Not long ago, we talked about the phenomenon of robots writing books. But those computer-authored tomes—with scintillating subject matter like Saltine Cracker were mish-mashes of text culled together from Wikipedia and other websites. Computers can’t write actual stories. Or can they? Enter Narrative Science, a Chicago-based software company teaching computers to do just that—well, news stories, at least. Wired explains that articles written by the company’s computer algorithm are already out there: The computer-written product could be a pennant-waving second-half update of a Big Ten basketball contest, a sober preview of a corporate earnings statement, or a blithe summary of […]
We were delighted to learn that FWR contributor Danielle Lazarin was the first-place winner of Glimmer Train‘s April 2012 Family Matters contest! A full list of winners and top-25 finalists is on the Glimmer Train website. Danielle’s winning story, “Spider Legs,” will be published in Glimmer Train in 2013. In the meantime, you can learn more about Danielle and read some of her work on her author website. Congratulations, Danielle! Read Danielle’s interview with Dan Chaon for Fiction Writers Review Read Danielle’s essay “‘The Mommy Problem,’ and the larger notion of life beyond work“
I am unreasonably excited to see the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Is it because Gatsby is one of my favorite novels? Because Baz Lurhmann is brilliant? Because Leonardo DiCaprio makes me swoon? Mark me down for “All of the Above.” Actually, most of all, I can’t wait to see how this novel comes to life on the big screen. It contains some of the most cinematic scenes I can think of—one of my favorites is the first moment we meet Daisy, in a swirl of white curtains—but I’m not sure how it will translate to film. Which makes […]
If you’re a newly-minted MFA wondering what to do with your degree, perhaps you can take inspiration from Eric Wahl, who works at the University of Washington’s surplus store. Wahl puts his writing skills to use by crafting hilarious descriptions of items for sale–and offering proof that pretty much everything gets way better with a dose of creativity. Says the Seattle Times: Wahl, 42, began working at the store in November 2010 as a program coordinator, a job that means he not only works the cash register, he does the Web marketing. He couldn’t help but notice that the descriptions […]
Hello again, FWR friends. Welcome to the latest installment of our new blog series, “First Looks,” which highlights soon-to-be released books that have piqued my interest as a reader-who-writes. We publish “First Looks” here on the FWR blog around the middle of each month, and as always, I’d love to hear your comments and your recommendations of forthcoming titles. Please drop me a line anytime: erika(at)fictionwritersreview(dot)com, and thanks in advance. The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, by Stephen L. Carter: This one will be published just after Independence Day, but it caught my eye back in January thanks to Barbara Hoffert’s […]
I’m very lucky to live within walking distance of Harvard Bookstore, one of my favorite bookstores on earth. The fact that it’s an independent bookstore is just icing on the cake—the store is just wonderful, with a great staff, and in a decade I’ve never once succeeded in visiting without spending a half-hour or more there. So I was thrilled to see Forbes recognizing the success of Harvard Bookstore and its owner, Jeff Mayersohn. The title of the article—“The Man Who Took on Amazon and Saved a Bookstore”—reminds you how hard it is to run an indie bookstore these days, […]
Everyone thinks it’s like this: But Weldon Owen has an infographic with the real process of how a book is born. Click on over to laugh—and cry. (One key step: “Everyone who approved design decides they actually hate it.”) Further Reading: Okay, fine. This is really how a book is made. Or maybe this is more like it.
Our new feature is Tania James‘s collection Aerogrammes and Other Stories (Knopf). James is also the author of Atlas of Unknowns (Knopf, 2009), which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, an Indie Next Notable, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and a Best Book of 2009 for The San Francisco Chronicle and NPR. Her short fiction has appeared in such places as Boston Review, Granta, Guernica, Kenyon Review, One Story, Orion, and A Public Space. The title story of her collection was a finalist for Best American Short Stories 2008 and a Pushcart Prize nominee. She […]
For the last two weeks we’ve been featuring Natalie Bakopoulos’s debut novel The Green Shore, and we’re pleased to announce the winners: John Yunker (@TouristTrail) Jennifer Solheim (@JenniferSolheim) Nona Sebastian (@cNonaSebastian) Congrats! To claim your free copy, please email us at the following address: winners [at] fictionwritersreview.com If you’d like to be eligible for future giveaways, please visit our Twitter Page and “follow” us! Thanks to all of you who are fans. We appreciate your support. Let us know your favorite new books out there!
