In our afternoon reading: revisiting the writings of Anthony Veasna So, notable book podcasts, and more.
VCO: Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Mom lit her cigarette on the red coils of the stove. The tobacco burned slow. And you could smell maple syrup. One side of the neck would glow orange and start to smoke. Then she’d roll it along the edge.
“Girl fell asleep at her station again.” Mom rattles, “And I haven’t said nothing about the times I came over and checked on her, woke her up, made sure she was alright. I never told anyone. I didn’t report her to the super or nobody. Then the one time I have to cover they say ‘Keep an eye on her, if she falls asleep and gets hurt you’ll get in trouble’ and she was literally asleep standing up over the workstation when they were telling me that.”
Morning Bites: Alvaro Énrigue on Creation, Remembering Terry Bisson, Philip K. Dick Award Nominees, and More
In our morning reading: Alvaro Énrigue on writing, the Philip K. Dick Award nominees, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Revisiting Hélène Cixous, Jason Molina’s Music, Lindsay Hunter on Writing, and More
In our afternoon reading, revisiting the work of Hélène Cixous, interviews with Jami Attenberg and Lindsay Hunter, and more.
Lost and Found: The Charms of R.B. Russell’s “Fifty Forgotten Books”
I was doing some holiday shopping a few weeks ago in Princeton’s Labyrinth Books when, on the new release table, something caught my eye. If you are reading this, you’re probably aware of the allure of a book titled Fifty Forgotten Books solely based on the title; the retro cover and blurbs on the back from the unlikely duo of Washington Post critic Michael Dirda and Current 93 mainstay David Tibet piqued my interest further.
Morning Bites: Jami Attenberg on Writing, Comics About Musicians, Remembering Phill Niblock, and More
In our morning reading: Jami Attenberg’s writing advice, graphic novels about musicians, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Geoff Ryman’s Latest, Andrey Platonov’s Fiction, Kelly Link Interviewed, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Geoff Ryman’s new novel, interviews with Shahnaz Habib and Kelly Link, and more.
Notes on Nudieland
When I was finding my way into worlds of music beyond the Top 40 and classic rock of my hometown, I thought it was immeasurably cool that Ian MacKaye from Fugazi had also been in Minor Threat. Or that Vernon Reid from Living Colour had also been involved in the downtown NY jazz scene. The first hat trick I recall was realizing Erasure’s Vince Clarke had also been in Depeche Mode and Yaz(oo).