Remember when I said that thing about how all communication was inherently musical?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aae_HL6OenA
Yeah. I was wrong. Sorry, everybody. My bad.
What are you reading right now?
I am reading these two books right now:
Ectecera
Seth Harwood is a hustler.
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The Goldberg Variations Variations: ‘an audio work that simultaneously plays ten different synchronized recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations BMV 988. The beginning of each variation is synched, but after the first note, the performances fall out of step due to the differences in their tempos.’ Beautiful.
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Help Ben Brooks Buy a New Computer
ben brooks needs a new computer to keep typing. please donate some money to him. he wrote FENCES. that is enough to warrant giving him money. he also has two more books slated for publication. if you don’t donate money he may never have the resources to realize his novel about vampires that are good looking teens and have sex with each other.
All communication is musical.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muCPjK4nGY4
See? Sing me a story.
Craft Notes with Peter Jackson
I just finished watching the director’s commentary track on the re-issue of The Frighteners, a movie I truly love despite the fact that it’s deeply flawed, wildly uneven, and basically a failure. (It’s like the Philip K. Dick of horror-comedy crossover movies; though not like a Philip K. Dick movie). Hearing Peter Jackson discuss what he feels went right about the film, what went wrong, and how it all came together–or didn’t–was fascinating. I wasn’t much of a Peter Jackson fan going in–in fact I didn’t realize he had directed this movie until I netflixed it this most recent time–but something about his candidness, coupled with his obviously fan-boyish enthusiasm for cinema in general, really won me over. Plus I learned that he made a FOUR AND A HALF HOUR documentary about the making of this film, which apparently I need to netflix separately. As of this writing, it’s already on the queue. Does anybody else have favorite failed work of art, be they literary, musical, or filmic? I’d be interested to hear what, and why.
The Electric (Literature) Slide: Boogie Woogie Woogie
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixel_addict/ / CC BY 2.0
Whenever a new literary magazine debuts I am intrigued because it means there’s one more group of people in the world who support words, writing and writers. I have found Electric Literature particularly interesting because they actually pay (and quite well) their writers. They have a slick, aggressive advertising campaign with ads like this and this and others suggesting that their magazine offers “reading that is bad for you.” I’m not sure what that means. The writing in the first issue didn’t feel dangerous.
NY Art Book Fair at PS1 all weekend
Come on by and see us, why don’t you? We’re sharing a booth with Ugly Duckling Presse. Also, come see all the other stuff. I mean, as long as you’re there.
We Are All Friends Here
I’ve been thinking about nepotism and croneyism and friends publishing friends because I often hear people talking, complaining, and bitching about the insular nature of (independent) publishing.
Intrapublishing (new word!) happens but not as much as you’d think. Some magazines are largely vanity presses but most are not.
We all know each other, right? We read each other and we publish each other and support each other and love each other and hate each other. It’s a small small community. The longer you stick around, the more inevitable it becomes that you will encounter people you know and/or like (or dislike as the case may be) in your submission queue. Does that influence editorial decisions? Sometimes. If I know you, for example, and you send me a 7,500 word story I will read it but that isn’t a guarantee of publication. Most editors are great people with integrity who can look beyond friendship and/or mutual respect. I get rejected from acquaintances and friends all the time.