Suspend Your Disbelief

Shop Talk

yet another reason to love Philip Pullman

by Anne Stameshkin

Writing the His Dark Materials series was awesome in and of itself; now Pullman is fighting, along with a host of other writers, to save school libraries across the UK. He recently wrote to the Meadows Community School, which plans to replace their books–and librarian–with a “virtual learning environment,” whatever that means. From Pullman’s letter (via the Guardian): The idea that fiction is not worth looking after properly and does not need a qualified librarian runs contrary to every experience I have ever had. Are you going to relegate the whole activity of reading fiction to the status of a […]


recommended event: Periodically Speaking at the NYPL

by Anne Stameshkin

Don’t miss clmp‘s last Periodically Speaking event at the New York Public Library; editors from lit magazines Salt Hill, H.O.W., and Raritan will each introduce new writers. Details: Tuesday, December 9th, 6 – 7:30 pm DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room, The New York Public Library, Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd (Fifth Ave. entrance; admittance is free)


on giving books

by Anne Stameshkin

Alan Cheuse, for NPR: Giving a book is not something we ought to do blindly. We give books to people we love because we think they will convey something about ourselves, something about the world as we see it or something about the world as we would like it to be. We only have one life to live, but we have so many lives in literature — giving a book remains an extraordinary gift. Well put. I also think that with the book-as-gift, we try to convey our understanding of the person we’re giving it to; the gift shows we […]


The Southeast Review's Writing Regimen

by Anne Stameshkin

Writers: if you didn’t have time for NaNoWriMo but are looking for a motivating way to structure and inspire writing time this December, consider signing up for the Southeast Review‘s 30-Day Writing Regimen, which begins on December 1. For only $15, participants receive the following: a free copy of the most recent issue (vol 26.2), daily writing prompts and reading-writing exercises, a Riff Word of the Day, a Podcast of the Day, craft talks, and access to the journal’s online literary companion.


recommended interview: Uwem Akpan

by Anne Stameshkin

FWR contributor Jeremiah Chamberlin has an interview in Granta with my dear friend and former MI classmate Uwem Akpan. Uwem, who is also a Jesuit priest and a teacher, saw his first story collection, the remarkable Say You’re One of Them, published by Little, Brown in May. In this conversation with Jeremy, he discusses why fiction is his genre of choice, what challenges he faced (and faces) in creating stories true to the children and regions they depict, what fascinates and “puzzles” him as a writer, and how writing can be a calling: My goal is to get the reader […]


National Book Awards — and brief musings on "theme"

by Anne Stameshkin

Congratulations to Peter Matthiessen, whose novel Shadow Country just captured the 2008 NBA in Fiction. In this interview (conducted after his book was named a finalist), Mattheissen describes his writing process and shares why he thinks fiction matters. Interviewer Bret Anthony Johnston asked the author what the “engine” behind his novel was: BAJ: For some writers, the engine that powers their fiction is character. For others, it’s language. For others still, the engine might loosely be called “theme.” Do you identify with any of those? What sparked the initial idea for you? PM: Very important as those are, the seed […]


the fiction of development

by Anne Stameshkin

A new report called The Fiction of Development: Literary Representation as a Source of Authoritative Knowledge praises literary fiction as an important resource for a global society. To quote the Guardian‘s Books Blog: A team from Manchester University and the London School of Economics claim that stories and their writers can do just as much as academics and policy researchers, perhaps even more, to explain and communicate the world’s problems. Fiction, they boldly venture, can be just as useful as fact. You can read the report in its entirety (including a recommended reading list) here.


recommended exhibit: Eudora Welty in New York

by Anne Stameshkin

Fellow NYCers and fans of Fiction Goddess Eudora Welty, this one’s for you. Today at 2 PM, curator Sean Corcoran will lead a tour (free with museum admission) of the Museum of the City of New York’s exhibition Eudora Welty in New York: Photographs of the Early 1930s. For more information on today’s event, read this, and to learn about the exhibit itself (which runs through February 16) and teaser photos, go here.


AWP 2009

by Anne Stameshkin

This is just a happy little note to say that FWR will be at AWP in February 2009; this year, the conference is in Chicago. We won’t have a table of our own or a listing in the program, but we will be operating in guerrilla-style from a corner of the Michigan MFA table, spreading the Fictional Word with mugs and T-shirts and business cards (and possibly a working laptop). I’ll be actively looking to make publisher contacts, to recruit writer-reviewers, to meet authors, and to boost readership. If you’re going to be at the conference, let me know if […]


maintenance

by Anne Stameshkin

FWR’s super-amazing designer Marissa is doing some site maintenance/improvement work this weekend (because she is the Patron Saint of Fiction). I want to assure readers who have emailed to say, “Help! A review is also listed on the blog!” (or similar) to have no fear; everything will be restored to its rightful place – and look even nicer – in the end. Thanks, Marissa!!




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