The novelist and short story writer on her new book about Azrael, the angel of death, her encounters with Raymond Carver and Richard Yates, and why fiction should be uncannyJoy Williams, 80, has written five novels and four story collections and is the recipient of numerous awards. Her most recent book of short stories, Concerning the Future of Souls: 99 Stories of Azrael (Tuskar Rock), was published earlier this year. Her work ranges from the philosophical examination of being, belief and morality to urgent engagements with environmental catastrophe; James Salter wrote of her that she belongs in the company of Céline and Flannery O’Connor. Born in Massachusetts, she now lives in the Sonoran desert.An earlier collection of yours was called 99 Stories of God, and now you’ve moved on to Azrael (the angel of death and transporter of souls) as the subject. What drew you to him?I read in a WS Merwin collection his translation of Hadrian’s deathbed poem to his soul – Animula vagula blandula – so sorrowful and succinct. The soul, a worthy subject. And Azrael has always fascinated me: he was death, but not death exactly. He was more a gorgeous creation of Islam. I picture him as responsible for all the souls of this ensouled Earth. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-10-19 17:00:20 UTC ]
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Digital media is thriving. Online advertising is growing faster than any other medium. The Web is hot. Except for the fact that the Web has had all sorts of growing pains. And major business challenges. And it changes constantly, sometimes quite radically. It's certainly never boring, and... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A sinking ship of a drama that managed to be neither monstrous nor deep"Thar she blows!" said one of the crew as a whale came to the surface. The cetacean wasn't the only thing blowing heavily in The Whale (BBC1), a 90-minute dramatisation of the sinking of the Essex, a Nantucket whaler, by a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mark Coker of Smashwords, which recently inked a major content deal with Scribd, weighs in on how the all-you-can-read model changes the way we read, how authors make creative choices, and how everyone gets paid.Is a "Netflix for ebooks" nearing viability? Yesterday, Smashwords, the largest... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When I penned the book, I was angry and alienated. Today I realize that violence can't be used to prevent violenceForty-four years ago this month, in December 1969, I quit my job as a manager of a bookstore in New York City's Greenwich Village and began to write the Anarchist Cookbook. My... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Call on police and prosecutors by women's group EVAW comes as report reveals extent of sexual harassment on social mediaWomen's groups are calling on the police and prosecutors to treat abuse of women and girls online as "robustly" as they do offline, as a report published on Thursday reveals... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Japanese manga has proven popular in America, but Franco-Belgian bande dessinée, which has a long a tradition and are just as appealing, remain ignored. Why? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sourcebooks' Put Me in the Story personalised-book series has launched a new 'universal... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The clock is ticking for two bookstores in the midst of transition: one about to open a second branch, the other to move. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Previously, independent bookstores tended to stay away from marketing self-published authors, but in the age of Amazon, some are embracing local authors no matter how they released their work. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A customer representing the Poarch Band of Creek Indians walked into Barnes & Noble in Spanish Fort, Ala., and bought an entire display in the children's section. As a result, nearly 500 children in the tribe will receive at least one new book this holiday season. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A program at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun titled 'Winning Authors' brings bestselling authors to the casino, drawing crowds of hundreds. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Australian authors and critics sift through the piles of books they read in 2013 to highlight the treasures they found. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Many independent booksellers have begun to have a change of heart about self-published books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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For anyone struggling with choosing the perfect literary present this holiday season, there’s a large, vocal, and opinionated group that just might be able to help: the more than one million subscribers to the Books category on Reddit, the popular social media Web site. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Australian authors and critics sift through the piles of books they read in 2013 to highlight the treasures they found. Continue reading at The Sydney Morning Herald
[ The Sydney Morning Herald | 2013-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Choc Lit has bought world rights in self-published author Kirsty Ferry’s adult fantasy The... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The save-it-for-later software service Pocket has released a list of the "best" content from 2013. Pocket's 10 million users saved more than 450 million items (from articles and videos to memes and gifs) from across the Web this year, and Pocket looked at which were saved most, as well as which... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2013-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomberg News has an unusual practice of paying some of its reporters explicitly for publishing "market-moving" stories. This is one of many metrics that is factored into reporters' annual bonuses. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 54 percent of respondents said libraries aren't as necessary as they once were when it comes to finding information. However, 94 percent said a library improves a community's quality of life. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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SIBA rolls out wrapping paper featuring over 150 author signatures collected during the SIBA 2013 trade show in New Orleans. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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