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“I have always been interested in borders, physical and metaphysical borders, frontiers that we create...” Anna Badkhen speaks with Sarah Beth Childers at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa about the inspiration for her latest book, Fisherman Blues: A West African Community at Sea (Riverhead, 2018), and the blending of mythology and history. Badkhen was awarded the second Barry Lopez Visiting Writer in Ethics and Community Fellowship.
Publishers harassed by TSA over a political art book; Pennsylvania department of corrections reverses its decision on book deliveries to prisons; Natasha Trethewey on her new book of poems; and other news.
“Where would we be without the women who plant their feet, who set their chins, who step forward and never fear the dark?” asks Laird Hunt in his Literary Hub essay “In Gratitude for the Fierce Women of the World.” Hunt describes his high school girlfriend and his grandmother, who both served as fierce female inspiration for him and his novels which center on women who “are making their own story, their own names, their own games.” Write a personal essay about a woman who has had a powerful presence in your life, who inspired you to persevere, to overcome obstacles, to not back down.
Edward Carey’s Madame Tussaud; readers on their Tsundoku stacks; Bret Easton Ellis on his first novel in nearly ten years; and other news.
In the chapter titled “The One Where Two Women Got Married” in the nostalgic retrospective I’ll Be There For You: The One About Friends (Hanover Square Press, 2018), journalist Kelsey Miller writes about the prevalence of homophobic jokes and the depiction of the lesbian couple in the television show Friends. Looking back twenty years later, Miller explores the ways in which the series was a product of its time. Choose a television series that aired ten or twenty years ago that you used to watch, and find a clip or episode to view. Write a personal essay about how your perception of the show has changed with hindsight. Consider what your own opinions of the show were when you watched it the first time around, and then examine how your perspective might have evolved over the years with the culture.
Sarah Perry on Melmoth; Friday Black tackles capitalism; advice on writing a book proposal; and other news.
Split Rock Books was founded in 2018 by Heidi and Michael Bender, a married couple. After over ten years working as booksellers (and in Michael’s case, as a librarian too!) in a variety of stores in New York City and beyond, they moved up to Cold Spring to open up their own store.
Split Rock carries a curated selection of new books with a focus on literary fiction and nonfiction, small presses, local interests, and children’s books. The shop hosts a variety of children’s and family programming, book clubs, readings, signings, and discussions.
Creator of Shitty Media Men List signs book deal; Stephen King options short story for $1; John Wray on his forthcoming novel; and other news.
Lacy M. Johnson on sexual assault and justice; New York Times profiles Eve L. Ewing; a European preference for historical fiction; and other news.
The founder of Little Free Library has died; Mohammed Hanif on writing politically in Pakistan; eleven San Francisco bookstores receive grants; and other news.
