A vintage Benson & Hedge's ad evokes a cheekier (but no less deadly) era of cigarette marketing

Sometimes an ad gets just a little too truthful for its own good.  By the time this 1972 full-pager for Benson & Hedges 100’s ran in Life magazine, smoking was widely understood to be associated with a range of serious diseases. So, sure, let’s equate using our product to jumping out of a plane.  Bought by Philip Morris in 1958, Benson & Hedges is a British brand and still a subsidiary of the American conglomerate Philip Morris International. This ad was part of a larger “favorite cigarette break” campaign that leaned into the fact that Benson & Hedges offered longer cigarettes at the same price point, so people kept accidentally snapping the suckers in two. “Nobody had ever mutilated a cigarette before in American advertising—cigarettes, like automobiles, had always been treated with reverent respect by their manufacturers,” Mad Woman Mary Wells Lawrence wrote in her 2002 memoir “A Big Life (In Advertising).”  “Anything anti-establishment seemed smart in the mid-’60s, so our advertising made Benson & Hedges wildly hip and cool and the cigarette to be seen with.” (Lawrence, the first female CEO listed on the New York Stock Exchange, is still alive at 91. Must not have been a smoker.) But the times? They are a-changin’. Benson & Hedges parent PMI was in the news last week as merger talks between it and Altria Group, another American purveyor of cancer, broke down. Altria itself holds a minority stake in Juul Labs, the embattled e-cigarette maker... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-09-30 09:00:00 UTC ]

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Our Favorite Essays about Unconventional Writing Teachers

For those of us who want to become real writers—whatever that means—the countless resources available can feel a bit dry and uninspired, ranging from tired but true clichés to well-lauded craft books (Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir on Craft sits dustily on my shelf). Many of us find... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-31 12:00:00 UTC ]
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‘We would discuss how dislikable I was’ – what’s it like to see your life story on TV?

Telling your story in a book is hard enough. But what if it ends up on screen? Adam Kay, writer of This Is Going to Hurt, and Dolly Alderton, who penned Everything I Know About Love, relive the shocksMore cultural highlights of 2022Most people find seeing themselves on screen distinctly... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-29 14:00:23 UTC ]
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Joan Didion, American journalist and author, dies at age 87

The unsparing observer of US culture, politics and public life won huge acclaim for her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking• Read Alex Clark’s interview with Joan Didion from February 2021• Obituary: Joan DidionJoan Didion, the eminent journalist, author and anthropologist of contemporary... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-23 17:19:56 UTC ]
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For Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, memoir as resistance

Ai Weiwei’s memoir “1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows” pushes back against the Chinese government’s efforts to silence him and his poet father. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2021-12-20 22:31:48 UTC ]
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Goldsmiths winner Harrison moves to Serpent's Tail from Gollancz after 40 years

Serpent's Tail has bagged a post-apocalyptic novel and a memoir from 2020 Goldsmiths Prize winner M John Harrison, who is leaving his long-term publisher Gollancz after 40 years.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-19 23:45:16 UTC ]
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Richard Antoine White once had little more than his tuba. Now, he’s a musical pioneer.

White went from the streets of Baltimore to the philharmonic. In his memoir "I'm Possible," he tells the story of how he transformed his life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-18 13:00:13 UTC ]
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The Author Behind ‘Maid’ Has a Room — and a Voice — of Her Own

Stephanie Land’s best-selling memoir inspired the popular Netflix series. She’s not done fighting for people navigating the red tape of poverty. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-12-16 10:00:03 UTC ]
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Nine Eight Books lands memoir from soul legend P P Arnold

Nine Eight Books, the music imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired the “compelling and pertinent memoir” from 1960s soul legend P P Arnold.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-15 22:10:47 UTC ]
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Memoir by the late journalist Sarah Hughes to be published in March 2022

The beloved Guardian writer finished Holding Tight, Letting Go before she died of cancer earlier this yearA memoir by the late journalist Sarah Hughes, who died from cancer earlier this year, will be published next March, tackling topics from planning your own funeral to the importance of trashy... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-13 14:25:04 UTC ]
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What Happens When I Don’t Understand My Own Novel?

A student of mine was writing a memoir about being in an abusive marriage. She’d divorced her husband in middle age and returned to college, and her prose was stark and beautiful. After a few months, however, her classmates grew restless. “He was horrible,” they said. “A bullying jerk.” Still,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-13 09:51:42 UTC ]
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Mel Brooks looks back on his delightfully deranged career

But the legendary comedian’s joyful memoir doesn’t pause for introspection, or analysis. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-10 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Little A acquires 'powerful' memoir from Polari Prize founder Burston

Little A, the literary fiction and non-fiction imprint of Amazon Publishing, has acquired a "powerful" memoir by Paul Burston, founder of the Polari Prize, the UK’s first and largest LGBTQ+ book award. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-09 09:18:56 UTC ]
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Elliot & Thompson snaps up Campbell memoir

Elliot & Thompson has snapped up a memoir by writer Nancy Campbell, whose recent book Fifty Words for Snow (Elliot & Thompson) was Waterstones’ November Non-Fiction Book of the Month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 21:39:33 UTC ]
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Minnie Driver's 'dazzling' memoir goes to Manilla Press

Manilla Press has snapped up a "dazzling" memoir by actress Minnie Driver, whose credits include a breakout role in "Circle of Friends" and the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 13:00:02 UTC ]
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Religion Book Deals: Dec. 8, 2021

Atria Books is publishing a memoir by former Washington Football Team’s quarterback Robert Griffin III; Baker signed a two-book deal with debut author and speaker on race Ally Henny; Center Street is spotlighting the faith lives of George H.W. and Barbara Bush, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Seeking a world without women, Tabitha Lasley lost herself — and found a better book

A journalist went to Scotland to investigate the world of oil riggers and slept with her first source. "Sea State" is her raw memoir of the aftermath Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-12-07 14:00:53 UTC ]
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‘Sex Cult Nun’ is as shocking as its title. But Faith Jones’s memoir is also a vital survivor’s story.

Jones, who escaped the Children of God cult, found a different kind of faith, in books and later, the law — and herself. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-04 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Alice Sebold’s Memoir About Her Rape Is Even More Brutal to Read Now

The uncanniness of rereading Lucky now that the man Alice Sebold identified as her rapist has been exonerated. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2021-12-04 00:50:58 UTC ]
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Sir Paul McCartney’s memoir aims to affirm his status as a writer

The main character in “The Lyrics” is his best friend and fiercest rival, John Lennon Continue reading at The Economist

[ The Economist | 2021-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A documentary about Anthony Broadwater’s exoneration, called Unlucky, is in the works.

Yesterday, a footnote to an op-ed in the LA Times revealed that Red Badge Films is now producing a documentary about Anthony Broadwater’s conviction and then exoneration of Alice Sebold’s rape, called Unlucky. Red Badge Films is helmed by Tim Mucciante, previously the executive producer for the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-03 17:48:54 UTC ]
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