March 2010

MediaCommons yesterday unveiled The New Everyday, an experiment in "middle-state publishing" being undertaken as part of a two-year project undertaken by the New York Visual Culture Working Group, housed at NYU and funded by its Humanities Initiative. The New Everyday is working, as its editor, Nick Mirzoeff has noted, to explore the location of the everyday "in the era of globalization, migration, outsourcing and global media," asking "what work is done by and as the everyday, where and by whom?"

The project has launched with a cluster edited by Nicholas Mirzoeff considering the murder of Jorge Steven López Mercado. The pieces that form this cluster are open for discussion, and are intended to be seen, both collectively and individually, as remaining somewhat "in process." We hope that you'll join the discussion within this cluster, and that you'll consider curating a future cluster as well.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current read. Open to a random page.Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, by Kelly O'Connor McNeesPage 169... "I understand you had your fun with me while you could. I understand that you aren't who I thought you were, and now you want me to tell you it's all right."

I’ve been meaning to post pictures to Facebook of all the things I’ve been up to lately (including pictures of my CUTE nephews from my visit as I drove through on my way to New York), but I can’t seem to find my sync cord for my camera to my home computer. I was able to upload the pictures to my work computer via a borrowed card reader, which means I can now put them on my jump drive and take them home, but I keep forgetting to.So, while I kill an hour before meeting a friend for dinner—not enough time to go all the way home to Harlem—I thought I’d post a few pictures that I’ve taken around the city and on my way here. It’s been too long since I shared my photography (too long since I took pictures on a regular basis!). I found pictures from LTUE in February that I’ve been meaning to post for about a month or so, as well. But I’ll do those in a separate post, because I have enough from New York to fill one post.Some pictures of a recent trip to New York before I moved. Apparently I forgot to get the camera out except for at the top of the Empire State Building—my first time up there despite many trips to NYC by that time.

I’ve been meaning to post pictures to Facebook of all the things I’ve been up to lately (including pictures of my CUTE nephews from my visit as I drove through on my way to New York), but I can’t seem to find my sync cord for my camera to my home computer. I was able to upload the pictures to my work computer via a borrowed card reader, which means I can now put them on my jump drive and take them home, but I keep forgetting to.So, while I kill an hour before meeting a friend for dinner—not enough time to go all the way home to Harlem—I thought I’d post a few pictures that I’ve taken around the city and on my way here. It’s been too long since I shared my photography (too long since I took pictures on a regular basis!). I found pictures from LTUE in February that I’ve been meaning to post for about a month or so, as well. But I’ll do those in a separate post, because I have enough from New York to fill one post.Some pictures of a recent trip to New York before I moved. Apparently I forgot to get the camera out except for at the top of the Empire State Building—my first time up there despite many trips to NYC by that time.

I’ve been meaning to post pictures to Facebook of all the things I’ve been up to lately (including pictures of my CUTE nephews from my visit as I drove through on my way to New York), but I can’t seem to find my sync cord for my camera to my home computer. I was able to upload the pictures to my work computer via a borrowed card reader, which means I can now put them on my jump drive and take them home, but I keep forgetting to.So, while I kill an hour before meeting a friend for dinner—not enough time to go all the way home to Harlem—I thought I’d post a few pictures that I’ve taken around the city and on my way here. It’s been too long since I shared my photography (too long since I took pictures on a regular basis!). I found pictures from LTUE in February that I’ve been meaning to post for about a month or so, as well. But I’ll do those in a separate post, because I have enough from New York to fill one post.Some pictures of a recent trip to New York before I moved. Apparently I forgot to get the camera out except for at the top of the Empire State Building—my first time up there despite many trips to NYC by that time.

The Hollywood Reporter says Dreamworks Studios has acquired the film rights to The Help, a bestselling novel written by Kathryn Stockett. Stockett's friend Tate Taylor has already adapted the novel into a screenplay. Tate Taylor will also direct the film.

Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe of 1492 Pictures will produce, along with Taylor and his producing partner, Brunson Green, of Harbinger Pictures.

A book-club favorite published by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam last year, "The Help" explores the complicated relationships between the matrons of the South in 1962 and the maids and housekeepers who take care of their kids and homes.

Author Kathryn Stockett said, "I cannot think of a better team than Tate Taylor and Brunson Green to bring 'The Help' to the screen. It's no coincidence that we three grew up within a one-mile radius of each other in Jackson, Miss. -- a place where there wasn't much for us to do but write, make movies in our heads and dream. I know Tate and Brunson will stay true to the story, and when you add D...

NEW HEALTH LAW TO BE DETAILED IN REPORTERS’ BOOK

As most of you know Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Thank you once again Marcia for hosting this weekly event. :)Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.If it seems like I had an abundant week, it is because I didn't post my mailbox for two weeks so I'm playing catch-up. Teaching and work in the media center has really kept me busy. It is that time of year when rest doesn't come easy. I can't wait to see what everyone else found in their mailbox this week. Enjoy your reads!!Silent in the Grave, by Deanna Raybourn...Won in Contest!! Yippee

#crafts

We've featured a number of things to do with old books, but what better use for an old book than turning into a new book? Craft blog Craftzine highlights the best way to turn an old book into a new, blank journal. More »

I read this book for the Early Reviewer program on Library Thing. I had requested it as a possible choice thinking I would like to read it for the War Through the Generations Challenge. I was so happy when I had been given this as my ER book. This is my first book in this challenge and a great one to start off with. I loved it!! I felt like I was there, but safe in my own house. I can't even imagine how Helen must have felt covering the Vietnam War. I shudder to even place myself in her shoes. Here is my review.THE LOTUS EATERSTatjana Soli, St. Martin’s Press, April 2010, $24.99/C$29.99,HC,400 pp,978-0-312-61157-6.Helen Adams decides to journey to Vietnam to determine what really happened to her brother. She arrives in Saigon in 1965 as a photojournalist, inexperienced and eager to prove, with a distorted view of what Vietnam will actually reveal. It is a man’s world and Helen’s arrival is met with mixed reactions...

Happy Sunday to all!! I hope you have been enjoying some of the teasing temperatures that keep popping up hear and there. Last weekend was so beautiful and warm with highs in the 7o's. What a contrast today as I have the woodstove heating me up instead of the Spring sunshine. I guess that's what happens in March though. You just never know what to expect. More rain is in the forecast and flood warnings are threatening again as the soggy soil will try to absorb another pounding of wet weather. I'm so glad that my passion for books makes rainy days the perfect weather to stay indoors and travel in my mind, without getting wet.How is the Spring treating your world?Today I am reading, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, by Kelly O'Connor McNees and so far I am really enjoying this historical fiction story about LMA. I do see myself in her character and the reactions of her family are too real and a bit uncanny. I see where the book is heading, and am anxious to see how the story continues.This week, I finished reading The Lotus Eaters, for the War Through the Generations Challenge. I will post the review shortly.Mystery Update

Happy Sunday to all!! I hope you have been enjoying some of the teasing temperatures that keep popping up hear and there. Last weekend was so beautiful and warm with highs in the 7o's. What a contrast today as I have the woodstove heating me up instead of the Spring sunshine. I guess that's what happens in March though. You just never know what to expect. More rain is in the forecast and flood warnings are threatening again as the soggy soil will try to absorb another pounding of wet weather. I'm so glad that my passion for books makes rainy days the perfect weather to stay indoors and travel in my mind, without getting wet.How is the Spring treating your world?Today I am reading, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, by Kelly O'Connor McNees and so far I am really enjoying this historical fiction story about LMA. I do see myself in her character and the reactions of her family are too real and a bit uncanny. I see where the book is heading, and am anxious to see how the story continues.This week, I finished reading The Lotus Eaters, for the War Through the Generations Challenge. I will post the review shortly.Mystery Update

THE DROWNED WORLD
by Simon O’Carrigan

Simon O’Carrigan. Study for “The Drowned World”. 2007. Digital montage. Dimensions variable.

