What Do You Consider to Be Bad?

Here's an interesting blog post/opinion piece about a new list of "bad" books. It has an interesting perspective and some good points. I must say, though, that the "Top 40 Bad Books" by American Book Review is annoying. They have one of the best books I have ever read listed, Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence. How about the Great Gatsby or Frankenstein? This list is laughable.

Daffadowndillies!

My daily RSS feed from the OED gave me a pleasant surprise: OED has daffadowndilly as a synonym for daffodil! What an amazing word! It's just begging for children's poetry.

Darryl and Daphne love daffadowndillies,
The daffadowndillies of Dilbury Lane;
Yellow and dancing, those daffadowndillies,
Those daffadowndillies of Dilbury Lane.

How you can become the most important poet in America overnight.

Too funny. This is a deeply cynical discussion of poetry "success." Perfect.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/article.html?id=238942&page=1

Women Writers Still Being Denigrated!

I can hardly believe that the denigration of women writers is still going on. What crap! Yes, I know it's been going on for hundreds of years, but I thought we'd finally moved past all this. I was wrong, as this column from Broadsheet on Salon.com shows.

Nation Shudders at Large Block of Uninterrupted Text

From The Onion:

WASHINGTON—Unable to rest their eyes on a colorful photograph or boldface heading that could be easily skimmed and forgotten about, Americans collectively recoiled Monday when confronted with a solid block of uninterrupted text.

Dumbfounded citizens from Maine to California gazed helplessly at the frightening chunk of print, unsure of what to do next. Without an illustration, chart, or embedded YouTube video to ease them in, millions were frozen in place, terrified by the sight of one long, unbroken string of English words.

"Why won't it just tell me what it's about?" said Boston resident Charlyne Thomson, who was bombarded with the overwhelming mass of black text late Monday afternoon. "There are no bullet points, no highlighted parts. I've looked everywhere—there's nothing here but words."

Read more...

How to Gut a Library

Salon.com today has an opinion piece that makes me think of our own new University Boulevard Library. Apparently, what we have in our library, for good or ill, is part of a nation-wide, possibly world-wide, discussion.

I'm amazed at what I get for free in public libraries. Books, big tottering stacks of books, but there's also computer access and, in the last few years, free Wi-Fi. When my son was younger, we went to story hours and sing-a-longs.

Libraries are one of the great loves of my life. That's why a hearing last week about the Boston Public Library's proposal to close some neighborhood branches has me on edge. And several months after the opening of the new main library in Cambridge, I find myself asking an unexpected question.

What's the purpose of libraries -- really? To be a community gathering place? To promote life-long learning? To help users navigate the information flow? To store print documents for the historical record, as Nicholson Baker argues they should (and aren't) in "Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper"? (Read more...)

Online Journal Narrative Seeks Interns

NARRATIVE IS CURRENTLY seeking internship candidates to assist with production of the magazine, including editorial and technical tasks, public outreach, and other programs.

PURPOSE:
Narrative is a premier online literary magazine with the mission of transitioning great literature into the digital age and uniting readers and writers around the world and across generations. In its seventh year,Narrative operates under an original model, combining the values and standards of a nonprofit institution with the ethos and sensibility of a start-up: a fast pace, a tireless staff, and ceaseless determination to stretch every dollar to its fullest in support of the mission.

INTERNSHIP QUALIFICATIONS:
You have a passion for literature, strive for excellence in everything you do, thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic workplace, and are eager to envision, collaborate on, and execute ideas and tasks. You are a high-energy, low-maintenance, well-rounded person with the ability to ensure that projects, people, paperwork, schedules, and other responsibilities are timely, exceptional, and on target. For this position, we need someone who is friendly, professional, reliable, diplomatic, extremely organized, a good conversationalist, a solid writer, computer savvy, and conversant with traditional publishing, social media, electronic publishing, iPhone applications, public relations, and marketing.

Narrative is located in San Francisco and needs local interns but, as a Internet-based, digital publication, also works with interns in various locations.

How to Apply: Please send your CV and a letter indicating what you can bring to Narrative. Apply here. 

Texas Poet Laureate to Speak March 9 in McAllen

CANCELLED -- see comment to this post.


Karla K. Morton, the Texas Poet Laureate, will speak as part of her Little Town, Texas Tour at McAllen Memorial Library on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m.  She will read from her book, Redefining Beauty, an account of her journey through cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

Karla K. Morton is the first woman named as Texas State Poet Laureate in more than fifteen years.  She loves to promote poetry, and has read her work across Texas, performing at such venues as schools, universities, bookstores and festivals.  Morton is also author of the book/CD titled "Wee Cowrin’ Timorous Beastie," a North Texas Book Festival Awards Finalist, "Redefining Beauty" and several upcoming books, including "Becoming Superman," "Names We’ve Never Known," and a collection of her works as part of the Poet Laureate series by the Texas Christian University Press (to be published in 2010).  She has a journalism degree from Texas A&M University and is currently featured on a nationally-aired episode of The Art of Living Gallery for her promotion of poetry as a healing tool for the soul.

Morton says, “As a mother of two teenagers, I know the importance of inspiring dreams and encouraging achievements, no matter how difficult they may seem.  I’m so honored to serve as 2010 Texas State Poet Laureate and as an ambassador of poetry to the youth in our state.”

Poetry Night for Abuse Survivors

We've got press in the Collegian!

EGADS! An English conference on campus
By David Boon, Staff Writer

Pedagogy, British literature and the writings of Gloria Anzaldúa may seem far removed from each other, but all were among topics brought up at the EGADS! first conference, “Bridges & Borders”, held Feb. 20.

Read more....