Clarifying the Anxiety of Influence
Publishers Marketplace reported that prominent literary scholar Harold Bloom recently closed a deal on a new book entitled The Anatomy of Influence. Bloom will “reopen and clarify” his theory of the anxiety of influence and will examine the minds that have most shaped us. In typical door-stopper-book fashion, the text will trace “how our thought…
continue readingRIP Frederick Busch
Sadly, news surfaced on Sunday that Frederick Busch died of a heart attack on Feburary 23rd. Although he lived in a town called Sherburne, he was at a New York City hospital when he passed away. The Washington Post ran an obituatry that stated “He said he resolved to become a writer in fourth grade, after…
continue readingFrey Loses Book Deal
Yesterday afternoon, CNN picked up a Reuters report that Penguin cancelled controversial author James Frey’s two book deal. The article stated that “after writing A Million Little Pieces for Random House, Frey moved with his editor Sean McDonald to Penguin imprint Riverhead Books, which published his second book, My Friend Leonard, last June. Riverhead then contracted…
continue readingNew Orleans Public Library Seeking Assistance
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) website maintains a listing of arts related opportunities. Often, these opportunities are juried art competitions, but they also include listings for any activity or service that might be relevant to artistic folks. I just learned about the NYFA’s post regarding book donations to the New Orleans Public…
continue readingBookish Humor
“I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman where the self-help section was. She said if she told me it would defeat the purpose.” –Dennis Miller “Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.” –Samuel Johnson
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