Sylvia Plath’s Son Kills Himself
Big Ken Baumann News: ‘Unguentine’ the film
The most amibitious and awesome news update I’ve had the pleasure to divulge in a while, from none other than our own Ken Baumann. I’ll let his own words do the talkin’:
So I’m finally in the clear in a legal sense to divulge the promised information: I’ve optioned the film rights to Log of the S.S. The Mrs Unguentine by Stanley Crawford, and will be writing the screenplay.
A little back story: On recommendation of Blake Butler and others, I bought the book. As soon as it arrived in the mail I sat with it. I read it in two (unfortunately two — it would have been one if not for having to drive somewhere) sittings, and from really what was the fifth page in it began to percolate and pool within me. I was viscerally struck. Less than halfway inside I began to think ‘This would make a beautiful film.’ A few moments after I finished reading I felt I had to bring the story to a wide audience and a new medium. Patrick Welborn, my friend and agent, read the book and agreed. And now I, with the help of many many others, will do just that.
Ungeuntine on film? A story on a boat in a blur world where time is flesh and language is flesh and each page is fever sleep meshed with weird acid and a gloaming sense of death?
A huge undertaking, and an exciting one. In Ken’s hands, I feel ready to be eaten alive. Here’s to good luck in power and light, brother.
If you haven’t yet consumed this masterpiece, it is available in new edition from Dalkey Archive. Do yourself a favor.
Letters to Wendy’s Q &A
Recently uploaded to Joe Wenderoth’s Youtube channel is a fourteen part q & a with students about his book Letters to Wendy’s.
Question one: “What inspired you to write Letters to Wendy’s?”
After a long pause, Joe’s answer is: “Umm, a desire for power.”
Follow this link to see the first video. In it, Joe reads a few selections from the book after the teacher takes role. (Can anyone identify the teacher. A prize to anyone who does.)
Links
John D’Agata’s review of Letters to Wendy’s.
Letters to Wendy’s, the musical.
A review of Bruce McCulloch’s live version of Letters to Wendy’s. McCulloch was a member of Kids in the Hall. (Whose theme song was written by Shadowy Men from a Shadowy Planet. I used to listen to Dim the Lights, Chill the Ham in the car!)
Letters to Wendy’s Myspace page.
Unrelated article about letters sent to the families of victims of a 2000 massacre at a Wendy’s in New York.
Snopes article about a finger reportedly found in a bowl of Wendy’s chili.
Page where you can learn more about adoption, a cause beloved by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas.
Easter Post
Richard Yates, The Easter Parade (with a link to Tolstoy’s The Resurrection)
A Better Resurrection by Syliva Plath
I have no wit, I have no words, no tears;
My heart within me like a stone
Is numbed too much for hopes or fears;
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
A lift mine eyes, but dimmed with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is like the falling leaf;
O Jesus, quicken me.
And from The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John, chapter 20, verses 24-31, from the Douay-Rheims New Testament (thanks Barry, for suggesting this version of the New Testament): READ MORE >
I am buying one of these with my six figure advance
Visit terrafugia.com for more information on this experimental carplane.
Has anyone read this?
Has anyone read this book? It comes recommended by Stanley Crawford. I’m hoping to cull a concise summary from someone here so I can avoid buying it. Ahh, the irony.
Also: You can look forward to an HTMLGiant contest/giveaway. Big and soon.
Novella Compendium
Clusterfuck!
A few weeks ago I got an email from John Madera asking me to come up with a list of novellas that I like and some explanations about why I like them. John said he had asked “a bunch of writers” what their favorite novellas are and had gotten a “good” response back. I was thinking it would be something like ten people, fifteen max. Actually, this novella compendium includes entries and lists from every writer with a modicum of web presence.
A few: Nick Antosca, Ken Baumann, Blake Butler, Brian Evenson, Shane Jones, Sean Kilpatrick, Carole Maso, Christine Schutt, Matthew Simmons, Justin Taylor, William Walsh, John Dermot Woods, Steve Almond, Christopher Higgs, Lily Hoang, Michael Joyce, Michael Kimball, Gary Lutz, AND! David Shields AND! many, many others.
New Used Bookstore on Smith Street
I walked into this new used bookstore on Smith Street in Brooklyn after carbo-loading last night for a 10k race I was supposed to run right now in Central Park that I am skipping- last minute skipping- because it’s raining and freezing out and getting pneumonia is not worth it! As you can imagine, I am a bit disappointed and thinking things like, what if it stops raining??!! Anyway, I spent 25 dollars last night and bought a bunch of books. Here are the titles:
Wordhustler is your pimp
“Submit to Over 4,000 Literary Markets Without Leaving Your Desk” is WordHustler‘s tag-line. Basically, from what I can gather without actually signing up for an account (scary!), this is the match.com of the literary world: you make yourself seem as unrealistically attractive as possible for daunting goals, give them your credit card number, and wait in desperation.
Hey I’m just a joker with a day-job, check out what the writer of freakin’ The Bourne Identity says:
“The only thing I don’t like about WordHustler is that it wasn’t around when I was getting started. I can only lament the countless hours I spent grappling with commerce when I could’ve been focusing on art.”
— William Blake Herron, Screenwriter of The Bourne Identity
Haha! You started saying one thing, but then switched it! That’s like when Jason Bourne says he’s going to Berlin but goes to Hamburg!
They also have this nifty diagram of a SASE citing attributes such as the stamps. Who is stupid? Us or them? Somebody is stupid and I demand to know who it is.