Fearnside Collection Offers Insight Into a Different Culture
Jeff Fearnside’s new collection A Husband and Wife Are One Satan provides interesting and thoughtful insights into everyday people in Kazakhstan. The cultural setting is a nice change of pace from the usual literary fiction locales and Fearnside is adept at depicting people who must balance the old and the new, tradition and evolution. In…
continue reading
2022 Pen America Finalists Announced
Publisher’s Weekly has a complete rundown of the 65 authors and translators competing in 11 awards for 2022. The winners will be announced on Monday, February 28.
continue reading
Artistic Photos Capture Locations That Inspired Southern Fiction
The New Yorker’s website recently published a book review of Tema Stauffer’s photography collection Southern Fictions. Stauffer explores some of the places that influenced and shaped the work of William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, and more. The article also shares one of the more memorable – if horrible – Faulkner legends. Suffice it to say that…
continue reading
Palahniuk Ripped Off
Guitarist Steve Vai recalls asking Frank Zappa for advice. “What’s the one thing you would tell an aspiring musician?” the awe struck kid asked. Zappa took a piece of paper and scribbled something down. He handed it to the young musician who opened up the scrap and saw a name and a phone number. “Music…
continue reading
The oddity of death and remove, in today’s social media age
I’m currently reading The Largesse of the Sea Maiden, the posthumous collection from Denis Johnson. Expect a full review shortly. But in the meantime, I am struck by the odd, unrealistic disappointment that I will not ever be able to meet the man, get a signed book, or exchange social media messages. Our current pop…
continue reading