Borders Employees Vent Frustrations in ‘Ode to a Bookstore Death’ Paging Doctor Nabokov! Thinking, Words, and Filling the Spaces of the Subject’s Dead Cavities A lot of very disorganized thoughts about being a writer DJ Spooky Defrosts Book of Ice… Read More

Jack Around has won the beach towel Photoshop contest at The Paris Review. The image embedded on the side showcases “Ernest Hemingway,” the winning photograph. The winner edited six photos for the contest. The pictures feature highly prolific writers such as… Read More

How many books an you read that could never have an eBook edition? Over at The Millions, author Garth Risk Hallberg offered seven ways to “Kindle-proof” your manuscript. Some of the simpler ways include using color, adding illustrations, and playing… Read More

by Dustin Luke Nelson In early April, just over a week before the release of Arthur Phillips’ newest novel, The Tragedy of Arthur, I had coffee with Phillips and another author, John Reed. The Tragedy of Arthur is a farce… Read More

Similes, metaphors, and analogies are turns of phrase that help readers conjure images in a narrative, whether in fiction or nonfiction, but it is in the latter form that they bloom more profusely. And what’s the difference between each of… Read More

Here are some literary events to spice up your week. To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Leslie Daniels will be reading her new novel, Cleaning Nabokov’s House at McNally Jackon on Wednesday,… Read More

Flavorpill has collected the doodles of famous authors, including Sylvia Plath, David Foster Wallace, Vladimir Nabokov, Franz Kafka, Samuel Beckett, Allen Ginsberg, Mark Twain, Henry Miller, Kurt Vonnegut, and Jorge Luis … Read More

J.A. Tyler is looking for your opinion in picking a cover for his new book. If you missed it, we’ve got an InDialogue between J.A. Tyler and musician/composer Judd Greenstein in the new issue of InDigest. Deb Olin Unferth is… Read More

Last week, Jacket Copy spotted actress Natalie Portman carrying a purse that looked like Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Why let the movie stars have all the fun–turn your favorite book into a handbag. If you want to make a… Read More

Pulitzer-prize winning biographer Stacy Schiff (pictured, via) has written about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (French aviator), Vera Nabokov (wife/muse to Lolita author Vladimir Nabokov), Benjamin Franklin (American diplomat/inventor), and most recently, Cleopatra VII (the last queen/pharoah of Egypt). We caught… Read More

Novelist Vladimir Nabokov sent his wife Vera Nabokov hundreds of love letters throughout their 52-year marriage. 300 of those letters will be published in Letters to Vera next year. UPDATE: Alfred A. Knopf will publish the letters. A Thaindian News article… Read More

Guest post by Irene Watson Too many times I have heard authors tell me "I hate to read but I love to write." What is wrong with that statement? First of all, it is difficult to know if your writing… Read More

Today is April 23. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHAKESPEARE! Here are the sources of the titles given in yesterday’s post. 1. The Moon Is Down, John Steinbeck BANQUO: How goes the night, boy? FLEANCE: The moon is down. I have not… Read More

When I was receiving my secondary education in a small Arkansas high school many years ago, every student was expected to study four Shakespeare plays before graduating: Grade 9: Julius Caesar Grade 10: As You Like It Grade 11: Romeo … Read More

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons By Leo Babauta Finding the ideal working habits that will allow me to write as consistently as possible is always something I’m exploring as a writer. As I’ve said before, I try to make it… Read More