Columns

13 Authors Redefining the Novel Without Being Obnoxious About It

July 2nd, 2021

I like “experimental” novels about as much as the next guy, and because I’ve never been in an MFA class, “the next guy” hates experimental novels. What I DO like are books that push the novel into new and interesting territory without being all showy about it. Books that read like good books, and while they're at it, they widen the boundary just a little.  The novel needs to change or die. Here are some people fighting to keep it alive, and listed with each author is a book that exemplifies how.

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Overlooked 2020: A Post-pandemic Roundup of Overlooked Releases

June 29th, 2021

Given the state of the world over the last year, it is not much to say that throughout the pandemic and particularly 2020, I struggled to read what wasn’t required of me for work. Nor did I feel it was something I had to examine in great depth. There was a lot to do ensuring the people I love were safe and there was the need to stay focused on paying the bills as some of my work contracted. More than anything I was tired, most especially at night when I like to read, happy to just climb into bed, another day defeated, and closer, I hoped, to a vaccine. 

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Everything You Need To Know About the 2021 International Booker Prize Shortlist

June 25th, 2021

Da-da-dum, it’s happened again. The International Booker Winner has been announced, and you haven't even read the shortlist. Don’t worry: I’m here to help. Whether you’re looking to pick up a new recommendation for your book club, or simply impress your friends by pretending you’ve read them, I’ve got you covered with a breakdown of the six books shortlisted!

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Give Up on Your Dreams: Writing for Process Over Ambition

June 23rd, 2021

In today's motivational pep talk, I'm going to tell you what you really need to hear: You'll be better off once you give up on your dreams of being a successful author.

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The Poetry of Joni Mitchell’s "Blue" Album: An Appreciation

June 22nd, 2021

I first became aware of Joni Mitchell’s Blue when Rolling Stone printed their instantly outmoded "Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years" in 1987. That her masterpiece was ranked at 46, I’d later learn, was one of the many problems with the male-dominated list, but I’m grateful they at least printed the final verse to “The Last Time I Saw Richard.”

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Kindle Vella: What Is It?

June 22nd, 2021

If you’re a self-pub loser like me, you probably got an email about Kindle Vella, Amazon’s new self-publishing system/platform/thingie. If you’re a self-pub success story, your ASSISTANT probably got an email about Kindle Vella, and they printed it out, sealed the printout in a real, paper envelope, and then you used an ivory-handled letter opener to open it. This is how I assume the wealthy handle email.  What is Kindle Vella, why is it, who is it, and what good is it, anyway?

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Storyville: Evaluating Your Work in Progress—As Author, Editor, and Reader

June 21st, 2021

So today we’re going to talk about how to evaluate a work in progress. I think it’s crucial to look at your work through a variety of different gazes in order to achieve different things. You have to put on different hats, in order to see the full picture here, and then edit accordingly. So let’s dig in and expand on this topic, and see if we can’t improve your process.

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Rituals to Help Conquer the Blank Page

June 18th, 2021

Image via Alex Kozlov We’ve all sat in front of the blank page, cursor blinking, anxiety spiking, coffee cup needing a refill. To writers, honestly there is nothing more terrifying than staring into that emptiness, into all that untapped possibility. I can’t even begin to tell you about the number of nights I’ve sat at my computer, deleting words, rewriting outlines, wearing out the backspace key, and yelling at the wall. It’s maddening.

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In Honor of Audiobook Appreciation Month: A Celebration

June 17th, 2021

Image via Stas Knop For the longest time, I didn’t understand audiobooks. Not that I couldn’t comprehend the actual books: I legitimately couldn’t grasp the concept of audiobooks as a way of reading. I had tried, many years ago, to get into them, thinking it would be a great way to make use of my commute time. But I just...couldn’t. The subway was too loud, I couldn’t focus—I just wanted to read my hardcovers and paperbacks and maybe an occasional ebook.

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Have You a Tamerlane? Down the Rabbit Hole of U.S. Literature’s Black Tulip

June 16th, 2021

“It has been my happiness to start many earnest searchers on the endless trail, and it is my boast that I have disrupted more homes than all the divorce courts in the land,” Vincent Starrett wrote in a 1925 Saturday Evening Post article titled, "Have You a Tamerlane in Your Attic?” 

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