Selections taken from Simon O’Carrigan’s body of work “The Drowned World”, a title taken in reference to a speculative fiction that inspired much of the imagery in this work: J.G. Ballard’s The Drowned World.

ARTIST STATEMENT

[Note: the quotes throughout, from Ballard's The Drowned World, were not included in the artist's original presentation -- SS].

“The Drowned World” is a body of work focussed on the making of images. Coming from a painterly approach to the construction of images, parallels are drawn between the layered nature of the oil paint medium, and the layering prevalent in digital imaging software. The premise of a fragmented nature of vision in a ‘deluge’ of visual culture leads to an image in tension: striving for the unity of traditional modes of painting but simultaneously embracing the fissures and tears embodied in the construction of...

Fiction
Michael Hawley, Walldog;
Andrew Malan Milward, Quail Haven, 1989;
Steve Almond, Death Song, Los Ricos También Lloran;
Christine Schutt, January Scenes (an excerpt from the novel All Souls);
Diane Williams, Guide to Gracious Living, Derwin;
Michael Parker, Let Me Explain;
Owen Goodwyne, Contest Winner: Frog;
Victoria Redel, The Dye Merchant (an excerpt from the novel)
Nonfiction


Desirae Matherly, Compounding the Breach;
David Shields, Memory;
Kristin Vukovic, Interview: Susan Orlean on Organic Writing;
Laura Esther Wolfson, In Love, With Russian;
Lia Purpura, The Sound;
Elizabeth Dodd, Hills of Memory
Poetry
Tomaz Salamun, The Throat, Footprints Pressed in the Mirror (translated from Slovenian by Joshua Beckman and the poet);
G.C. Waldrep, Tarantella for Czeslaw Milosz, The Prison Thing;
Rusty Morrison, please advise stop;
Cate Marvin, Catatonia;
Kyle McCord, like a hive where sleep is kept;
Peter Richards, from Helsinki;
D.A. Powell, cul-de-sac;
Sylvia Legris, Extractions from the china cabinet;<...

HARDCOVER FICTION

Start: Thu, 10/28/2010 - 7:00pm
Tickets $35 ($25 members/$15 students)

April has brought an exciting list of new releases by ACFW authors. Take a look. There's something for everyone's taste from romance, to sci fi, to historicals to mystery thrillers. Woo Hoo! Each month it seems to get better and better!1. A Promise Forged, Heartsong Presents Historical Ohio Series by Cara C. Putman An historical from Heartsong Presents. A player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League finds challenges and love as she travels with her team.2. Abbie Ann; Daughters of Jacob Kane, 3rd & final installment. by Sharlene MacLaren An historical romance from Whitaker House. Abbie Ann, president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in 1907, butts heads with a handsome divorcee, blindsided when she realizes her utter attraction to him.3. Blood Ransom; Mission Hope Series, Book 1 by Lisa Harris A suspense/mystery/thriller from from Zondervan. A thriller about the modern-day slave trade and those who dare to challenge it.4. Calculated Revenge by Jill Elizabeth Nelson A suspense/mystery/thriller from St...

