carolyn kellogg

What’s it like to be nominated for a National Book Award? YA author Sara Zarr was too distracted by a migraine to take the call, but lives to blog the…

Maud Newton reviews Alan Bennett’s new novella, The Uncommon Reader, for the LA Times. Also in the Times: a review of Walter Mosley’s latest, plus a photo gallery of Easy…

Here in the MFA universe we tend to think that the book writing is what’s tough. Writing writing writing. Getting through slumpy clunky parts. Revising out the wazoo. Maybe, just…

Are blogging and the academy incompatible? It would be a shame to think so. Susan Hill — who has dubbed herself “the Simon Cowell of the creative writing world” —…

Dan Chaon flashes Raymond Carver (via). Writing through aphasia — imagine being able to say nothing but “mem.” Or writing amnesia, from amnesiac characters to creating the experience of amnesia…

Austen in toddlerland at Anne’s. At first I thought with his BASS talk Dan was obsessing about fish, but no — he’s got a copy of the 2007 Best American…

George Saunders guest blogs at Powell’s this week. (via) And in 26 days, he comes to Pitt! Woo hoo! Cool! Irina Reyn will be teaching fiction workshop at Pitt in…

Yesterday I taught my first class ever. The students seem really terrific, and I hope they thought I was appropriately dressed. And now I’m very interested in papers like this….

Up on Sunday: Laila Lalami on NPR, talking about what she’s reading (new Junot Diaz, count me jealous). There’s an odd cultural disconnect in having Nick Hornby talk to David…

On Thursday, Stephanie Bartron’s amazing garden design was featured in an LA Times article on how to ditch your crappy old pool. That’s right, Home & Garden, Stephanie rocks. And…