live somewhere where nobody ever comes to read, this might just be the exception that proves your rule. Full tour schedule here.
After the jump, some more highlights from the expedition.
Win Heather Christle’s ‘The Difficult Farm’
The amazing and on-point-to-the-point-of-wow Heather Christle is giving away copies of her very soon to be released debut book of poems, The Difficult Farm, which is coming this month from Octopus Books. Winners will be random, all you have to do is comment on her blog, and for the winners’ books Heather “will draw your home state on the title page from memory.” Well, shit, you better get on that.
You can also preorder the book now.
More talk of Joyce, because we all know y’all love Joyce.
Lucia Joyce: Troubled Spawn
Speaking of James Joyce, check out this post on MobyLives about the latest on the Joyce estate’s “disgusting” attempt at censorship.
Here’s a little quote from The Stanford News about some of the nastiness that’s been going on:
Stephen Joyce has stopped countless public readings of his grandfather’s works and discouraged a generation of research. At one point, he told a prominent Joyce scholar that he was no longer giving permission to quote from any of Joyce’s work. He told one performer, who had simply memorized a portion of Finnegans Wake for an onstage presentation, that he had probably “already infringed” on the estate’s copyright, according to a 2006 New Yorker story.
R.L. Stine in the house
Jovial Bob!
Around this time last year, I was assigned a story for work that involved me checking out local haunted houses and evaluating their various levels of scarytude. Easy enough. There was a wrinkle, though. I was to have a pair of dauntless companions—in this case, beloved Goosebumps author R.L. “Jovial Bob” Stine and Peter Gilmore, current high priest of the Church of Satan (you really can’t make this stuff up).
The other day, I came across some Goosebumps-related Internet ephemera, and realized that I still had R.L. Stine’s email address, which I then used. Stine, author of a bazillion books and a known Wodehouse enthusiast, was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions.
I remember when you and I went out Haunted Housing last year, that you mentioned loving the Kindle? Could you briefly talk about how that happened? Doesn’t it feel kind of blasphemous?
I don’t think it’s blasphemous at all. I think the object is to get people reading. Does it really matter what package or device they use to read? This isn’t mine—I forget where I saw it. But someone wrote: What if we’d been using the Kindle for the past 300 years, and some guy came along with a new thing he invented, called a book. We’d laugh at him. We’d say: “But it only has one story!” “You can’t change the type size!” “You can’t download any more stories into it!” “It’s too heavy to carry!”
I still prefer a book, but the eReaders have a lot to recommend them, especially if they catch on with young people.
Presumably, then, you’re comfortable with technology. I have to admit, though, that I didn’t see R.L. Stine iphone apps coming. How’d that happen?
I think I was one of the first children’s authors to do an online chat, back when it was hard to do, and maybe six kids would show up. I’ve always loved messing around with technology. But I also think it’s important to go where the kids are. My web site—rlstine.com—has all kinds of fun stuff to get readers involved. And my new iPhone app— R.L. Stine’s Haunted House of Sound—seemed like a really fun way to reach my readers.
Here at HTML Giant, we style ourselves as the “internet literature magazine blog of the future.” Is this how you pictured the internet literature magazine blog of the future?
I have to admit I never pictured the internet literature magazine blog of the future until I checked out HTML Giant. Reading through the blog was kind of like being on Mars. All these authors I didn’t know! A lot of it seemed to be from a different planet, which of course, is why it’s so enjoyable.
How’d you stay so prolific over the years? Has your approach to writing varied in that time?
I don’t think I can quit. I wouldn’t know what else to do all day! I don’t think my approach to writing has changed at all. Someone described writing as an “addiction,” and in my case, I’m pretty sure it’s true!
Three Cheers for Blake!
Hey remember when Blake posted about how major publishing houses have basically stopped taking on challenging, innovative fiction? Well it looks like big publishing has Struck Back. From Our Man’s personal blog, posted last night-
Sign of good times, indeed. Blake joins a team that already includes Dennis Cooper, Tony O’Neill, Kevin Sampsell, uh me, The Great Short Works of Tolstoy, the Six Word Memoir series, and all those amazing philosophy re-issues originally published in the Harper Torch series. Welcome to the family, brother!
Special Butler+Harper Bonus Reminder: “The Copy Family” at Fifty-two Stories. Remember back when this happened? I think it’s when HP’s love affair with Homebutler began. Which incidentally reminds me that it’s been way too long since we touched based with Fifty-two Stories. Cal, if you’re reading this- I’m on it.