What used to be called "the folk tale market" in American publishing seemed to putter out quietly at the end of the 1990's, so in the last decade I'd pretty much given up on being able to write retold stories again. So it's been an interesting experience to return recently to the form that was essentially my apprenticeship in story.I don't care too much for the catch-all term "folk tale". It seems to differentiate between classic, mythic traditions (that is to say religious traditions) and tales told by "the folk" that are by implication bereft of sacred content. In my opinion that's a false distinction, seeming to privilege one kind of story over another. Many of the stories I used to work with (the ones in The Broken Tusk, for example) fall into the mythic category but unlike Greek or Norse myths are part of a religious tradition that is very much alive and thriving. Some belong in both, being part of Hindu mythological lore and therefore written in one or more of the Puranas, or part of the Ramayana or

What used to be called "the folk tale market" in American publishing seemed to putter out quietly at the end of the 1990's, so in the last decade I'd pretty much given up on being able to write retold stories again. So it's been an interesting experience to return recently to the form that was essentially my apprenticeship in story.I don't care too much for the catch-all term "folk tale". It seems to differentiate between classic, mythic traditions (that is to say religious traditions) and tales told by "the folk" that are by implication bereft of sacred content. In my opinion that's a false distinction, seeming to privilege one kind of story over another. Many of the stories I used to work with (the ones in The Broken Tusk, for example) fall into the mythic category but unlike Greek or Norse myths are part of a religious tradition that is very much alive and thriving. Some belong in both, being part of Hindu mythological lore and therefore written in one or more of the Puranas, or part of the Ramayana or

~Paolo Bacigalupi2009 Nebula Award Winner2010 ALA The Reading List2010 Compton Crook Award Winner2010 Hugo Award NomineePaolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, besides being chosen for the io9 book club, has garnered quite a bit of attention on its own. It has made several "Best of 2009" book lists, including those from TIME, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal. It is also the science fiction winner for the American Library Associations 2010 The Reading List, and a finalist for both the 2009 Nebula Award for best novel and the 2010 Compton Crook Award. But I learned all that after the fact; I picked up the book because of io9. Technically, Santa Olivia was the next book to read for the club after The Quiet War, but I had already read and loved it, so I happily proceeded to read The Windup Girl. Up until now, Bacigalupi has only published short fiction, gaining an impressive number of awards, nominations, and acco...

I may post about The Snowman again later, but for now: Nesbø writes beautifully, with a style that seems simple but is interlaced with humor, metaphor, character, and menace. Though many readers will figure out who the killer is long before Detective Harry Hole does, the fun in reading the book really comes in reading the prose and watching the plot twist and turn through numerous red herrings and false leads until it reaches its inevitable conclusion. There are images running through the text that tie the whole book together, some of them relevant to the story directly, others simply accompanying the tale with their own metaphorical power. Don Bartlett's translation is excellent, as usual. Perhaps not the Harry Hole book to start with, but if this is the one you can get, go for it--any Nesbø book will take you where Harry is going, and with a lot of pleasure (not to mention blood and terror) in the journey. The plot here concerns a serial killer who preys on young mothers and leaves a snowman as a signature. There are too many suspects rather than too few, and along the way as they police close in on one or another, you know they're...

Once again I haven't been blogging here. Partly it's because I've been working on a new publication, a reissue of my first novel The Birth Machine, which has taken up much of the time and headspace left over from any actual writing I've managed to do. But partly, too, I have to admit there's the loss of impetus which others have reported, connected to the rise of Facebook and Twitter. As Tania Hershman says, on social networking sites you can get instant feedback and have instant conversations - and without having to write whole mini-essays - and reach a wider audience than just the blogging fraternity. Another thing which has struck me is that by the time you get around to blogging about an issue, on Twitter or Fb things have moved on, and it's become old hat.But that, precisely, is the value of blogs. The reason that sometimes one doesn't instantly get around to blogging about an issue is that blogs can take a commitment of time, and the reason they do us that is that they can also take a commitment of thought. A blog, it seems to me, is an excellent vehicle for contemplating...

