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Bookstore sales dropped over 4 percent in February; backlash to the Pulitzer Board's decision not to award a fiction prize; Sarah Weinman reveals the secret formula for a mega-bestselling novel; and other news.
Laura Miller examines the implications of the Pulitzer Board's decision to award no fiction prize this year; Fortune warns of prevalent knock-offs on Amazon, with titles such as Thirty-Five Shades of Grey, and I am the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; authors Emma Straub's and Rachel Shukert's popular television recaps; and other news.
A roundup of responses to the DOJ antitrust case, including David Carr and Mike Shatzkin; Dave Eggers refused to travel to Germany to accept an award from the Günter Grass Foundation; Anne Tyler gave her first face-to-face interview in almost forty years; and other news.
Longtime P&W–supported poet and playwright Bob Flor blogs about attending readings.
Many of the P&W–supported Pinoy Works Expressed readings have led to the discovery of local Filipino writers, such as Toni Bajado, Oliver de la Paz, Rick Barot, Michelle Penaloza, Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor, Geronimo Tagatac, Donna Miscolta, and Peter Bacho. Much of the Filipino communities in Seattle and around Puget Sound were unaware of the literary richness of their city. Readings at the Pagdiriwang Festival, Seattle University, and the University of Washington has led these Filipino writers to receive invitations to read at Washington Poets Association-Burning Word!, Elliott Bay Bookstore, Open Books: A Poem Emporium, and Richard Hugo House, among other venues.
I becam
e interested in playwriting around 2005 but quickly realized I didn’t know what I was doing. At a P&W–supported reading, I learned that Toni Bajado, a writer I’ve worked with before, wrote plays as well as poetry. Her play Fish won the Diversity Scholarship From Freehold. A major benefit of attending readings is the ability to share work, information, and resources with other writers. Readings also provide the chance to share and gather commentary about scenes.
Though I’ve also taken a few at Freehold Theatre, I’m currently taking a course at ACT Theatre. There are usually fewer than twelve participants, and the writing exercises include table readings and work revisions. My most recent play The FAYTS–Filipino American Young Turks incorporates balagtasan, a popular form of poetic debate in the Philippines. I learned about the form during a P&W–supported reading I attended, then created one as part of a scene for my course.
Photo: Robert Francis Flor.
Support for Readings/Workshops events in Seattle is provided by an endowment established with generous contributions from the Poets & Writers Board of Directors and others. Additional support comes from the Friends of Poets & Writers.
More news concerning the Department of Justice's antitrust suit; a slideshow of biographer Robert Caro's methodical writing process; Joseph O’Neill looks at the life and work of Philip Roth; and other news.
Outspoken publisher Dennis Johnson weighs in on the Department of Justice's antitrust lawsuit; J. K. Rowling will release her first novel for adults in September; writers may now toughen their skin with an online rejection generator; and other news.
The agent of Jami Attenberg, David Mitchell, Carolyn Parkhurst, Matthew Quick, and others offers guidance about publishing credits, MFA programs, and unagented submissions.
This morning the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and five of the nation's largest publishers; writers and publicists dish on the vagaries of book tours and readings; Flavorwire rounds up ten working Southern authors everyone should read; and other news.
Simon & Schuster will publish a new novel from Herman Wouk, who turns ninety-seven in May; Salman Rushdie responds to Israel’s ban of Günter Grass; T. Coraghessan Boyle describes the feeling of boxing up his collected papers, which were acquired by the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin; and other news.
Presenter of literary events Robert Francis Flor, who is also the co-founder and director of Pinoy Words Expressed Kultura Arts, writes about his forthcoming P&W–supported event.
A while ago I met with Reni Roxas, the editor and publisher of Hanggang sa Muli–Homecoming Stories for the Filipino Soul, and Seattle University’s United Filipino Club/Filipino Alumni Association to curate a P&W–supported April reading, something we’ve been doing since 2008. This year contributing writers include several local poets and memoir writers, but the event's success is largely due to the work of our college student cohosts. Responsibilities were parsed out so students had an opportunity to organize and manage the event. They scheduled the conference room, planned and implemented the marketing, arranged for book sales, and even set up and secured refreshments.
The students are great because they bring curiosity, enthusiasm, and innovation to everything they do. Several have expressed interest in becoming writers, and it’s a pleasure for me to help make their aspirations reality. Few things are better than getting to interact with the next generation of passionate writers.
Photo: Robert Francis Flor.
Support for Readings/Workshops events in Seattle is provided by an endowment established with generous contributions from the Poets & Writers Board of Directors and others. Additional support comes from the Friends of Poets & Writers.
