relatability
how big an issue is relatability? what i mean is, when you are reading something, how much of your interest in it is the direct result of relation? i think it could be argued that relationships are what every book is about one way or another. this means all things relatable (ie, the relations between characters, the relations between reader and book, the relations between words and ideas, etc).
Caves & caves & caves, ultimately.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYVv8To7wj4
Here lies an interview with Gaspar Noé & Marilyn Manson. (I’m in it for the Noé, but to each his own.) Make sure to get past the first two insanely MTV’d minutes for a calm interview with the filmmaker and a conversation between the two.
And finally, explore the caves of Lascaux from your ccchhhhaaaiirrrr!
There is some amazing documentation about the creation of a trio of broadsides over at the NewLights Press IDE(A/O)(B)LOG(Y/UE). The broadsides are from Justin Sirois, Brian Evenson and John Yau.
The last 8 posts are filled with some truly amazing stuff.
The other Blake
I was just over at the Morgan Library, checking out this new exhibit, William Blake’s World: “A New Heaven Is Begun.“ The show contains engravings, illuminations, original diaries and manuscripts, letters and an audio clip of “The Tyger,” read by none other than Jeremy “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” Irons. It is awesome, and it is there until January 3. If you love images of biblical torment and poignant reminders of God’s implacable wrath as much as I do, this show is not to be missed.
New York Tyrant 7 Trailer
Luca Dipierro strikes again, this time with a trailer for the forthcoming new issue of New York Tyrant. Beautiful and creepy. Rumor is the Greek writing says, “I tried to warn you but you won’t listen.”
Rumor also is this issue is, at least in part, the ‘rape’ issue. Hold on.
September 10th, 2009 / 10:13 am
Creative Writing 101
This semester I’m teaching an undergraduate survey of creative writing at Rutgers. We’re two class meetings in, the students are all excited and smart and engaged. They’re making it a real pleasure to show up to class, which anyone who has ever taught before can tell you is not always the case. Because it’s a survey class, the idea is that we’ll look at the major forms of creative writing–fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction. Instead of doing “units” on each of these sections, my hope is to pair pieces from different forms, both oriented by a theme or element of craft, themselves relatable back to a writing exercise, and see what kind of glad serendipities result from the juxtapositions.
New Federman
New from BlazeVox Books:
THE CARCASSES
A FABLE
by
Raymond Federman
— but she knows from her experience on planet Earth that even if she denounces her comrades she will be thrown on the pile of carcasses known as the pile of eternally rejected carcasses — it is the worse condition — the most terrible fate for a carcass is to know that she will never be transmuted — that there is no hope of ever be transmuted — not even as an ugly vegetable — let’s say as a carrot — or as a ridiculous object like a chamber pot — meanwhile the secret forces of the authorities — known as the authoritarian militia — are in the process of arresting all those who are involved because even if the NAFC did not give their names — the OFCS denounced them — no need to say more about the pathetic failure of this revolution — what will happen in the zone of the carcasses will be told in a subsequent chapter — but as it is now said and repeated in every corner of the zone since the miscarriage of this revolt — the more things change the more they’re the same —
Apologies if it’s been a week of too much shop talk, but here goes: Isn’t a human being more complex than any fantasy, literary theory, metaphysic, fictive conceit, etc., we can dream up? And, if so, what do you take away from that, if anything?
Who wants to be pissed off and terrified for the next half hour?
Dave Neiwert , the award-winning journalist and managing editor of Crooks & Liars–one of my favorite blogs–discusses his book, The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etoyumdyRS4&