Landing Sites from Simon Sellars on Vimeo.
This is vaguely Ballardian… It’s my short film based on the ‘reversible destiny’ theory of the architects/conceptual artists Arakawa and Gins.
It was made for a seminar I taught at the Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory, RMIT University, which attempted to weave connections between mythogeography/psychogeography and Arakawa and Gins.
Results from the seminar, including my students’ ongoing design work with Dr Pia Ednie-Brown, can be found here.
Text: Arakawa + Gins.
Music: Melanie Chilianis.
TURN UP THE VOLUME.
Click on the poster below for a closer look…

~written by Yukio Mishima~translated by Michael GallagherAfter finishing Yukio Mishima's Spring Snow I knew that I was going to be continuing with the rest of his books in The Sea of Fertility tetralogy and would most likely pursue his other works as well. Runaway Horses is the second volume in the sequence and like Spring Snow was translated into English by Michael Gallagher who has once again done a great job of it. Runaway Horses captures the early years of the Shōwa period in Japan (1926-1989), particularly the rise of ultra-nationalism. The Westernization and modernization first begun during the Meiji era (1868-1912)--also important to the story of Runaway Horses--has dramatically increased and there are those who demand Japan return to itself and who are willing to resort to violence to make this happen.In 1932, nearly twenty years after the death of his beloved friend Kiyoaki, Shigekuni Honda is now an established and respected judge at the Osaka Court of Appeals. While attending a kendo tournament he meets ...

Cover via Amazon

Aristotle proclaimed that, “The law is reason free of passion”, and becoming a lawyer has been the career destination for young people from all walks of life for centuries.  It is no accident that most of the major political leaders over the last 300 years had their academic and professional grounding in the law – George Washington may have been the first President, however the trend for lawyers to be selected as the nation’s leader is clear – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, J...

CREATING A NOVEL: How ordinary activities can give you extraordinary ideas. http://www.ninc.com/blog/index.php/archives/conjuring#more-4964 CRITIQUES: Letting your gut tell you when they are valid. http://behlerblog.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/gut-instinct-you-have-more-of-it-than-you-know/ WRITING OPENING SCENES WITH ACTION: How to http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2010/03/11/TheBiggestBadAdviceAboutStoryOpenings.aspx?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: Picking the right details. http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2010/03/12/NoDescriptionDumpsCraftingAStoryWithDetailsImmersion.aspx THE VIEWPOINT CHARACTER IN YOUNG ADULT http://www.genreality.net/the-apprentice-not-the...

Sherman Alexie's War Dances (Grove Press) has been selected as the winner of the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. The announcement was made today by the directors of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, Susan Richards Shreve and Robert Stone, Co-Chairmen.

War Dances is a collection of stories on the themes of love, betrayal, familial relationships, race, and class. The stories also contain poems related to the themes in the each story. PEN/Faulkner judge Al Young says, "War Dances taps every vein and nerve, every tissue, every issue that quickens the current blood-pulse: parenthood, divorce, broken links, sex, gender and racial conflict, substance abuse, medical neglect, 9/11, Official Narrative vs. What Really Happened, settler religion vs. native spirituality; marketing, shopping, and war, war, war. All the heartbreaking ways we don't live now-this is the caring, eye-opening beauty of this rollicking, bittersweet gem of a book."

The judges, Rilla Askew, Kyoko Mori, and Al Young, considered close to 350 novels and short story collections by American authors published in the U.S. during the 2009 calendar year. Submissions came from over 90 publishing houses, including smal...

Coming Back to Life: Practice to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World
Joanna Lacy and Molly Young Brown
New Society Publishers, 1998
224 pages
I first encountered Joanna Macy’s work when I began to learn about ecopsychology. While she is not expressly a psychologist, her work in systems theory and deep ecology in particular tie in very nicely with ecopsychology, and her writings are considered foundational to that field. Her work with exploring and working through grief, as well as broader ritual practices, give her a solid place in the study and practice of modern rites of passage.
Pagans ought to be very aware of her works, especially those who enact group rituals. This text, cowritten by Molly Young Brown, herself a practitioner of ecopsychology among other disciplines, is a great starting point for those unfamiliar. It is a book for leading and guiding group rituals, without specific spiritual or religious trappings, that are designed to facilitate connection with the self, with others, and with the world around us. The context for the rituals is explained in great detail, from the feelings of grief, loss, and other emotions that often go unspoken in polite society, to the importance of caring for the emotions of ritual participants and ho...

