Blake Butler—
1. Please welcome the newest Giant contributor, the radical Kristen Iskandrian, who rules.
2. Don’t forget tonight at 9 PM Eastern (again, 6 PM for you west coast freaks) Michael Kimball will read live here on HTMLGIANT, with a guest opening reading by Andy Devine. See you there!
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Wink Wink Contest
Been following Hint Fiction?
If you read HTML, yes. (Thanks, Roxane)
I glow flash, write/teach/advocate for flash. But I’m wondering. When do we do this big, when do we go all the way, I mean fucking Double Down KFC big?
I want a contest where every submission is a blank page. Everything off the page.
Who will write the next silent symphony, the 4:33? The Godot of flash?
Who is up for a blank page flash contest?
Oh that’s just silly (or smart?). Let’s go 3, 3–a holy number, words. Give me 3 words. I’ll begin.
Dolphin Nachos, Bono?
(The award is a good book [my choice–it will rock ass], hot sauce [It will kill your spleen and brain. It will be hot like donuts or making out in the bathroom at that Halloween party] and a brand new deck of kick-ass cards [literary theme])
You Can Call Him Shakespeare: Meet Patrick Wensink
Patrick Wensink began his writing career as a rock critic and his work appears in several newspapers, magazines and web sites. Gradually shifting his attention to fiction, he published his first book, a collection of short stories, Sex Dungeon for Sale!, in 2009. Currently, he is putting the finishing touches on his first novel: Broken Piano for President—a comedy about a man who is more productive when he is drunk than when he’s sober, a hamburger more addictive than crystal meth and an angry pack of cosmonauts. We had a fine conversation about his work, his barbecue sauce and so much more.
Your work has been characterized as “darkly absurdist.” Is that accurate? What does it mean for writing to be absurdist or bizarro? Can those terms be used interchangeably?
I’ve been called much worse, that’s for sure. I use a lot of sarcasm and satire and dark humor in my writing and people draw their own conclusions. I’ll take whatever you want to call me, especially “Shakespearian”. I think if people started calling my work Shakespearian, my parents wouldn’t be so embarrassed about the book’s title.
Blake Butler—
SPD is offering 40% off on all poetry books from the 20th century through the end of April, they have included a list of choice choices, anything else hot come to mind to pick up?
Adam Robinson—
There’s a nice reading log of Ander Monson’s Vanishing Point up at the NYTimes book blog, Paper Cuts. It asks about the future of the book, where the book is a, uh, book.
If you’re looking for a job
JOB TITLE: Editorial Assistant
TYPE: Full-time, entry-level position
SALARY: $24,000–$28,000 depending upon experience and background, plus medical benefits.JOB SUMMARY: Editorial assistant is responsible for the day-to-day editorial operations of the Press. This is an ideal position for the right person committed to entering publishing, undertaking challenging work, and becoming an integral part of Dalkey Archive Press.
REQUIREMENTS: Minimum BA (preference given to applicants possessing reading knowledge of at least one other language, with emphasis on French or Spanish); superior copy editing and proofreading skills; extensive reading background in literature; extensive reading knowledge of Dalkey Archive Press books and publications; superior writing skills; well-organized, able to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities; able to communicate well and volunteer regular status updates to Publisher; available nights and weekends; able to learn quickly.
Expected Starting Date: June–August, 2010
Application Deadline: May 15, 2010
Uncategorized / 52 Comments
April 28th, 2010 / 10:03 am
April 28th, 2010 / 10:03 am
Hey look–it’s STUFF!
It’s HTMLGiant meatspace weekend (for me and four other people)! I’m heading down to Atlanta this afternoon to see Amy and Blake–then Amy and I will continue onward to Sarasota, FL where we’ll be reading and talking at New College with Alec Niedenthal and Alexis Orgera. But while I’m doing that, you can do this:
The Heart is Green from so Much Waiting by Sam Starkweather is now on sale from Immaculate Disciples Press.
There’s a new installment of WKE Story Time (episode 5) and it features Willy Vlautin, author of Lean on Pete, which I have heard nothing but the best and most enthusiastic things about.
The Spring issue of Sixth Finch, featuring Leigh Stein, Jackie Clark, Farrah Field, Dan Hoy, art by Glenray Tutor, and more.
The “metal flowers” ebay auction has ended. I am very proud to announce that the winning bid was a whopping $81, all of which will go to Girls Write Now. As this amount is greater than $76 (the so-called Doty-Lethem threshold), the winning bidder will get an additional prize package. (What am I talking about?)
Oh and last but not least, here’s a little more followup (via Crooks and Liars) on the “racist racists” post about Arizona from the other day. Here’s some information about AZ-State Senator Russell Pearce, author of the law, and his close friend, neo-Nazi J.T. Ready. Now here’s an avowed white nationalist bragging on his website about how he “helped” Pearce write the law. So, yeah.
Blake Butler—
48 Hour Magazine is “a raucous experiment in using new tools to erase media’s old limits. As the name suggests, we’re going to write, photograph, illustrate, design, edit, and ship a magazine in two days.”
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