Monthly Archives: March 2008
Whose 80s Anyway?
When I was a student at Wesleyan University in the 80s, I used to go to house music parties at Malcolm X House. They usually started at about 1AM and ran until 5AM. There was usually no alcohol available. They … Continue reading
Filed under dance break
Tayari Jones at Bat Segundo
Richard Powers said to me one time— I’m going to miquote him, but, the vibe of it was, We have to write as if the whole world has gone crazy and people need our books to find out what happened…Our … Continue reading
Pharmaceuticals In Your Water
atenolol, trimethoprim, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, estrogen, acetaminophen and diazepam 7 of 16 drugs found in the water supply in New York City’s famous tap water. From Rawstory
Filed under Uncategorized
The Money Quote
From Sam J. Miller’s essay on the Short Story, over at The Quarterly Conversation: Many, including me, see a lot of positives in the digitization of art, don’t have a lot of sympathy for the RIAA when it complains about … Continue reading
Filed under animal savagery, art, books, politics, product, white collar sweatshops of the east coast, writers, writing
Armistead Maupin On Memoir Vs. Novel
Audience member at reading: Why don’t you write a memoir, they’re so popular now? Armistead Maupin: Because I like to lie. As heard by by Lance Reynald.
Your Questions Answered: Why Don’t The Fake Memoir Writers Write Novels?
Q: Why would someone like Margaret Seltzer try to publish a fictional story as a memoir? A: The novel in the West owes a great deal to the fake memoir, dating back to such classics as Moll Flanders. It was … Continue reading
Some People’s Lives Require Legendary Stamina
Some of the female bodybuilders at the competition provided the weekend’s highlight on Saturday night when they went to a local bar. According to a Page Six spy, “They started wrestling a bunch of midgets. It got nasty and went … Continue reading
Filed under gossip
Letter From This Week Which Isn’t Soon Enough But Has To Do For Now.
It’s snowing outside and I have to leave the warm office bedroom I’ve created for myself in this cavernous, drafty apartment, to get coffee and eggs, somehow. Thick piles of fluffy snow line the streets, which appear to be clearing, … Continue reading
Filed under letters from away
The Hunting Of The Snark
How does this snark |snärk| noun an imaginary animal (used to refer to someone or something that is difficult to track down). ORIGIN 1876: nonsense word coined by Lewis Carroll in The Hunting of the Snark. become this? snarky |ˈsnärkē| … Continue reading
Filed under vocabulary
In Which An International Student Describes My Country To Me
What follows is an excerpt from an alumni interview with a prospective student [easily, I might add, one of the most impressive young women I've ever met]. Me: Tell me about some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome while … Continue reading
Filed under dialogues