Daughters of the Witching Hill
Mary Sharratt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010
352 pages
Note: This is a guest review by Bronwen Forbes, who graciously agreed to help me clean up my backlog of review books as I continue to slog through grad school.
In 1612, seven women and two men were tried and hanged as witches in Lancashire, England. Sharratt, who lives in Lancashire, has written an extraordinary fictional account of the lives of these alleged witches, the trial, and the times.
Cunning woman Elizabeth Demdike grew up in Catholic England, but when the Protestant Reformation makes her faith illegal, she still manages to use the prayers of her childhood to bless and cure her sick neighbors and their livestock. She is aided in her efforts by Tibb, a familiar spirit who loves her as her husband never did.
But Elizabeth’s best friend Anne is visited by a familiar spirit of her own, and chooses a different path than Elizabeth – one of curses and fear instead of healing and hope.
In time, Elizabeth’s granddaughter Alizon develops powers similar to her grandmother’s. Instead of learning to use them and consequently embracing the Old Religion (Catholicism), Alizon rejects her family heritage. When she has an unfortuna...

I was more than happy to join in when Nichole Giles asked me to participate in her blog tour for The Sharp Edge of a Knife. As part of the fun, Nichole is holding a contest to go along with her blog tour. The contest details follow my review, so make sure you page all the way down. Here we go!

Title: The Sharp Edge of a Knife
Author: D.N. Giles
Published Date: 2010
Published by: Golden Wings Enterprises
ISBN#: 978-0-9794340-2-0

The Sharp Edge of a Knife is based on the real life experience of Nichole’s grandfather, told using the point-of-view of both Mel (her grandfather) and Jeneal (her grandmother). I’m glad Nichole told the story using both Mel and Jeneal; it worked quite well for me. Not only do we get to experience what is happening to Mel, we also learn what Jeneal is feeling and wondering during everything.

The Sharp Edge of a Knife isn’t a long book (142 pages), but it didn’t feel at all like a short story, either. The suspense lasted throughout the book, making the quick read a memorable one. Nichole’s writing is effective & the sto...

Publishers Weekly has published a big list of the top selling books of 2009. Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol sold over 5.5 million copies. Sarah Palin led nonfiction with Going Rogue, which sold over 2.6 million copies. Here are the top in fiction and nonfiction.

Top Selling Fiction Hardcovers of 2009

• The Lost Symbol: A Novel by Dan Brown (Doubleday)
  
• The Associate: A Novel by John Grisham (Doubleday)
  
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam/Amy Einhorn)
  
• I, Alex Cross by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
  
• Ford County by John Grisham (Doubleday)
  

• Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin (Harper)
  
• Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey (Harper)
  
• Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government by Glenn Beck (Threshold)
  
• Liberty & Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin
  
• True Compass: A Memoir by Edward M. Kennedy (Twelve)
  

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In
by Jim Collins
In working with our clients from coast to coast, I’ve discovered an interesting insight concerning author Jim Collins. Those who know of his body of work fall into two distinct categories:

1. Those who appreciate his research, admire his product and wait anxiously for his next release and …
2. Those who argue that he picks and chooses his data and that his content often runs counter to research on hundreds of companies, conducted over decades by dozens of scholars.

Either way you can’t argue that this noted author and devoted student of companies of all kinds can produce best sellers. As the author of the national bestseller Good to Great and coauthor of Built to Last, Collins’ work has been featured in Fortune, BusinessWeek, USA Today and the Harvard Business Review.
What I found very interesting in How The Mighty Fall was t...

