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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1. Introduction: Everybody Loves Diversity WHAT SELF-RESPECTING white progressive isn’t all in on diversity? Why, no one! Everyone’s for diversity. This includes all the main pillars of the American literary establishment, what I’ll call Big Lit — the Big Five publishers, The New York Times Book... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-01-02 18:00:51 UTC ]
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Her new book, “Mr. Nobody,” is a delightfully twisty follow-up to her debut, “Something in the Water.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-01-02 16:00:00 UTC ]
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In a moment where the future seems impossibly turbulent, leaving us feeling powerless, science fiction can help us get our heads around the complexity. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2019-12-31 14:00:05 UTC ]
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This week, Scott Simon reviews the poet Thomas Lynch’s collection of essays “The Depositions.” In 1997, Susan Jacoby wrote for the Book Review about “The Undertaking,” Lynch’s collection of essays about being a funeral director. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-12-27 10:00:04 UTC ]
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On December 19, police in Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle state, raided the privately owned City FM broadcaster, briefly detained Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-12-23 23:00:13 UTC ]
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What is it like to be paid to be part of someone’s family? Kiley Reid’s début explores the uneasy nature of "transactional relationships". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-23 14:27:08 UTC ]
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If it wasn't for Amazon, we might still be buying books at bookstores or at least from another website. Barnes and Noble could still be independent. Borders might still be around. Your mom and pop could possibly eke out an honest living as independent booksellers. And so on. Click here to read... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2019-12-23 12:00:31 UTC ]
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The deaths of Brian Hampton and Rachel Held Evans, books undergoing big-screen adaptations, and LifeWay’s closure are some of PW’s top religion stories of 2019. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Harrogate International Festivals has stood by its author exclusion clause, saying the exclusivity option only applies to 5% of its authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-23 01:32:38 UTC ]
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THIS NOVEMBER, the PDX Book Festival took place in Portland, Oregon. The annual one-day event always includes some of the best contemporary writers, and many of the best contemporary writers are queer. (We are good artists.) This year, the festival included over 100 authors participating in... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2019-12-22 20:00:19 UTC ]
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Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival has expanded its author exclusion clause, banning special guest authors from appearing at other crime festivals, according to crime fiction event CrimeFest. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-20 06:06:55 UTC ]
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A BookLife Prize finalist discusses her newly published historical fiction novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A series of works of graphic memoir by Zuiker Press offers true stories on a range of modern social issues faced by teenagers and told by teens themselves. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM) has written to the US Office of Science and Technology Policy expressing its “alarm” at rumours that the Trump administration is considering a “precipitous” move to require all federally funded research to be... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-18 20:30:17 UTC ]
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Find a new author to follow or the first book your fave wrote with this list of debut novels by queer authors for the 2020 Read Harder Challenge. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-12-18 11:31:50 UTC ]
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The author and playwright Frank White, whose novel There Was a Time was published by Hodder in 2017, has died at the age of 92. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-18 09:56:16 UTC ]
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Cultural Cross Sections Will Hagle Photo courtesy of the author Following decades of British colonial rule to the rapidly tightening grip of mainland China and all the stories told about that chunk of land along the way, Hong Kong has grown accustomed... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2019-12-17 15:28:20 UTC ]
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Can the iconic brand rediscover what made it a cultural phenomenon and financial success in the 1990s? In 1990, when I was in first grade, a children’s book author named Valerie Tripp visited my school. She was there to talk about a new series she had written for a four-year-old startup... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-12-17 07:00:46 UTC ]
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When I read the reviews of Ali Wong’s memoir Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice For Living Your Best Life, I was at first thrilled—the responses were glowing—and then perplexed. I fundamentally agreed with what they said: that the book is a more intimate and poignant (yet... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2019-12-16 12:00:00 UTC ]
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