Justin Taylor is the author of the story collection Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever, and the novel The Gospel of Anarchy. He is the editor of The Apocalypse Reader, Come Back Donald Barthelme, and co-editor (with Eva Talmadge) of The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide. With Jeremy Schmall he makes The Agriculture Reader, a limited-edition arts annual. He lives in Brooklyn.
Because I don’t know what the rest of my day/night is going to look like yet, but am basically sure it won’t involve this computer, I thought it best to play safe and offer up New Year’s tidings to every one–yes, every one–of you out there.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. Thanks for being part of our lives. And don’t forget to check your Chinese calendar: 2009 is the year of the GIANT.
People with things to do might stop reading now, but in case it’s still too early for you to start drinking in your particular time zone, or if you’ve already started but haven’t left the house yet, or if you’re already out but reading this on your iPhone (in which case, Jesus H.), here are some things to look at/read/listen to.
We’ll start with the original Hogmanay hearthrob, Mr. Robert Burns:
Would pr like to nail this guy? If not, she's the only one.
Why not take a few moments now to practice the Auld Lang Syne in Scots, so you won’t mess it up when midnight rolls around?
Why not read about Guy Lombardo and Auld Lang Syne on NPR?
The Robert Burns of today? (No, not even close.)
Catch you on the flip side, suckas.
Another point miscomprehended by people who are clumsy at language is that one does not need to learn a whole language in order to understand some one or some dozen poems. It is often enough to understand thoroughly the poem, and every one of the few dozen or few hundred words that compose it.
– “How to Read”
I met DJ Dolack for the first time a few weeks before Christmas, at a party. Turns out we’ve both written for Coldfront. So okay, nice to meet you, DJ. Then the next week I’m getting ready to give this reading for Hexed, and notice that I’ll be sharing a bill with–among others–one DJ Dolack. Also, now that I think about it, weren’t me and dude both in the Fall 2008 issue of diode? (Yes.) Weird how much your life can overlap with somebody else’s without either of your even knowing it. Well, anyway, when we were at the reading, DJ gave me a copy of his 2005 chapbook, “The Sad Meal,” which was published by Eye for an Iris and distributed through Black Ocean. It’s a gorgeous little book, on nice paper, about the size of a thank you card (it came in an illustrated envelope) and bound with a single staple. I have no idea how many were printed, or how to get one (Eye for an Iris’s site seems to not have anything on it, and the Black Ocean page for “The Sad Meal” doesn’t exist anymore) but I have one and I think it’s pretty cool.
Work on your blanks.
– Arcade, p. 172
Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-belov’d imprisonment,
There He hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into the world to come;
But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,
Stars and wise men will travel to prevent
The effect of Herod’s jealous general doom.
Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith’s eyes, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high,
That would have need to be pitied by thee?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.
+
More English Renaissance Christmas poetry at the Shakespeare Authorship page.
THE QUARTERLY
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16 / Winter 1990A Nace Page 2
Cecile Goding / The Big Dog 3
Gary Krist / Bone by Bone 8
Dom Leone / I Have a Stapler 21
Leon Rooke / Drivers 22
Jaquelyn Reingold / Freeze Tag 24
Sam Michel / The Naming 49
Patricia Lear / Solace 59
Richard Blanchard / Dear Miss Wright 105
Barbara Blewer / I Am Safe and Live at Home 106
Thomas Wooten / The Other Side, Radiant 118
Rolf Nelson / The Men on the Ground 123
Dawn Raffel / Table Talk 135
Hugh Kelleher / John, Barney, Van 138
J. R. Rodriguez / Eating the Father’s Penis 140
Lisa Wohl / Magnificat 143
Diane Williams / Four Fictions 152
Christine Schutt / Two Fictions 156
Sandra Stone / Soup of the Evening 160
Rick Bass / Susan 162
Tom Whalen / Murder Story 188
Peter Christopher / The Year of the Purchase 191Another Nace Page 194
Cooper Esteban 195
David Kirby 205
John Allman 206
Marjorie Milligan 209
E. Ormsby 210
Bruce Beasley 213
Al Ortolani 217
Elizabeth Lerner 219
Lynne H. Decourcy 220
Jim Paul 221
Ansie Baird 222
Shahid Hoda 223
M. D. Stein 224
Maurice Eidelsberg 226
Blake Nelson 227
Gregory H. Johnson 228
Ray Halliday 229One More Nace Page 230
Harold Bloom to Q 231
John S. P. Walker to Q 235
Jason Shinder to Q 236
Sharon Korshak to Q 238
Dom Leone to Q 239
William Myers to Q 242The Last Nace Page 246
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Coop writes,
This is the third in a new series of days on the blog where writers who are part of the blog’s community will present work-in-progress in search of the opinions, responses, advice, and critiques of both readers who don’t normally post comments here and local inhabitants of this place.
Initially I had held off from blogging about these workshops, because even though the stories are obviously posted in a public forum, the workshop seemed like a community/family project. But I talked to Dennis about it, and he’s 100% in favor of anything that gets the presenters’ work more widely read and commented on, so I’m encouraging people to go over there and check out what’s happening. Read the story, leave a comment, etc. And also, please keep in mind DC’s advice re how to play nice:
Obviously, the closer your attention and the more you’re able and willing to say to the writer the better. But any kind of related comment is welcome, even a simple sentence or two indicating you read the piece of writing and felt something or other about it would be helpful. The only guideline I’m going to give out regarding comments is that any response, whether lengthy or brief, praise filled or critical or anywhere inbetween, should be presented in a spirit of helping the writer in question.
This weekend’s story is called “The Routine,” by George Wines.
ANATHEMATIZATION OF THE WORLD IS NOT AN ADEQUATE RESPONSE TO THE WORLD.
– Snow White
He would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling kids!
from New School in Exile, posted ~ 3 AM: Occupation Wins Major Victory over University Administration in 3rd Day
After more than two weeks of concerted actions on campus, students in the occupation were finally able to win significant victories in the ongoing struggle to improve the New School. Those victories include: an agreement not to press charges or impose academic punishments for students involved in the protest, the implementation of a Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) committee within the university, more autonomy and power for Student Senate to communicate with the student body, more representation on the Board of Trustees for students and faculty, and finally the creation of more student study space on campus. As of approximately 4am this morning New School and other students have left the 65 5th Avenue building and declared the occupation successful, ending this stage of the action.
You can read the full text of the agreement reached with President Kerrey here.
(If you missed my original post about this story, it’s here.)