Not yet home from the Vermont College of Fine Arts Novel Writing Workshop, I'm writing this with the knowledge that by the end of the workshop, by the time we got to the final Q & A, my words were beginning to evaporate.My fellow faculty were the amazing, funny, energetic, multi-talented Emily Jenkins (aka E. Lockhart) and Roaring Brook editor Nancy Mercado who somehow in her concluding talk made wonderful, intuitive connections between the movement of story and everything else that we'd all heard and talked about all weekend. I'll be thinking about her talk for a while--it felt like the container of all things story.From all the conversations, from Nancy's and Emily's wonderful talks, and from the stories of participants that are still buzzing in my mind, here are a few things I'm taking away with me:

• Go overboard in drafts.
• Find those places of excess in revision and rein them in.
• Make sure you don't give the reader too many litera...

I promise I will give you the rest of the Princesses' story as they search for The Perfect Day, but I had to mark this most miraculous day (as far as I am concerned) when the U.S. has finally joined the ranks of all the other Western countries in the world, taking a huge leap torwards making sure all our citizens get the healthcare that should be a natural human right (especially in a country as wealthy as ours with the resources we have). I have decided to let you hear a different sort of Christian voice (not the sort you tend to read about these days, the sort that seems to be full of hate and "othering," but rather the voice that comes from those of us who are trying our damnest to live life the way we believe we have been taught to live it) tell you how we feel about this. Thus, I am sharing a quote from an email that Bob sent to a dear friend of ours tonight. I hope it speaks volumes and will help you understand that not all Christians are about hate and condemnation and judgment of others.The bill passed. I stayed up to see if would, and it did. I realize thereare so many hurdles still ahead, all the political shenanigans that the Rightwill use to weaken what has been achieved. But tonight a good thing was done,one that I sincerely believe that the man from Nazareth...

Today's children will excel in using words because they will
write much more often than the last generation as they seek to
learn about their world.

Katherine Heigl has a message for Stephanie Plum fans. She has already dyed her hair brunette and she's telling fans she will be "your vision of Stephanie Plum."

Us Magazine reports that Katherine Heigl says about Stephanie Plum, "She is a very specific kind of girl, so I just wanted to show the legion of fans that I will be your vision of Stephanie Plum. It's important. I hate when my favorite books are made into films and they are just not what you expect."

Katherine Heigl says her role in the upcoming film is based on Janet Evanovich's novel One for the Money. Katherine Heigl made the comments at the ShoWest Awards at Bally's Las Vegas, where she was honored as Female Star of the Year.

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~by Kevin and Hannah SalwenBefore being offered a copy of The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back, I had never heard of the Salwen family. However I'm sure many other people probably have; the Salwens were featured ABC's World News Tonight and NBC's Today Show among many other programs. But, I don't watch much TV so I missed their story. In short, the family decided together to sell their mansion, downsize to a smaller property, and then invest half of the profits of the sale into a charity organization. I will admit, I was somewhat wary of reading the book. What the Salwens set out to do was amazing and I was afraid that reading the book would just end up making me feel more guilty than I already am about not doing more to help address the injustices of the world. Ultimately, I decided to go ahead and read The Power of Half despite this potential. I will say now that I'm very glad I did. I also want to make a point to mention that one dollar for every copy of The Power of Half purchased is being donated to Rebuilding Together, which is just cool.When the Salwens decided to move into a smaller hous...

Scholastic has signed a new four-book deal with Dav Pilkey, author of the bestselling Captain Underpants series. On August 10, 2010, The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic, will release The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future, with a world English first printing of one million copies. Three more new books will follow. The deal for world rights was negotiated by Amy Berkower, President of Writers House, for Dav Pilkey and Ellie Berger, President of the Scholastic Trade division.

"I think fans of Captain Underpants will be very happy with this new book. It has all of the action, laffs and ridiculousness that kids love, plus all the unapologetic irreverence and questionable potty humor that grumpy curmudgeons love to complain about. It's got something for everybody!" said Dav Pilkey.

