Monday, February 26, 2007
Walter Kirn
Walter Kirn spoke at Powell's the other night, and while the book, which ran entirely on Slate.com as a serialization, sounded moderately entertaining, Kirn's talk, and enthusiasm for online writing was as energetic as the crowd listening was flat.
Booklovers aren't game to hear stories about the death of books, and the Thumbsucker author didn't make it any too palatable. He also talked about our willing secession of rights to privacy, and how some mammalian impulses cause us to project feelings onto celebrities like, well, celebrities. And as it turns out, the celebrities don't even care.
Obviously he doesn't know all the celebrities, and therefore has no idea whether Jennifer Garner, as one example, cares. I might argue she does. One example.
A round-up of the discussion ran in today's Talk of the Book Town feature in The Oregonian.
COLLECTORS NOTE: This is the first, maybe even only, column to bear the nonstandard "Stanten" spelling of my surname. Not to be confused with "Santen" or with the "Suntan" variation that ran periodically for five years of Willamette Week articles. Or with "Stanton" or "Santeen," saltine, satan, or as one woman asked today, "Santend"?
Booklovers aren't game to hear stories about the death of books, and the Thumbsucker author didn't make it any too palatable. He also talked about our willing secession of rights to privacy, and how some mammalian impulses cause us to project feelings onto celebrities like, well, celebrities. And as it turns out, the celebrities don't even care.
Obviously he doesn't know all the celebrities, and therefore has no idea whether Jennifer Garner, as one example, cares. I might argue she does. One example.
A round-up of the discussion ran in today's Talk of the Book Town feature in The Oregonian.
COLLECTORS NOTE: This is the first, maybe even only, column to bear the nonstandard "Stanten" spelling of my surname. Not to be confused with "Santen" or with the "Suntan" variation that ran periodically for five years of Willamette Week articles. Or with "Stanton" or "Santeen," saltine, satan, or as one woman asked today, "Santend"?
Labels: fiction, Oregonian, Talk of the Book Town, Walter Kirn
Lost City Radio review
My review of Daniel Alarcón's Lost City Radio ran in Sunday's Oregonian. The advance readers copy has a slightly different cover than the final. Maybe I'll scan it in if I can find it. Alarcón will be at Powell's on Tuesday (look for $6 remaindered copies of War by Candlelight, his strong debut story collection, there as well).
There's an illuminating interview with the author from last fall on the Loggernaut reading series site:
And of course, a round-up of other reviews.
Christian Science Monitor (courtesy of Powells.com)
SF Chronicle (Alan Cheuse)
and others I haven't read yet.
There's an illuminating interview with the author from last fall on the Loggernaut reading series site:
And of course, a round-up of other reviews.
Christian Science Monitor (courtesy of Powells.com)
SF Chronicle (Alan Cheuse)
and others I haven't read yet.
Labels: books, Daniel Alarcón, fiction, Oregonian, review
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
33 1/3 Proposals Per Minute
I thought that, with only 100 proposals in and a few days to go, I might sneak my
The rule, of course, no writing about these folks. Final tally was well over 400, with maybe half that many viable candidates. A complete list of what those in the know would write about for a $3,000 advance can be found here.
Stay tuned. We hear in March. And if my
Labels: 33 1/3, books, music, writing
Monday, February 19, 2007
Talks in Puddle Town
A few "Talk of the Book Town" pieces, and scrapple from the notebooks, since last posting.
Today, a write-up of Shannon O'Leary's Pet Noir appearance at Portland's The Press Club. I asked O'Leary after her reading/multimedia show whether she was on speed-dial for every animal disaster that turns up in the media. She laughed and said yes, though she'd never been asked that before. I refrained from sharing any personal animal disaster stories, although I would imagine few do. Also on hand: MariNaomi and Alixopulos. Both read. Both had good stories to tell.
The Press Club owner Kevin plans to host more readings, contacting publishers like Akashic, Manic D, and other smaller indies to let them know that if they ever get sick of Powell's, he's got a little space for them.
