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Pronoun Power! May 30th, 2014
30 Friday May 2014
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21 Wednesday May 2014
Posted Blog, The Brooklyn Rail
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Catherine Lacey, Courtney Maum, D Foy, Darcey Steinke, Elizabeth Eslami, J.C. Hallman, Joyelle McSweeney, Karen Russell, Kathleen Rooney, Lee Klein, Lynne Tillman, Matt Bell, Nicolle Elizabeth, Pamela Erens, Roxane Gay, Shane Jones
After much work, I’m pleased to announce that the May issue of The Brooklyn Rail is on the stands. I have to express my pride in the Rail’s In Conversation series. If you’re a writer or a fan of books, you’ll love this growing series. This month we feature interviews with Pamela Erens andElizabeth Trundle, Lance Olsen and John Domini; David Burr Gerrard and Scott Cheshire; as well as Matt Bell‘s regular monthly interview series, in which, this month, Matt talks about all those raw imperfect impulses with poet Bianca Stone. Books under review this month include Roxane Gay‘s AN UNTAMED STATE; Jesmyn Ward’s MEN WE REAPED; Kenan Trebincevic and Susan Shapiro‘s THE BOSNIA LIST; Brian Gresko on Lynne Tillman‘s WHAT WOULD LYNNE TILLMAN DO?; Jason Porter‘s WHY ARE YOU SO SAD?; as well as Jen Percy‘s DEMON CAMP and W.G. Sebald’s A PLACE IN THE COUNTRY (both fabulously edited by Books editor Katie Rolnick)
Upcoming issues will feature Karen Russell, D Foy, Lee Klein, Shane Jones, Courtney Maum, Elizabeth Eslami, Catherine Lacey, Nicolle Elizabeth, Darcey Steinke, J.C. Hallman, Kathleen Rooney, and Joyelle McSweeney. Stay tuned!
A huge thanks, as always, to the remarkable Sara Roffino.
17 Saturday May 2014
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and Still Came Out Smiling (With Great Hair) Random House by Rosie Perez, audiobooks, Do The Right Thing, HANDBOOK FOR AN UNPREDICTABLE LIFE: How I Survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother, Rosie Perez, Spike Lee, The New York Times Sunday Book Review
This weekend’s NY Times Sunday Book Review covers the debut by Brooklyn’s favorite daughter Rosie Perez, HANDBOOK FOR AN UNPREDICTABLE LIFE, calling it “a careering ride, crowded with family struggles and reconciliation and therapy-inflected observations…an uplifting and enjoyable debut.” The Brooklyn Rail‘s Books section was delighted to speak to Ms. Perez, in February, on the occasion of her book’s release:
10 Saturday May 2014
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Among Savages, Brittney Canty, Demon Camp, Erin Harris, H.I.P. Lit, Jen Percy, Jennifer Percy, Kim Perel, The Paperbox in Brooklyn
As NYC-area reading events go, this is one of my favorites. The H.I.P. Reading Series is one of the slyest, wittiest, campiest, and most talented reading events I’ve ever experienced. And “experienced” rather than merely “attended” is the distinction to be made here: The three women who conceive and curate each themed reading event are equal parts Peggy Guggenheim, Bill Graham, and P.T. Barnum; and each event is a singular happening never to be experienced again. And what’s more: They showcase some of the best writers around. I’ll be in attendance this Friday, May 16th, for their End of The World edition, which Erin Harris, Brittney Canty, and Kim Perel promise will be “a strange paradise,” complete with a brooding volcano and lingering fog and a food truck–La Troca del Sabor. There’s even going to be a for-real L.A. rock band playing that night, Among Savages. Be there and be able to say you were.
01 Thursday May 2014
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American Psycho, Beautiful Children, Bret Easton Ellis, Charles Bock, Charles McGrath, Less Than Zero, The Brooklyn Rail, The Center for Fiction, Vernon Downs, Weston Cutter
Great time last night at the Center for Fiction. Thanks to Jaime Clarke and Charles Bock, who made a bunch of rain-soaked New Yorkers glad they had braved the elements. The two writers discussed Clarke’s new novel VERNON DOWNS, which I thought was such an important new work of fiction that I assigned it to my fiction students for their final craft analysis, and assigned it, as well, for review at The Brooklyn Rail. Bock asked Clarke exactly the kinds of questions my students have been asking in class, and he did so with humor, generosity, and grace. Clarke discussed not only the novel, but also his time in college and grad school, his memories of being a young writer in NYC during the 90s, his recollections of the writer Bret Ellis, the growing importance of Ellis’s AMERICAN PSYCHO and LESS THAN ZERO, and all the work that went into writing the new book. Afterward, Jaime Clarke generously chatted alone with my class, answering their questions and responding to comments. They loved him. And I also got to meet a hero of mine, Charles Bock, whose novel BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN has been a favorite of mine since it came out. A really special night. Thanks to Jaime and Charles, and to The Center for Fiction for their warm welcome.