Suspend Your Disbelief

Archive for 2011

Shop Talk |

Three Years in the Slushpile

by Celeste Ng

On The Awl, writer S.J. Culver describes the experience of waiting three years for a response from a journal: [H]ere’s a short list of things I did with my life while that magazine was considering whether to publish my 16-page story: I grew my hair ten inches; I paid off a car loan; I did my taxes (three times); I got my own apartment; I read 131 books; I attended two weddings and a baby shower; I cut my hair off again; I drove across the country three times. Additionally: I completed an MFA in creative writing, taught five semesters’ […]


Reviews |

The Debutante, by Kathleen Tessaro

A tale of two Londons—present-day and the glitter and doom of the 1920s and 30s—and a shoebox containing a mystery lie at the heart of Kathleen Tessaro’s delectable fourth novel, The Debutante. Lauren Hall calls the book a “fast-paced and enjoyable ride,” equal parts historical mystery and smart, gossipy love story.


Shop Talk |

Journal of the Week subscription winners: Ploughshares

by Michael Rudin

We’re delighted to announce the winners of our Ploughshares Journal of the Week giveaway, chosen at random from our Twitter followers. Congratulations to: Barbara Chai (@barbarachai) Trevor Schmidt (@TrevorSSchmidt) Ivy Pittman (@letitbesaid) You’ll each receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Ploughshares! Please contact us at winners [at] fictionwritersreview.com with your contact information and we’ll coordinate the rest. If you missed the profile of Ploughshares and the exclusive interview with editor-in-chief Ladette Randolph, you can read the whole thing in our blog archives. And remember: if you’d like to be eligible for future journal giveaways, please visit our Twitter Page and […]


Shop Talk |

The Ministry of Stories

by Celeste Ng

It sounds like something out of Harry Potter, but in reality, it’s way, way more magical. Since last fall,the London-based Hoxton Street Monster Supplies has sold a variety of goods from cans of Mortal Terror to Fang Floss. Behind a the store, however, hides The Ministry of Stories, a writing workshop intended to get young Brits excited about writing. Reports Springwise: Once inside the workshop area, the group or class of children collaboratively create a story, which is illustrated by an artist in residence as they build the narrative. Once the story reaches its conclusion, the children must present the […]


Shop Talk |

Book of the Week: A Thread of Sky, by Deanna Fei

by Jeremiah Chamberlin

This week’s featured title is Deanna Fei’s debut novel A Thread of Sky. Fei was born in Flushing, New York, and has lived in Beijing and Shanghai. She received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2003. The following academic year she spent in China on a Fulbright grant, conducting research for what would eventually become this novel. Published last year by Penguin, A Thread of Sky was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and an Indie Next Notable Book. It has just been released in paperback. In the introduction to her recent interview with the author, Kate Levin […]


Shop Talk |

Dean Bakopoulos reads in NYC

by Celeste Ng

New York FWR readers, I envy you: so many great readings lately from FWR friends and contributors! The latest treat: Dean Bakopoulos reads tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 6, at 7pm at Joe’s Pub as part of the Happy Ending Music and Reading Series. The event also features Tea Obreht, Fernanda Eberstadt, and musical guest Jay Brannan. Further Reading: If you haven’t already, read Dean’s fantastic essay “How Reading Junot Diaz Can Help America Prosper.” Visit Dean’s website to learn more about him and his work. Find Dean’s first novel, Please Don’t Come Back From the Moon, at an indie bookstore […]


Shop Talk |

"We should do more to develop the next Shakespeare and less to develop the next Justin Verlander."

by Celeste Ng

A few years ago, in a Chicago coffee shop, I got into a conversation with two writer friends about sports. One couldn’t understand why pro athletes were paid so much money and ended up delivering a passionate riff on how she didn’t see any actual purpose in sports. The man at the next table was patently eavesdropping and kept opening his mouth as if to jump in, but he ultimately refrained. To this day, I’ve always wondered what he would have said, and whether he would have joined in on my friend’s side, or if he’d have helped me try […]


Shop Talk |

Erika Dreifus reads in NYC

by Celeste Ng

Attention New Yorkers: FWR contributing editor Erika Dreifus will be reading from her debut story collection, Quiet Americans, on April 10 as part of the Sunday Salon series. She’ll be reading with Paul Lisicky, Karen Abbott, and Bino A. Realuyo. Not in NYC? On April 12, the Jewish Book Council’s Twitter Book Club will host Erika and her book for an online discussion from 12:30 to 1:10 pm EST. Follow @JewishBook and @ErikaDreifus and keep an eye on #JBCBooks for updates. And finally, Erika is giving away two Kindle “copies” of Quiet Americans to celebrate its release in Kindle format. […]


Interviews |

A Little Distance to See Clearly: An Interview with Deanna Fei

by Kate Levin

Reading Deanna Fei’s debut novel, A Thread of Sky, rescued Kate Levin from a giant post-MFA funk. In this conversation with Levin, Fei discusses the role cultural identity plays in a writer’s persona and work, the value of unknowability, the secret to writing great sex scenes, the reason she watches Jersey Shore—and more.


Shop Talk |

Literary Tattoos, Part II

by Celeste Ng

Quite a while back, we wrote about an anthology of literary tattoos. That book, The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos, came out last fall. And, judging by this slideshow of lit tattoos, there’s plenty of material out there for a sequel. Can you identify these? And check out the rest in the original post. Those that use the text of the literature itself are lovely—but I’m especially fond of those that are insider references to the text, like this one: Or this one: Maybe we can divide literary tattoos into two classes. First there are those that use a direct […]




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