Posted by Juliet Linderman Today, Terry Gross is interviewing New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller about Wikileaks, security, journalism and how the Times handled the publication of diplomatic cables. If you’re a news nerd like I am, you should tune in immediately. It’s way fascinating.
Muhammad Ali Talking to William F. Buckley
Indexing: Ballard, Glidden, Waxman, Jurassic Park, National Lampoon
Tobias Carroll Last week, I read Sarah Glidden’s How to Understand Israel in Sixty Days or Less. It came highly recommended by a number of fine people I know, and it definitely met my expectations. It’s an exploration of Glidden’s 2007 Birthright trip to Israel, and about the difficulties of analyzing the conditions over there. It’s a dense exploration of political ambiguity, and it does a fine job of making Glidden’s own internal debates — and the conflicted history around […]
Lydia Davis in Our Bebop Capitol: Providence, Rhode Island
Posted by Nick Curley From the mean streets of Brown University, one-time Boston mayoral candidate and radio persona controversia Christopher Lydon today brings a silly-fun interview with Lydia Davis. Prior to its Brown residency, Lydon’s program Radio Open Source was broadcast from UMass Lowell, making him officially the only Lowell resident at the time who wasn’t crippingly addicted to the crack rock. Despite the apparent absence of cocaine, Lydon remains a vivacious personality whose hosting style suggests a saucy English teacher playing Coltrane […]
Bites: Literary Saloons, Gatsby in 3D, Huck Finn for the First Time and More
At Salon: Want to drink where famous writers got drunk? Here is another handy guide. At Vulture: Baz Luhrmann says his upcoming film version of Gatsby might be in 3D. At The Millions: C. Max Magee recalls reading Huck Finn for the first time. At The New Yorker: Bob Odenkirk writes about his great abs.
Dick Watching: Heads or Tails
Posted by Juliet Linderman Hey there Dicksters and welcome to everyone’s favorite oceanographically relevant link list. You guys ready to cast away? I thought so. Let’s go! 1. First up, in absurdly-obvious-headline news we bring you this article, entitled “Dead Whale Difficult to Move.” There really isn’t much more to say. It’s a whale and it’s dead, and it’s very heavy. And there you have it. Moving along! 2. In this season of giving, the Japanese fisheries agency would like to […]
Stephen Sondheim Meets Michael Silverblatt
Posted by Jason Diamomd I haven’t given this a listen yet, but I can pretty much assure you that it will be the sweetest thing you will listen to all week. I’m really hoping Sondheim makes a remark about the show’s new theme song, and says something like “I don’t care if it’s Sparks, it’s total crap. I’ll fart you out a better song right here, right now.” Listen: Stephen Sondheim on Bookworm.
Good Things to do for the Holidays: Charles Bock’s Family, Help a Drummer, Literary Kickstarter and More
Posted by Jason Diamond Did you save money this year on your holiday shopping? Did you get a bag of cash for Hanukkah? Are you an atheist millionaire with a heart of gold and a pension for tax breaks? Here are four ways to do something good this holiday season: 1. Give some cash to Charles Bock’s family. His wife is in the hospital with leukemia and need some help. There is a massive benefit planned for February (see flyer […]