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“I think physicists and poets are not as different as we like to think. The same unconscious processes are at work in both.” In this interview from the 2017 Louisiana Literature festival in Denmark, Siri Hustvedt talks about her background in neuroscience, the experiences of writing both nonfiction and fiction, and the value of approaching questions from different interdisciplinary perspectives.
Anita Shreve has died; Meg Wolitzer’s new novel; championship rounds of literary March Madness; and other news.
A takedown of Sean Penn’s debut novel; the similarities between Frank O’Hara and Notorious B.I.G.; Publishers Weekly’s bookstore of the year; and other news.
The “missed connections” section of the classified advertisements website Craigslist has long been a virtual bulletin board to share a memory (i.e. I smiled at you on the train and you smiled back) in hopes that someone would answer back. Write a personal essay recalling a situation in which you may have missed an opportunity to connect with someone, whether a romantic or professional prospect, or a potentially significant person who may have slipped through your fingers. Explore ideas of fate and chance, persistence, lost opportunities, and assertiveness. How have your approaches to meeting new people evolved over time? Are there any missed connections from your past that might be picked up again now, years later?
Publishing veteran Judith Curr to join HarperCollins; Folio Prize finalists announced; teaching poetry during March Madness; and other news.
“I found this liberation from the limitation…” In this Asia Society video, Xiaolu Guo explains why writing in English, her second language, is so freeing. Guo is the winner of the 2017 National Book Critics Circle Award in autobiography for her memoir, Nine Continents: A Memoir In and Out of China (Grove Press, 2017).
Lorrie Moore talks humor and her new essay collection; Penguin Random House reports a stable year in sales; independent booksellers criticize Chronicle Books over John Oliver book rollout; and other news.
Lawyers weigh in on the Broadway To Kill a Mockingbird lawsuit; 24 percent of adult Americans didn’t read a book last year; America’s most widely misread poem; and other news.
Congress proposes increased funding for NEA and NEH; Whiting Award winners announced; a case against prescribing books as therapy; and other news.
Have you ever smelled something so sweet it made you smile? The sense of smell, in contrast to vision, sound, and touch, is connected to areas of the brain associated with memory and emotion making it a powerful agent at triggering memories and feelings. Think of a scent, such as an ingredient for a meal, a perfume, or perhaps something from the outdoors or nature, that you associate with a person who has played an integral role in your life. Write a personal essay that explores the intertwining of smell and the resonant memories and emotions you associate with this person.
