Suspend Your Disbelief

Recent Posts

Shop Talk |

The Problem with "Chick Lit"

by Celeste Ng

Over at the Huffington Post, novelist Diane Meier takes issue with the label “chick lit”: Let me suggest that Chick Lit is what we used to call the “Beach Book.” And that it is its own genre, like mysteries or sci-fi; interesting to a specific audience primarily because of the nature and form of the genre itself. Some good stuff, some bad, no doubt, as in all genre writing, you come across an Ed McBain every now and then. But crossover is not the point, if the targeted reader simply wants a light little fantasy with some kissing scenes and […]


Shop Talk |

Slice Magazine to offer writing workshops

by Celeste Ng

Launched in 2007, Slice is a nonprofit print magazine based in Brooklyn that “aims to bridge the gap between emerging and established authors by offering a space where both are published side-by-side. In each issue, a specific cultural theme becomes the catalyst for articles and interviews from renowned writers and lesser known voices alike.” (The current issue, pictured, focuses on the theme of “villains.”) This fall, Slice will begin a series of in-person writing/publishing workshops, We Who Write. Says the magazine’s website: In a new series of classes and workshops developed exclusively by Slice, aspiring writers will have a chance […]


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Love of A.S. Byatt = basis for a date?

by Celeste Ng

Ever just wish you could find someone who loves Lydia Davis/Milan Kundera/David Sedaris as much as you do? Alikewise is here to help. Describing its goal as “Dating Based on Book Tastes,” Alikewise is a free dating service for literary folk. Says the site: Alikewise is about finding common ground based on what you like to read. Imagine a dinner party where you wander over to your host’s bookshelf, and strike up a chat with the person next to you. You loved The Black Swan? Me too. Other sites say they know what makes people compatible. We’re skeptical of that […]


Interviews |

Consumed by the Country: An Interview with Tatjana Soli

by Tyler McMahon

Tatjana Soli’s debut novel, The Lotus Eaters, takes place during the Vietnam War and focuses on a female combat photographer. Tyler McMahon talks with the author about how we choose our subject matter, the challenges of writing about well-documented history, the role research plays in her process, and why novels matter in an era increasingly dominated by nonfiction.


Shop Talk |

Recently on FWR…

by Anne Stameshkin

In case you missed them, here’s a roundup of recent features from FWR: In an interview with Christopher Mohar, author and teacher Anthony Doerr discusses his curiosity about the world and “engaging with factual information for fictive purposes”: What I work to dispel in my students is the prevailing myth that inspiration comes like a light bulb over the head, a lightning stroke to the spleen, and all we have to do as artists is wait for the lightning and then transcribe it. I think instead work comes from hundreds or thousands of hours of working through things, from pouring […]


Shop Talk |

Sharon Pomerantz reads at Women and Children First on Thursday at 7:30pm

by Anne Stameshkin

Chicago friends, don’t miss Sharon Pomerantz’s reading this Thursday at Women and Children First at 7:30pm. Sharon will be reading from her debut novel, Rich Boy. Beginning in the 1970s in a working-class Jewish neighborhood and stretching to the halls of power in Reagan-era Manhattan and beyond, the book chronicles four decades in the life of Robert Vishniak as he struggles to create a new identity for himself. Sharon is a talented writer of short fiction–in addition to publishing stories in such places as The Missouri Review and Ploughshares, “Ghost Knife” was selected for inclusion in Best American Short Stories […]


Shop Talk |

Jonathan Franzen on the cover of TIME

by Celeste Ng

Jonathan Franzen is on the cover of the August 23 issue of TIME Magazine, with an article marking the publication of his latest novel, Freedom. Since he’s the first living author to be so featured in over a decade (the last being Stephen King), it’s caused quite a stir in the lit world. In particular, the caption below Franzen’s photo is catching some snark. The L.A. Times notes: Franzen appears on the cover of the upcoming issue of Time magazine — an honor not extended to a living author since Stephen King in 2000 — with the words “Great American […]


Shop Talk |

Five Chapters to publish print books

by Celeste Ng

Most of the news lately is about print publishers moving to electronic publishing. So it’s refreshing to hear about the opposite: short story website Five Chapters will soon begin publishing print books. In January 2011, Five Chapters will publish three short story collections by Five Chapters alums: Nobody Ever Gets Lost by Jess Row, Other People We Married by Emma Straub, and “an anthology of stories which have been published on FC over the last four years.” Five Chapters founder David Daley shared the news with Mediabistro’s Morning Media Menu. Click here to listen to the interview with Daley, and […]


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Crazyhorse Literary Journal launches ebook format

by Celeste Ng

Lit journal Crazyhorse now offers its readers two options: print and ebook. But unlike many ebooks, in which font and typesetting may be very different on-screen and on paper, the editors describe the ebook version as “a digital book version of the same Crazyhorse paper-and-print page.” Indeed, the pages are nicely laid out and there’s even a turning-page animation for that printed-page feel. You can see a sample from the current ebook issue here. What’s more, ebook-only subscriptions are half the price of print subcriptions ($8 for one year of ebooks; $16 for one year of print, with free ebook […]




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