Suspend Your Disbelief

Posts Tagged ‘videos’

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"When you start out on a career in the arts you have no idea what you are doing. This is great."

by Celeste Ng

This has been making the rounds for a little while now, but it’s so inspiring that if you haven’t seen it yet, you really should. In a commencement address at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Neil Gaiman offers reflections and advice on writing, freelancing, and the artistic life—“everything I wish I’d known starting out… and the best piece of advice I ever got, which I completely failed to follow” You can also read the transcript at the University of the Arts website, but there’s something about hearing in English accent that makes all this sound so encouraging and […]


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"I can't stop acquiring books…"

by Celeste Ng

You think you have a problem with hoarding books? The above short film, by Sergey Stefanovich, walks you through the library of writer and critic Duncan Fallowell, which “has spilled over into every available space and become an art installation in its own right.” (Via.) Fallowell narrates, with lots of meditative insights on reading and writing: “I’m so glad I haven’t read everything–I have such a wonderful future awaiting me.” However, if you really need to clear out some space, perhaps this post by Jodi Chromey, “How I Learned to Stop Hoarding and Give Away Books,” provides the solution. Further […]


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tiny library + tiny video = big funds?

by Celeste Ng

The town of Shutesbury, in rural western Massachusetts, needs a new public library to replace their tiny, antiquated one (there’s no running water!). The state will cover 60% of the cost—IF the town can raise $1.4 million by June 30. Shutesbury has made this adorable video explaning the situation and making the case for a new library. (And if that’s not enough to convince you to watch, I have two words for you: ukulele soundtrack.) This video—especially the lists of things the patrons hope to do in their new library—remind me that libraries aren’t just shelves of books: they’re community […]


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Ann Patchett bests Stephen Colbert

by Celeste Ng

It doesn’t happen often—a guest getting the last word on The Colbert Report?  But it happened just earlier this week, when author Ann Patchett came on the show to explain why she helped open Parnassus Books in Nashville: because she was horrified that her town had NO bookstores. I was lucky enough to hear Ann Patchett in person, at the Muse and the Marketplace conference in Boston a few years ago, and I was impressed by how sharp she was—for example, she delivered a witty and inspiring keynote address without a single page of notes.  (I wish I were cool […]


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From Hemingway's portrait to lit-tats

by Lee Thomas

I recently stumbled upon Poets & Writers’ “Clips” section, “a curated selection of videos, including book trailers, brief interviews, and other literary curiosities updated daily.” It’s an interesting, eclectic cross-section of video that touches on the literary, but isn’t always quite so literal. There’s a clip of photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt’s recalling what it was like to shoot Ernest Hemingway’s portrait for the cover of Life magazine in 1952, a Notre Dame student performing his musical homage to Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby, a timelapse video of artist Mike Stilkey assembling an installation with books as his sculptural medium. Or […]


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Library Love

by Celeste Ng

Lots of love for libraries recently. First, The Old Spice Guy (yeah, that Old Spice Guy) hilariously celebrates libraries in his typical stream-of-consciousness, non-sequitur fashion: (Confused? It’s part of a social media campaign in which the Old Spice Guy answers questions from fans, explains GalleyCat.) Next, a dead-on parody of the Old Spice commercial encourages students to study… in the library. The video was produced by the Harold B. Lee Library Multimedia Production Crew of Brigham Young University. Finally, NPR suggests that libraries might be the next big pop-culture wave (after cupcakes). After a Chicago Fox News segment suggested libraries […]



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