AltWeeklies Wire
Thomas Frank on What's Wrong with Obamanew
Before he morphed into one of the few real leftists still taken seriously by the mainstream press, author Thomas Frank had an even lower profile.
Willamette Week |
Corey Pein |
08-13-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Houston's Fady Joudah is a Poet Without Bordersnew
According to his champions, the Palestinian-American poet is one of the most accomplished and interesting poets to appear in the United States in some time.
The Texas Observer |
David Theis |
08-13-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
The Poetry in 'Satin Cash' is Never Less than Splendidnew
For poets and non-poets alike, Spaar's overriding theme -- how the "one" figures in the "many" -- is the stuff of life.
C-Ville Weekly |
Doug Nordfors |
08-13-2008 |
Poetry
Rock Critic Byron Coley on the No More Bush Tournew
As George W. Bush's departure looms, Coley has concocted a sequel to "More Hair Less Bush" with another cavalcade of artists who "honk the horn of freedom with both hands." Said honkers include guitar wizard Jack Rose, noise magician Karl Bauer (aka Axolotl), and avant-folk duo MV/EE, along with poets such as Valerie Webber and Charles Plymell.
Baltimore City Paper |
Marc Masters |
08-12-2008 |
Books
C. Fraser Smith Chronicles the Marylanders Who Fought For Civil Rights in 'Here Lies Jim Crow'new
Having Baltimore Sun columnist and WYPR senior news analyst Smith's new book in my possession has been as interesting and eye-opening as the book itself. The book drew people's attention everywhere I went.
Baltimore City Paper |
Petula Caesar |
08-12-2008 |
Nonfiction
Immigrant Poet Zilka Joseph Straddles Two Worldsnew
Joseph lives, works and studies here in Michigan, but her poetry tells the story of a woman who exists in two different places. Born in Bombay and raised in Calcutta, Joseph has been in this country since 1997. In a physical sense, moving here meant leaving everything behind. In her poems, she shows that it isn't where you live that matters, but what lives on in you.
Metro Times |
Norene Cashen |
08-12-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Selden Edwards' Debut Novel Was a 30-Year Journeynew
Although the writing process differs for everyone, a book taking 30 years to get published is outside the norm. But that's what it took to get Selden Edwards' The Little Book to the masses.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Charles Donelan |
08-11-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Selden Edwards, The Little Book
No 'Hero' Here in Jason Peter's Memoirnew
Peter reveals his own darkest moments of drug abuse, but it's almost unforgivable that he sweeps under the rug the fact that his brother Christian, who guided him during those glory years at Nebraska, was at the center of a notorious case of athlete protectionism.
NOW Magazine |
Jason Keller |
08-11-2008 |
Nonfiction
A New Book on Vermont Country Stores Reveals Why They're Here for the Long Haulnew
If you go way back to the foggy beginnings of an average Vermont town, the building blocks of the community stack up something like this: First came the church, and then the town hall, the one-room schoolhouse, the tavern, the harness shop, the blacksmith, the itinerant traders and, last but not least, the general store.
Seven Days |
Kirk Kardashian |
08-08-2008 |
Nonfiction
'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle': Extraordinary Debut By David Wroblewskinew
Debut novels of this quality don't come along often. And while its 562 pages may seem daunting, the book is by no means wearisome, and the story's length is necessary to its telling.
Shepherd Express |
Roger K. Miller |
08-08-2008 |
Fiction
A Pelecanos Dictionarynew
George Pelecanos has spent more than 15 years writing 15 novels that, taken together, make for a panoramic story about Washington, D.C. We come to terms with D.C.'s most site-specific author.
Washington City Paper |
Mark Athikakis |
08-07-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Shawn Taylor Explains the Philosophy Behind 'Big Black Penis'new
The title came first. But you knew that already, didn't you? But pretty soon, Big Black Penis was more than just a provocative title; it was a move to bring authenticity into the discourse around black male sexuality.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
08-07-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Barbara Quick Brings 18th-Century Venice to Life in 'Vivaldi's Virgins'new
What drew the Berkeley author to its intoxicating setting was mainly her love of the stage: In 18th-century Venice, Quick says, "daily life itself was theater. There were masks, costumes, and intrigue for much of the year."
East Bay Express |
Anneli Rufus |
08-07-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Barbara Quick, Vivaldi's Virgins
Starch in the Collar, But Not in the Spine: 'Gentleman's Guide' Lacks Ballsnew
For all its mannerly reserve, its upper-crusty starch, A Gentleman's Guide to Graceful Living is a thing so wispily fabricated — more eiderdown fluff than sailcloth — that any critical gust aimed at it is likely to scatter the whole works all over the floor.
Charleston City Paper |
Jon Santiago |
08-06-2008 |
Fiction
Frank Bidart's New Poems Sing Hymns to a Meaningless Universenew
His excellent new book, Watching the Spring Festival, reflects a man feeling his age, the slip of time, and the tug of oblivion. It attempts to confront the paradox of being while trying to inscribe something lasting, and also expressing unblinkingly man's cosmic dilemma -- that maybe, just maybe, there is no exit.
Charleston City Paper |
John Stoehr |
08-06-2008 |
Poetry
