Posted by paragraphonline on January 29, 2010
“J.D. Salinger who was thought at one time to be the most important American writer to emerge since World War II but who then turned his back on success and adulation, becoming the Garbo of letters, famous for not wanting to be famous, died on Wednesday at his home in Cornish, N.H., where he had lived in seclusion for more than 50 years. He was 91.”
To read the full article from the NYT, click here.
Posted in Literary Gossip | 1 Comment »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 26, 2010
Go on, pepper your life with a healthy dose of storytelling sessions and workshops by MoonShadow Stories, a homegrown creation by Kamini and Verena (above). Check out their early-2010 schedule here. The Timeless Tales session looks especially inviting!
Posted in Literary Gossip | Tagged: MoonShadow Stories, Storytelling, Timeless Tales | Leave a Comment »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 21, 2010
Slammers take note: there is a poetry slam event next Sunday, with attractive prizes to be won. If you are seeking adrenaline over the weekend, why not put on your performative suit and jump straight into the fray? There is also a free workshop on poetry slamming this coming Saturday, 23 Jan. More details here.
Posted in Literary Gossip | Tagged: Poetry Slam | Leave a Comment »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 21, 2010
The extent to which authors and their genres influence the way the rest of us make and make of happenings. Indulge in this “mystery all insoluble” here.
Posted in Literary Gossip | Tagged: Edgar Allan Poe's grave visitor | Leave a Comment »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 19, 2010
Somehow, while I do appreciate what the advent of the EBM and its ilk can possibly do for independent bookstores and their network of lesser-known authors/communities contributing to subaltern literature or theory through the means of self-publishing, I wonder if this utopian position placed upon the EBM as a vessel for democratizing views/voices is slightly misjudged, and hence, overrated. If one’s main desire is to achieve solely the act of publishing, then by all means, carry on. Yet, even this desire will dilute. Like for currency, I am more concerned with the issue of circulation. Books need to be symbolically produced for them to be significantly read or received. As such, both the publisher and its size matter because they reflect the scale and location which the content to be reproduced is at, and ready to be consumed by, beyond a particular niche. Otherwise, they will be no better than banana notes. Don’t get me wrong, the EBM is a valuable weaponry in this fight against censorship, but it will remain a parallel war if the tool/technology is seen as the solution.
The articles: EMB’s partnership with Xerox, and Kindle’s Digital Text Platform.
Contributed by: s.t
Posted in Literary Gossip, Musings | Tagged: Espresso Book Machine 2.0, Kindle Digital Text Platform, Self-publishing | 4 Comments »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 14, 2010
If poetry and/or music turns you on, why not have them both at 2 of Esplanade’s concourse events this weekend? In case you need any more jostling: they are ab-free! Featured performing artistes include the Mango Dollies, and Breakbeat Theory.
Posted in Literary Gossip | Tagged: Breakbeat Theory, Esplanade, Mango Dollies, Spoken Word | 1 Comment »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 8, 2010
iPhoners (or iPhoners-to-be), listen up!
Library Thing, one of the world’s largest book clubs, have released their virgin venture into iPhone applications, with “Local Books”. It is a GPS for book(shop) lovers, with relevant updates on the happenings in each registered watering hole. Start getting thirsty, I say!
You can read more about Library Thing and “Local Books” here.
Posted in Literary Gossip | Tagged: Library Thing, Local Books iPhone application | Leave a Comment »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 8, 2010
Ladies and Gentlemen, behold, the Kindle.
This not-so-little device can store up to 2000 books and is apparently engineered in such a way that you feel like you are reading from paper.
Now, the people at Amazon wants you to think that you need to have 2000 books on hand, and not only that, you are a supernormal human being who can complete a book in a minute or so. They also want you to think that you are saving the environment by saving trees, never mind that the Kindle is made from plastic and that it requires electricity in order to function.
I’m not a technophobe, I just think that there are some things in life that shouldn’t be altered by technology. Reading as an activity, a habit and for some, a way of life, is one such example.
So do think about it carefully before you switch from paper to screen. As for me, I don’t think I’ll be downloading a book, ever. There’s just too much fun in flipping a page and inhaling the smell of ink and paper, don’t you agree?
Contributed by: D.C
Posted in Literary Gossip, Musings | Tagged: Kindle | 9 Comments »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 4, 2010
A couple of years back, Monocle led a mini-revolution in the magazine empire when it emphasized the newsletter-reading experience to be a ‘total’ one. With its use of an array of odd-sized textured pages, to the re-introduction of the radio as not just an undiminished, but in-vogue and relevant medium through its popular podcasts, magazines have never been so full-bodied. Yet, the fledging emergence of the iPhone (GQ, Esquire) and the tablet PC (Time Inc.) as a viable digital platform for experiencing magazines seems to take the former movement one step back. But one might ask: has this process somehow come full circle? The subterranean impact of technology on corporeality cannot ebb the reality of how the experiential has changed. With basic typing, the use of the mouse scroll, touch screens, Wii consoles and LAN gaming just to name a few, our finger(tips) have become arguably more nimble, sensitive, and empowered. However, are we more in touch, or out of it? These undercurrents can either be early alarm calls to a potential tsunami, or nascent streams of creativity that push us towards yet another (r)evolution. Regardless, I say: beware the deep end.
Contributed by: s.t
Posted in Literary Gossip, Magazines, Musings | Tagged: E-magazines, Online newstand | 4 Comments »
Posted by paragraphonline on January 4, 2010
Stories, like furniture of our previous, present and future selves, should not only be concerned with living up to established themes of literary beauty. Some exist precisely to cater to the ergonomics of our design. Everyone has a story. And regardless the difference in how it is told, each of these must eventually be released back into the wild, for that meandering passer-by or urgent migratory flock. Check out the Center for Digital Storytelling here, now.
So re-lease yours today.
(Incidentally, The Book Council is organizing an upcoming workshop on Digital Storytelling from 14-15 Jan. You can find out more about the event here.)
Posted in Literary Gossip, Musings | Tagged: Center for Digital Storytelling | Leave a Comment »
