The Bret Easton Ellis Meets the Press routine
In late May, I went to Bret Easton Ellis’ apartment to talk to him for a feature for the Los Angeles Times (it’s in Sunday’s paper). I’d arranged to be…
Category Archives: writers
Talking to Rebecca Skloot
I met Rebecca Skloot in New York last fall, when after a National Book Critics Circle event I had little business attending, I tagged along with a group of former…
Bad news
By now, everyone has heard that David Foster Wallace committed suicide Friday; Sarah notes that the news was at the top of twitter on Saturday. I have read him only…
Bookishly LA
One of the things I love about Los Angeles is the way we get all the good book stuff. Take Sunday: Nam Le read at Skylight Books in Los Feliz…
Banville in da house
Mark’s house, that is. A new John Banville Q&A is live and sparkling at The Elegant Variation, including: The Elegant Variation: What is it about the German thinkers that has…
Tortured sentences announce Mailer writing retreat
Norman Mailer’s house in Provincetown, Mass will be turned into a retreat for “more established” writers — sorry, newbies (via). The announcement was made at a party in the house….
Origins of a slacker vampire
Long ago I sat on the floor of a dilapidated craftsman duplex on a dark street that ended abruptly at the precipice of the Hollywood freeway. In the house was…
Raymond Chandler vs. Edmund Wilson
In a letter dated October 2, 1946, Raymond Chandler wrote: I suppose you read a bookseller our here was convicted of selling indecency in Edmund Wilson’s Memoirs of Hecate County….
Fairly softspoken and incredibly close
Jonathan Safran Foer came to Pitt. He spoke winningly on laughter, using notes but kind of musing, as though he were working out the ideas for a new essay. In…
Philip Gourevitch comes to Pitt
Editor of The Paris Review, author of two books — A Cold Case and We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families — former…