In the new graphic novel, George Beard and Harold Hutchins present the saga of two silly caveboys named Ook and Gluk. Ook and Gluk's idyllic life takes a turn for the terrible when an evil corporation from the future invades their quiet, prehistoric town. When Ook, Gluk, and their little dinosaur pal, Lily, are pulled through a time portal to the year 2222 AD, they discover that the world of the future is even worse than the devastated one they came fr...

A Broadway version of John Grisham's novel, A Time to Kill, is in the works. The book was adapted for the stage by Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes. The play will premiere on May 6, 2011 at the Washington based Arena Stage and will run through June 19 before moving to Broadway. Here is a description of the play from the Arena Stage.

John Grisham's stunning first novel comes to the stage in this world premiere adaptation by Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes. After an unspeakable crime is committed against his daughter, Carl Lee Hailey takes the law into his own hands. Now on trial for murder, Carl Lee's only hope lies with two young, idealistic lawyers who are outmatched by a formidable district attorney and under attack from both sides of a racially divided city. A Time to Kill asks audiences to consider the true meaning of justice.

You can read more about the upcoming play here and

Link roundup from the coverage that Tu Books has been getting on the web, including interviews of me and coverage in Publisher’s Weekly:ETA: Opening New Doors (PW)Lee & Low Gets New ImprintInterview at The Enchanted Inkpot (also be sure to catch their discussion of diversity in fantasy, if you haven’t seen it yet) (Oo! Just saw this–they also interviewed Clint Johnson, the author of Green Dragon Codex, which I edited)Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith at Cynsations

Link roundup from the coverage that Tu Books has been getting on the web, including interviews of me and coverage in Publisher’s Weekly:ETA: Opening New Doors (PW)Lee & Low Gets New ImprintInterview at The Enchanted Inkpot (also be sure to catch their discussion of diversity in fantasy, if you haven’t seen it yet) (Oo! Just saw this–they also interviewed Clint Johnson, the author of Green Dragon Codex, which I edited)Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith at Cynsations

Link roundup from the coverage that Tu Books has been getting on the web, including interviews of me and coverage in Publisher’s Weekly:ETA: Opening New Doors (PW)Lee & Low Gets New ImprintInterview at The Enchanted Inkpot (also be sure to catch their discussion of diversity in fantasy, if you haven’t seen it yet) (Oo! Just saw this–they also interviewed Clint Johnson, the author of Green Dragon Codex, which I edited)Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith at Cynsations

Podcast for March 16, 2010
Episode 42 Part 3
While at the Valor Publishing Book Launch in March, we ran into authors Aubrey Mace and Jessica Day George, who had come to show their support. We took the opportunity in Episode 42 Part 3 to talk to them about what they’ve been working on and they were more than willing accommodate us. Aubrey and Jessica are sweet and funny ladies. You won’t want to miss this one!

Podcast for March 16, 2010
Episode 42 Part 1
In Episode 42 Part 1, LDSWBR was able to interview each of the five authors whose books were released at the Valor Publishing Book Launch in March. Listen to what Michele Ashman Bell (Summer in Paris), Daron Fraley (The Thorn), Kimberly Job (I’ll Know You by Heart), Tristi Pinkston (Secret Sisters) and Karen Hoover (The Sapphire Flute) have to say about their new books published by Valor Publishing. As a bonus, you’ll also hear Karen Hoover playing her own sapphire flute in a beautiful performance. Visit Valor Publishing at www.valorpublishinggroup.com for more information.

Short Stack has transformed into Political Bookworm. As you may have noticed, Short Stack has contained considerable coverage of political books in recent months. We believe strongly in the importance of book-length political writing to inform and educate the public on serious issues of the day. Political Bookworm discusses new books long before they hit the shelves. We continues to have writers contribute guest blogs. Authors of forthcoming books participate in Q & A's about their work. You will find best seller lists -- both for general books and for political books. You will be directed where to see and hear political authors on television, radio and podcasts. Please have a look and leave us your comments, or send us an email at politicalbookworm@washpost.com.