(Notes From Elsewhere is a roundup of various literary things compiled by Sara Habein, along with news from past Word Riot authors. She make no claims at being terribly current or the first to know anything, but hopefully you will find something interesting here.)
Nick Antosca, whose Word Riot-published book Midnight Picnic came out in 2009, has a new book out, The Obese. He’s also writing for the show Teen Wolf, and his first novel, Fires, was just reissued. Here’s an interview with him over at Vol. I Brooklyn.
“Whenever someone asks me for writing advice I always feel at a loss,” Jami Attenberg said on her site recently. “Just sit down and write, is what I say. Books do not write themselves.” Hear, hear.
And if you feel like you’ve waited too long to just sit down and write, have no fear — There are plenty of writers who started producing quality work later in life. Here’s a nice roundup of the “Conspicuously Old” over at The Rumpus.
Caught By The River, a site dedicated to “angling, music, books, films, nature and pubs,” is taking pre-orders for A Collection of Words on Water. Featuring essays by Jarvis Cocker and Irvine Welsh, among others, it is a “word-map of Britain’s waterways.” I feel like not enough people in the US know about this site, so do take a gander.
Have you ever found one of those old hardbound Reader’s Digest anthologies and thought that it’s a shame such nice binding went into oddly abbreviating stories? How about making that book into a clock?
In other news of creative efforts overlapping, check out the new paintings on the Strand Bookstore by street artist Toofly.
I don’t know about you, but I like hearing about what other writers carry around with them. Here’s what’s in Warren Ellis‘ bag, and also what apps he’s found useful/productive. (Hint: Back that shit up on Dropbox. Do it now.)
I recently stumbled across The Writer’s [Inner] Journey. Recent interviews include Steve Almond and Lidia Yuknavitch. “I’d do just about anything to write a novel — doesn’t even have to be great. A good novel would be enough.,” Almond says. “But I won’t let myself, at least not yet.”
Jess Walter has a 99 cent single story out now, “Don’t Eat Cat.” I know I read this somewhere a long time ago, but can’t recall where. I do remember enjoying it and finding it funny, so I recommend checking it out. Or any of his work, really.
Finally, a bit of silliness: Jenny Lawson, aka “The Bloggess,” has a memoir coming out later this month, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. Her book trailer is hilarious. Wil Wheton, Soleil Moon-Frye, Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, Felicia Day, Jeri Ryan, and Mary Lynn Rajskub all make appeareances. Oh, and Bigfoot. Get in.
Until next time…
