I’ve just learned that Pitt’s graduation speaker, football player Dan Marino, closed his speech with something like, “in the wise words of Ace Ventura, Pet Detective: Let’s party!” How ever did I miss it?
Bookfox is handicapping the longlist for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award; its prize is more than $50,000 (35,000 Euros).
The Believer has announced its shortlist for the magazine’s 2007 Book Award. 10 books, most from independent presses, definitely interesting.
If the Festival of Books takes this advice to include a songwriter panel each year, I hereby volunteer to interview Elvis Costello in ’09.
A benefit auction for the Interstitial Arts Foundation: jewelry based on stories. Pretty!
This, not so much. Does it come in Tiffany-box blue?
Good news: Maud Newton throws a story into the universe, the universe throws her a $1500 prize.
Good news: I’m catching up with back issues of One Story and “Bar Joke, Arizona” is great.
Good news: My coursework at Pitt is done! I turn in my thesis this summer. Looks like my grad school GPA is 3.9. Tra la!
Good news: when you go see a blockbuster at the big old Vista theater in LA, you’ll find that the manager has dressed up as the main character. Meet Ironman.
Good news: I will be in LA for Mark Sarvas‘ Sunday night book party at Vermin on the Mount!
Good news: I have an LA apartment! Three weeks from now I’ll be living in a 1923 apartment building with a front desk and a cloverleaf pool and one of my favorite LA bars on the ground floor.
That comment I left about not knowing about voting problems? I take it back. My friend Katy had voting problems.
Claws are coming out for Sloane Crosley, the cutest book publicist turned memoirist ever. Rachel, try to be nice.
Small Beer is doing the free download thing with John Kessel’s new book, The Baum Plan for Financial Independence (no, it’s not really about finances). Highly recommended by Gwenda.
Heading to LA tomorrow! I’ll be at the LA Times Book Prizes Friday night and the Festival of Books all day Saturday and Sunday. Cecil is on two panels, Mark on one, Laila on one, Sarah on one, Antoine on one, Tod on two … I need a clone.
sing it with me now – it’s Pennsylvania primary day.
Obama-ama mo-mama-ama Obama-mama Obama
Obama-ama mo-mama-ama Obama-mama Obama
Obama-ama mo-mama-ama Obama-mama Obama
Don’t believe me? Read his blog.
In Salon, Rebecca Traister writes of Clinton fans growing weary of “Obama boys” bashing their candidate. I teach freshman composition, and I promise you, the “Obama boys” in my class are sweet Hillary lovers compared to the McCain boys, who speak of her with derision, vitriol and contempt. If she’s the Democratic candidate, that exactly what’s in store. Get used to it.
The Complete Review gives “The Second Plane” by Martin Amis a C.
Tod Goldberg writes proudly of his students going forth and conquering the world with short stories, which have been purged of phrases like “writes proudly.”
Just don’t expect to read them in a Smithsonian reading room.
Is it true — Nicky Hilton at a bookstore? I can’t make her out in the photo.
This weekend my review of The Age of Dreaming by Nina Revoyr appeared in the LA Times.
Some of the walls are under glass… but did they leave the scuzzy bathrooms intact? CBGBs now a high-end clothing boutique.
And he got a day off to visit the pyramids. As a chick who’s about to spend three weeks in the basement of a Pittsburgh library, I can’t tell you how wonderful that seems.
President Bush was in Pittsburgh today. Yeah, missed that one.
Barack Obama is coming to Pittsburgh tomorrow. He will speak at Soldiers & Sailors Hall, which is right next to Pitt’s campus — but tickets sold out Wednesday. At least that’s what I heard. So I’ll miss that one, too (but I’m sure to witness the streetside chaos).
Junot Diaz will be here Monday. He’s speaking (reading?) at Carnegie Mellon, but I’ve got class — and I’m presenting — so I won’t be able to make it to see Diaz, either.
Anthony Bourdain is also going to be here Monday. He’s sold out the Carnegie Music Hall, and even though I have class, and I’m presenting, I’ve got a ticket. I’ll make it for the Q&A, dammit. I can’t miss everything.
I’ve posted the last of my Istanbul photos, including a graffiti piece that made me think Banksy (altho I couldn’t find any documentation that he’s been to Istanbul, so I think it’s someone else being Banksy-esque).
Also, I’m now officially medicated. Begone, evil flu virus.
I’m in Istanbul. Today I took a ferry across the Bosphorus river to another part of Istanbul… the part that is in Asia.
It was my first time on the Asian continent. Super exciting.
Pictures of the trip start here.
When I am not traipsing back and forth between continents, I am blogging about bookish stuff in Istanbul for Jacket Copy at the LA Times, on bookstores and a Q&A about Orhan Pamuk.
I tried to go see some music last night but the band didn’t show. No problem — the beer was cheap and plentiful, and cheerful people arrived in waves. Tonight, after getting caught in the rain at the Spice Bazaar, my marvelous host friends and I stayed in and watched the final episode of The Wire. (Almost as exciting as going to Asia).
