FREE SAMPLES of 2013 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTS—28-YEAR-OLD AUTHOR YOUNGEST to RECEIVE BOOKER PRIZE

By MICHELLE HOGMIRE | 10/17/13

SNEAK PEEK—“Dante: The Most Vivid Version,” by N.Y. Review of Books’ Robert Pogue Harrison: In the upcoming Oct. 24 issue, Harrison discusses two new translations of Dante in conjunction with Dan Brown’s “Inferno.” http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/oct/24/dante-most-vivid-version/?pagination=false

“The Art of ‘Creative Sleep’: Stephen King on Writing and Wakeful Dreaming,” by Brain Pickings’ Maria Popova: Popova discusses King’s ideas about the writing benefits of “a sleep-like state in waking life” from “On Writing” and provides links to writing advice from other famous authors. http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/10/14/stephen-king-on-writing-and-creative-sleep/

10/16/13

“Free Samples of the 2013 National Book Award Finalists,” by Galleycat’s Jason Boog: Galleycat compiles a list of all the finalists for the National Book Award, along with samples of each work. http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/free-samples-of-the-2013-national-book-award-finalists_b79064

10/15/13

“At 28, Writer Is Youngest to Receive Booker Prize,” by N.Y. Times’ Julie Bosman: “Eleanor Catton was awarded the Man Booker Prize on Tuesday for ‘The Luminaries,’ an immersive tale set in 19th-century New Zealand that explores identity, greed and human frailty. At 28, Ms. Catton is the youngest winner of the Booker. She was born in Canada and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/business/media/at-28-eleanor-catton-is-youngest-man-booker-winner.html?_r=0

OSCAR HIJUELOS Dies at 62—NEIL GAIMAN NOVEL BANNED from NEW MEXICO SCHOOL

By MICHELLE HOGMIRE | 10/15/13

10/13/13

“Oscar Hijuelos, Who Won Pulitzer for Tale of Cuban-American Life, Dies at 62,” by N.Y. Times’ Bruce Weber: “Oscar Hijuelos, a Cuban-American novelist who wrote about the lives of immigrants adapting to a new culture and became the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his 1989 book, “The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love,” died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 62.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/books/oscar-hijuelos-cuban-american-writer-who-won-pulitzer-dies-at-62.html?_r=0

10/11/13

“Nobel Prize in Literature: the women who’ve won it,” by The Telegraph’s Charlotte Runcie: Runcie lists the 13 women who’ve won the Nobel Prize for Literature with recommended books to read first, from Alice Munro in 2013 back to Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlof in 1909. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/10370838/Books.html

“Neil Gaiman novel banned by New Mexico school after mother objects,” by The Guardian’s David Barnett: “Neil Gaiman's urban fantasy novel Neverwhere has been removed from a New Mexico school's "required reading list" after a mother objected to her daughter bringing it home. According to the state's KRQE news station, Nancy Wilmott complained to Alamogordo High School because of the book's "sexual innuendos and harsh language". http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/11/neil-gaiman-novel-banned-new-mexico-school?CMP=twt_fd&CMP=SOCxx2I2

“Trusting Thurber: On Created Nonfiction,” by L.A. Review of Books’ Maria Bustillos: Bustillos discusses Ohio humorist James Thurber’s influence on today’s creative nonfiction writers.  http://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/trusting-thurber-maria-bustillos-on-created-nonfiction

ALICE MUNRO wins NOBEL PRIZE in LITERATURE

By MICHELLE HOGMIRE | 10/10/13

“Alice Munro Wins Nobel Prize in Literature,” by N.Y. Times’ Julie Bosman: “Alice Munro, the renowned Canadian short-story writer whose visceral work explores the tangled relationships between men and women, small-town existence and the fallibility of memory, won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday. Ms. Munro, 82, is the 13th woman to win the prize.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/books/alice-munro-wins-nobel-prize-in-literature.html?_r=0

10/9/13

“A Conversation with George Saunders,” at The New Yorker Festival: Video of Deborah Treisman, fiction editor of The New Yorker, talking with author George Saunders at the2013 festival. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/10/george-saunders-video.html

10/8/13

“American adults have low (and declining) reading proficiency,” by L.A. Times’ Hector Tobar: “The reading skills of American adults are significantly lower than those of adults in most other developed countries, according to a new international survey. What’s more, over the last two decades Americans’ reading proficiency has declined across most age groups, and has only improved significantly for 65-year-olds.” http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-american-adults-have-low-and-declining-reading-proficiency-20131008,0,3562742.story

