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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Four-year-old author Saeed Almheiri discussess his book, The Elephant Saeed and the Bear, and his sister Aldhabi, 8, discusses hers, Here Was the Beginning — waxing poetic about its effect on classmates. Saeed has the Guinness world record as the... Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-05-11 21:11:00 UTC ]
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) What are the best short stories about painters, artists, and the world of art? From Gothic pioneers like Edgar Allan Poe to realist writers like Edith Wharton, masters of the short story have often touched upon the subject of art and painting, using... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-05-10 14:00:48 UTC ]
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A notable author and editor of lifestyle and cookbooks, Finamore died on May 6 after a brief illness. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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“How’d you become a children’s book author?” The answer for Kouri Richins, a Utah mom of three who wrote Are You With Me?, a children’s book about coping with grief, is that she allegedly poisoned her husband, then wrote a book about loss. The Associated Press reports that Utah police arrested... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-09 14:02:02 UTC ]
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'The Last Secret of the Secret Annex' explores the betrayal of Anne Frank to the Nazis and the pain still felt by the family of a woman who had helped hide the Frank family. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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I can’t remember exactly when I discovered The Baby-Sitters Club books. Maybe it was at a Scholastic Book Fair at my school. But I’ll always remember the very first book, Kristy’s Great Idea, with its bright yellow cover and alphabet block letters. I saw four friends hanging out, and I... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-05-05 11:10:00 UTC ]
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Respect and support to Wasilla, Alaska’s Black Birch Books, who’re getting a lot of online flack for announcing a drag story time in June. But despite a slew of negative, and sometimes threatening, comments and reviews, Black Birch owner Taylor Jordan is going on with the show. As she told... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-05-04 15:21:17 UTC ]
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The New York City-based literary agency announced three new director-level promotions among several new hires and staff changes across the agency. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jack Zipes technically retired from his position as professor of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota in 2008, but he hasn't paused his prolific contributions to storytelling and radical children's literature. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Share the Joy of Giving—and Receiving—Books as Gifts, by The Editors of WLT News and Events [email protected] Mon, 05/01/2023 - 15:39 Isobelle Ouzman, Peace for Ukraine (2022; detail), miniature plain paper journal, ink, color pencils, art knife,... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-05-01 20:39:57 UTC ]
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Many notable short stories focus on the rough passage from childhood to adulthood. Of course, the transition from ‘child’ to ‘adult’ does not happen overnight, and is not the result of a single epiphany of crucial moment, but writers of short fiction... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-05-01 17:00:31 UTC ]
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His 1981 blockbuster, 'When Bad Things Happen to Good People' and a dozen later books comforted and encouraged people of all faiths. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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“I have only the vaguest understanding of what TikTok is,” Patchett insists. And yet she and her bookstore, Parnassus Books, have become microcelebrities on the app thanks to the shop's savvy marketing manager, Sarah Arnold. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors like Louisa May Alcott and A.A. Milne learned their success in children's literature didn't translate to respect for their art. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-04-27 10:33:00 UTC ]
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Marriage is a key theme in literature, of course: a fact which need hardly surprise us when we reflect that many people spend the majority of their lives married to somebody else. Marriage also touches upon other prominent themes, including love, commitment, having children, lust, conflict, and... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-04-26 14:00:21 UTC ]
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The award, championing small presses with fewer than five staff, was won by The Doloriad – an audaciously original novel set in a post-apocalyptic dystopiaDead Ink Books has won the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses for Missouri Williams’s “astonishing” debut novel The Doloriad.... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-26 08:35:38 UTC ]
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If its true that William took a payoff from Murdoch and the royals struck a peace deal, they seem willing to surrender reputations cheaplyPrince Harry has long alleged that the royal family – “the Institution”, as he calls it – is locked in a trap of appeasement with the tabloid media. In their... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-25 16:54:24 UTC ]
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"Banned Books," one of the most popular panels at the Festival of Books, featured Angie Thomas, George M. Johnson and some sharp students from Fairfax High. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-24 19:40:50 UTC ]
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Some of the best moments of my life have been spent in libraries, first as a patron, later as a librarian, and I have witnessed firsthand how hard the past few decades have been on libraries. As America has continued to dismantle its social safety net, libraries have been forced to pivot from... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-04-21 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Religion is an important feature of many people’s lives, so it shouldn’t surprise us that many writers of short stories have written about religion from various perspectives: the power of superstitious belief, the importance of religious conversion, the cultural role of Christianity, and many... Continue reading at Interesting Literature
[ Interesting Literature | 2023-04-19 14:00:16 UTC ]
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