Halloween + Literature = Edgar Allan Poe, right?

If you would like to get to know the author better this weekend, you have an astounding number of options, as there are restored Poe houses in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City (the Bronx), and Richmond, Virginia. And if that phrase—“The Poe Houses”—sounds odd, then go ahead and pronounce it “The Po’ Houses,” because all were poor houses in Poe’s day, and remain modest houses in poor neighborhoods today.

David…

What could we gain by abandoning the test’s timed essay? Better writers.

“Although most people’s goal is to be happy at all times, being constantly satisfied and untroubled can actually prevent people from changing for the better. After all, why go to the trouble of changing if one is content with the ways things are? On the other hand, discontent often motivates people to make necessary changes. What revolution was not caused by widespread discontent? Who among…

Is the combination question mark and exclamation point a sign of the times?

On Monday I discovered the interrobang, and I have been thinking about it all week. And no, not because I am a grammar nerd, but because I think ‽ may just sum up something about our clever yet confused culture.

The interrobang is a combination of a question mark and an exclamation point. Many of us use this punctuation when we type ?!, but a…

Richards Powers wrote his new novel by dictation. Does that affect the quality?

Richard Powers’ new novel, Generosity, was published this week. I am a huge fan of Powers, and I loved the novel. But not all had the same reaction. James Wood wrote a lengthy article critiquing Powers and his latest novel in this week’s New Yorker. Wood argues that Powers’s novels lack convincing plots and characters. Fair enough—we are entitled to disagree. But in the…

Tina Brown’s new imprint will focus on fast books. Can they stack up?

Speed writing seems to be the flavor of the week. First we were graced with the news that Sarah Palin’s memoir, Going Rogue, is to be published in November, a short four months after she began working on it. Readers seem unconcerned that the quick turnaround may dilute the quality of the book—it is already the number one selling book on amazon.com. Then came the…

Some say 2009 will be the novel’s best year ever—no thanks to The Lost Symbol.

What makes literary news? A new Dan Brown novel! Brown, the ginormous bestseller, published his long-awaited follow-up to that most-cited book on “what did you last read?” online profiles, The Da Vinci Code. I do not have the heart to search for numbers of copies of The Lost Symbol sold, so let’s just leave it at “more than one million.” Even better,…

While we rethink the future of writing, let’s not forget the people behind the scenes.

Last week I opined about some ways publishers might market themselves during these uncertain times of print. I proposed building brand loyalty, but others believe getting rid of publishers entirely is a better way to go. According to this logic, publishers are simply middlemen who have been rendered unnecessary during these self-publishing, self-promoting times.

The question of whether we need publishers to serve…

When it comes to books, we Americans have author loyalty (I can’t wait to read the new Lorrie Moore novel), and bookstore loyalty (I will only shop at local independent bookstores, like Visible Voice or Mac’s Backs). Both forms of faithfulness offer perks, often intertwined. You can, for instance, hear your favorite author read at your local bookstore, buy a copy and have him sign it (and if you are really lucky, join him in a…

Why aren’t there more novels about America’s workers?

When I am looking for a smart discussion about literature in the books blogosphere, my first stop is Mark Athitakis’s American Fiction Notes. Earlier this week, Athitakis posted about an under-discussed topic in contemporary fiction, the role of class. In the brilliantly titled “The Grapes of Mild Outrage,” Athitakis wonders why there are not more depictions of the working class in contemporary American fiction. As he writes:

Perhaps it’s not…

“Feral houses” and other indigenous species of the rust belt

I live in the rust belt and have always found beauty in urban decay. So it will not surprise you that I am transfixed by Detroit photographer James Griffioen’s shots of “feral houses”. Nature is up to bat in Detroit as it is in my home, Cleveland.

For those of us trying to figure out how to understand these places in which we live, metaphors are important. Griffioen…