Last week, Suzan-Lori Parks proved that you can say m8therf8cker at a Portland Arts & Lectures event without the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall expelling you. However, that brief profanity barely registered in a motivating hour-plus talk that exhorted those in the audience to just do it/have it their way. The talk paralleled last fall's New Yorker profile, which was more interesting after having seen Parks. Plans are for Portland Center Stage to stage her "365 Days/365 Plays" next July.
The day after Parks' reading, I laid out $50 for Ted Conover, Erik Larson, Mary Roach, and Lauren Kessler. The talk had something to do with journalism and narrative. To sum up, Kessler said she could lie, and no one would ever know, but she doesn't. Larson said old libraries are full of lots of great detail about the lives of the dead. Roach said to find the most interesting person related to a topic and then follow them around. Conover, who I was most interested in seeing, seemed the least comfortable. It's been a long time since Rolling Nowhere. He is now at work on a piece about Nigeria, in his continued ambition to immerse himself in situations that most people would spend effort extracting themselves from. Afterwards, Jack Hart (managing editor at The Oregonian and narrative enthusiast) opened the panel up to questions, including several from himself.
Take away? Don't waste time with a sit-down Q&A (they are boring, and I've got the links, posted at your left, to prove it).
One other write-up, a reading by Timothy Zahn, author of many Star Wars books. My son has enjoyed his newest, Allegiance. I learned what a "Chiss" is, from a (very) female in said costume and blue paint. Perhaps that is what Tobias was going for?
Today, a write-up of Shannon O'Leary's Pet Noir appearance at Portland's The Press Club. I asked O'Leary after her reading/multimedia show whether she was on speed-dial for every animal disaster that turns up in the media. She laughed and said yes, though she'd never been asked that before. I refrained from sharing any personal animal disaster stories, although I would imagine few do. Also on hand: MariNaomi and Alixopulos. Both read. Both had good stories to tell.
The Press Club owner Kevin plans to host more readings, contacting publishers like Akashic, Manic D, and other smaller indies to let them know that if they ever get sick of Powell's, he's got a little space for them.
Last week, Suzan-Lori Parks proved that you can say m8therf8cker at a Portland Arts & Lectures event without the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall expelling you. However, that brief profanity barely registered in a motivating hour-plus talk that exhorted those in the audience to just do it/have it their way. The talk paralleled last fall's New Yorker profile, which was more interesting after having seen Parks. Plans are for Portland Center Stage to stage her "365 Days/365 Plays" next July.
The day after Parks' reading, I laid out $50 for Ted Conover, Erik Larson, Mary Roach, and Lauren Kessler. The talk had something to do with journalism and narrative. To sum up, Kessler said she could lie, and no one would ever know, but she doesn't. Larson said old libraries are full of lots of great detail about the lives of the dead. Roach said to find the most interesting person related to a topic and then follow them around. Conover, who I was most interested in seeing, seemed the least comfortable. It's been a long time since Rolling Nowhere. He is now at work on a piece about Nigeria, in his continued ambition to immerse himself in situations that most people would spend effort extracting themselves from. Afterwards, Jack Hart (managing editor at The Oregonian and narrative enthusiast) opened the panel up to questions, including several from himself.
Take away? Don't waste time with a sit-down Q&A (they are boring, and I've got the links, posted at your left, to prove it).
One other write-up, a reading by Timothy Zahn, author of many Star Wars books. My son has enjoyed his newest, Allegiance. I learned what a "Chiss" is, from a (very) female in said costume and blue paint. Perhaps that is what Tobias was going for?
Labels: authors, Oregonian, Portland, readings, Shannon O'Leary, Suzan-Lori Parks, Talk of the Book Town
Thursday, February 01, 2007
He Said She Said
A piece on Norah Vincent, author of Self-Made Man, ran in The Oregonian this past Monday. She read at Powell's the week before, to a crowd of somewhere between 150 and 200.
Afterwards, Vincent said that she was done with the socio-political writing, and was planning a second immersion experience (though not one of a gender-bending nature), part two of her recently imagined "Outsiders" trilogy.
She wouldn't say what it was.
Afterwards, Vincent said that she was done with the socio-political writing, and was planning a second immersion experience (though not one of a gender-bending nature), part two of her recently imagined "Outsiders" trilogy.
She wouldn't say what it was.
