- Frank Conroy’s Stop-Time is being filmed. That memoir made me feel like I had much too wonderful of a childhood to become a real writer. Hope the movie makes it through all the Hollywood hoops. (via Earthgoat)
- Catch the discussion on Triangle by Katherine Weber over at the Litblog Co-op, and if you haven’t started reading Jamestown, the summer read-this-now-or-be-out-of-the-loop selection, start now.
- When I finally got back in the country last week, I took a look at the Atlantic’s fiction issue, which offered the first graduate ranking of creative writing programs since U.S. News and World Reports ranked them in 1997. The 1997 ranking was unabashedly modern. Objective listing from top to bottom – this is the authoritative way it’s done, very numeric based. While the Atlantic’s is very postmodern. They offer a number of rankings based upon different criteria – top low residency program, top up-and-coming. So every single box represents a different “petit narrative” (thank you, Lyotard – The Postmodern Condition), rather than the all-encompassing metanarrative of the U.S. News and World Reports rankings. It’s also beneficial that they don’t try to parse the slight differences between 4th and 5th place or 6th and 7th place, but just list them alphabetically. Thus it’s a constellation of top programs, not top to bottom. The disadvantage is that this leaves a number of programs without mention at all. The ranking completely fails to help a MFA hopeful distinguish between a low program and a mid-level program. If you’re not applying to one of the top programs (or if you, like virtually everyone else, have less than a slim to none chance of getting in) then this ranking is of limited value.
- So high school kids are required to read The Life of Pi rather than Lord of the Flies? Sorry, but this is education on the down-slide. (via Litkicks)
- Pinky has a podcast with Nicola Griffith, whose Always was recently discussed over at the Litblog Co-op.
- For those of you trying to figure out what to read from the Man Booker longlist, Max over at The Millions has a list of the nominated books along with links to those with online excerpts. Taste around until one strikes your fancy. Me, I still have to get to the slim volume by Ian McEwan, On Chesil Beach, which, although it’s favored three to one to win, certainly will not win. The reason why they winnowed out so many of the heavy hitter authors for this longlist is that they didn’t want a namebrand author to win, so it wouldn’t make sense to select McEwan after this type of longlist. So the first on my list to read is Peter Ho Davies The Welsh Girl.
Roundup: Frank Conroy
Every writer NEEDS this book.
It’s a guide to writing the pivotal moments of your novel.
Whether writing your book or revising it, this will be the most helpful book you’ll ever buy.
Every writer NEEDS this book.
It’s a guide to writing the pivotal moments of your novel.
Whether writing your book or revising it, this will be the most helpful book you’ll ever buy.
6 comments
Stop-Time, filmed, really? I hope someone worthy is involved.
Life of Pi versus Lord of Flies — Piggy trumps Tiger!
“slime volume”? Freudian slip? Editorial statement?
At least I didn’t say slim tome.
And yes, clearly my inner self that has not liked too many of McEwan’s books is acting up against my editorial instincts. Ha!
May I suggest that if you haven’t already, you will enjoy The Welch Girl and find the ending scene a wonder of ironic delight?
May I suggest that if you haven’t already, you will enjoy The Welch Girl and find the ending scene a wonder of ironic delight?