“Robert Kirkman: I Can Do 1,000 Issues of ‘The Walking Dead,’” by Rolling Stone’s David Peisner: Rolling Stone will interviews cast and crew members of “The Walking Dead” every day until the Oct. 13 season premiere of the show. Peisner interviews the series creator, comic book writer Robert Kirkman. http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/robert-kirkman-i-can-do-1-000-issues-of-the-walking-dead-20131008

TOM CLANCY Dies at 66—EDGAR ALLAN POE exhibit opens at the MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM

By MICHELLE HOGMIRE | 10/8/13

10/4/13

“Rise and Shine: the daily routines of history’s most creative minds,” by The Guardian’s Oliver Burkeman: Burkeman reviews the book “Daily Rituals” by Mason Currey, a book about the daily habits and rituals that have helped make famous writers successful. Burkeman reveals patterns, such as being a morning person, not giving up a day job, taking walks, sticking to a schedule, practicing a little substance abuse and writing anywhere. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/05/daily-rituals-creative-minds-mason-currey?CMP=fb_gu

10/3/13

“Author Tom Clancy, master of the modern-day thriller, dead at 66,” by CNN’s Alan Duke: “Spy thriller writer Tom Clancy, whose best-selling books ‘The Hunt for Red October’ and ‘Patriot Games’ became blockbuster films, has died, his publisher said Wednesday. He was 66.” http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/02/us/tom-clancy-obit/index.html

“The Writer and the Man, Evermore,” by N.Y. Times’ Charles McGrath: “Edgar Allan Poe, among the unluckiest and most misunderstood of writers, is the subject of a tasteful, thoughtful exhibition that opens on Friday at the Morgan Library & Museum — about 100 years too late to do his reputation much good. Among Poe’s misfortunes is that many of his American contemporaries found his work morbid and unreadable. In some ways, he was the Mickey Rourke or Jerry Lewis of 19th-century letters, better appreciated in France, by writers like Baudelaire and Mallarmé, than he was at home.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/books/edgar-allan-poe-exhibition-opens-at-the-morgan.html?pagewanted=all

10/1/13

“Top 10 tips for writing a Hollywood blockbuster,” by BBC News’ Alison Feeney-Hart: Feeney-Hart interviews Tony Gilroy, a popular Hollywood screenwriter, about writing. His advice includes starting small, learning to write anywhere, anytime and not living in Los Angeles. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24348113

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLOSES Due to Government Shutdown—ROBERT BARNARD Dies at 76

By MICHELLE HOGMIRE | 10/1/13

9/29/13

“Robert Barnard, Award-Winning Writer of British Crime ‘Cozies,’ Dies at 76,” by the N.Y. Times’ Paul Vitello:  “Robert Barnard, an award-winning British crime writer known for skewering hypocrites, snobs and prigs in his cast of characters as energetically as he dispatched murder victims, died on Sept. 19 in Leeds, England. He was 76.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/books/robert-barnard-award-winning-writer-of-british-crime-cozies-dies-at-76.html?_r=0

9/27/13

“Library of Congress Would Close Website During Government Shutdown,” by Galleycat’s Jason Boog: Boog points out the impact of today’s government shutdown on the Library of Congress. The library’s buildings and website will close and planned events will be cancelled.  http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/library-of-congress-would-close-website-during-government-shutdown-occurs_b78455

“Apple moves to let authors sign e-books on the iPad,” by the L.A. Times’ Carolyn Kellogg: “Want to hand over your iPad so an author can sign your e-book? You might be able to soon. Apple has registered for a patent that would allow an e-book owner with an iPad get his or her book signed by an author. Readers might even be able to pose for a photo with the author as authentication to go with it -- a photo that would go right into the e-book on the traditional signature page.” http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-apple-moves-to-let-authors-sign-ebooks-on-the-ipad-20130927,0,5708637.story

“Why the Booker Prize expansion is terrible news for Canadian writers,” by The Globe and Mail’s Leah McLaren: McLaren discusses how U.S. inclusion in the Man Booker Prize will knock more Canadians out of the running, as Canadian writers have always operated in the shadow of U.S. culture. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/why-the-booker-prize-expansion-is-terrible-news-for-canadians-writers/article14566090/

Celebrating BANNED BOOKS WEEK—MacArthur ‘GENIUS’ AWARDS

By MICHELLE HOGMIRE | 9/26/13

“Avert your eyes! A gallery of banned and challenged books,” by the L.A. Times’ Jacket Copy: A gallery of banned and contested books created to honor Banned Books Week. http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-avert-your-eyes-a-gallery-of-banned-books-photos-20120928,0,549516.photogallery?index=la-jc-avert-your-eyes-a-gallery-of-banned-book-010

“The Odd Habits and Curious Customs of Famous Writers,” by Brain Pickings’ Maria Popova: “Famous authors are notorious for their daily routines — sometimes outrageous, usually obsessive, invariably peculiar. In Odd Type Writers: From Joyce and Dickens to Wharton and Welty, the Obsessive Habits and Quirky Techniques of Great Authors (public library) — the more dimensional and thoroughly researched counterpart to Mason Currey’s Daily Rituals — Brooklyn-based writer Celia Blue Johnson takes us on a guided tour of great writers’ unusual techniques, prompts and customs of committing thought to paper, from their ambitious daily word quotas to their superstitions to their inventive procrastination and multitasking methods.” http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/09/23/odd-type-writers/

9/25/13

“Amazon Releases Upgraded Suite of Kindle Fire Tablets,” by Publishers Weekly: “In the latest salvo in the ongoing tablet/e-reader wars, Amazon announced an upgraded suite of tablet devices that will include the new Kindle Fire HDX, an upgraded version of the Kindle HD tablet that offers an even higher resolution screen in two sizes (7-inch for $229 16GB; 8.9-inch for $379 16GB) and a new version of the 7-inch Kindle HD for $139 (8GB). All the new Kindle Fire tablets offer upgraded hardware, a new version of the Fire OS and better battery life, in addition to aggressively competitive prices.” http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/59246-amazon-releases-upgraded-suite-of-kindle-fire-tablets.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm

9/24/13

“24 Recipients of MacArthur ‘Genius’ Awards Named,” by the N.Y. Times’ Felicia R. Lee: Thirteen men and 11 women were awarded fellowships this year. Award winners will be paid $625,000 over five years. Winners include fiction writers, musicians, playwrights, choreographers and more. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/arts/macarthur-genius-award-winners-named.html?_r=0

CAROLYN CASSADY and ALVARO MUTIS both Die at 90—More PLAGIARISM SCANDALS

By MICHELLE HOGMIRE | 9/24/13

9/23/13

“Carolyn Cassady, Beat Generation Writer, Dies at 90,” by the N.Y. Times’ John Leland: “Carolyn Cassady, a writer who entered the American consciousness in 1957 as a character in Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, and decades later chronicled her life as a member of the Beat Generation, died on Friday near her home in Bracknell, England. She was 90.

Her death was confirmed by her daughter Cathy Sylvia, who said Ms. Cassady lapsed into a coma after an emergency appendectomy.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/books/carolyn-cassady-beat-generation-writer-dies-at-90.html

“Colombian poet and writer Alvaro Mutis dies aged 90,” by BBC News: “Colombian writer and poet Alvaro Mutis has died at the age of 90. Mutis, who won the most prestigious awards for Spanish language writing, died in Mexico after a long illness. Among his best known works was The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll, a collection of seven novellas about an adventurous sailor.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24207428

NEW PLAGIARISM ACCUSATIONS—Three more plagiarism scandals break around the world: “Plagiarism scandal exposes toxic undercurrents in poetry scene,” by The Australian’s Stephen Romei: Newcastle poet Andrew Slattery confesses to plagiarizing lines from other poems, including the work of Plath, Bukowski and Heaney. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/plagiarism-scandal-exposes-toxic-undercurrents-in-poetry-scene/story-fn9n8gph-1226722988684

“Shey Stahl plagiarism scandal,” by Jane of Dear Author: Goodreads reviewers find similarities between Shey Stahl’s For the Summer and a famous Twilight fan fiction. http://dearauthor.com/news/monday-news-shey-stahl-plagiarism-scandal-goodreads-deletes-reviews-without-notice-amazon-shares-at-an-all-time-high-cosplay-copyright-and-paid-for-reviews/

“Plagiarizing poet withdraws from contest. Wait, poets plagiarize?” by the L. A. Times’ Emily Keeler: Poet C.J. Allen removes his work from Britain’s Forward Poetry prize after another poet reveals that Allen plagiarized past poems. http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-plagiarist-poet-forward-poetry-prize

9/20/13

“The Backlash to the American Invasion of the Booker Prize,” by the N.Y. Times’ Steven Erlanger:  “The Americans are coming, and the British literary world is not happy.

The Man Booker Prize, which had been open to English-language novels from Britain and the Commonwealth, has just gone global, producing anxiety about damage to cultural diversity and fears that the American cultural hyperpower that dominates movies and television will crush the small literary novel.” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/books/the-backlash-to-the-american-invasion-of-the-booker-prize.html?pagewanted=all