Can a White Author Write Black Characters?

When a man routinely hailed as one of America’s “greatest living writers” publishes a new novel, one hardly expects it to draw reviews posing questions along the lines of “Can he do it? Can he actually pull it off?” Because when you’re Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize winner, the act of writing a decent novel ought to be taken as something of a given. But Chabon’s newest book, Telegraph Avenue, out last week, is set against the backdrop of race, and its author undertakes the task of inhabiting and giving life to characters whose skin color is different from his own. The book is a sprawling narrative about the intertwined lives of Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe, two proprietors, one black and one white, and a used vinyl store trying to survive on the shifting, gentrifying frontier between hippie-dippy Berkeley and its neighbor, the historically black enclave of Oakland. Or, as Chabon neatly puts it, “the ragged fault line where the urban plates of Berkeley and Oakland subducted.” Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2012-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Can Barnes & Noble's Black Friday 'secret weapon' reverse the chain's slumping sales?

Barnes & Noble will be offering 500,000 copies of signed works by major authors to kick off the holiday shopping season. But will it be enough? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Orchard Books acquires debut YA author Hunt

Orchard Books has acquired Thirteen Days of Midnight by debut YA author Leo Hunt. The book is about a boy called Luke Manchett who, when his father dies, acquires $6m and a collection of ghosts. The eight spirits want revenge for their enslavement by Manchett senior and Luke has just 13 days to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Caravéo launches writing competition at Skylark

Amber Caravéo, former editorial director at Orion Children’s Books, is launching a competition for unpublished writers at her new agency, with judges from Puffin, Orion and Macmillan Children’s Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Int’l Voices, NBA Authors Star at Miami Book Fair

The Miami Book Fair featured numerous international voices — from Haiti to Germany — as well as all of the 2014 National Book Award winners and finalists. The post Int’l Voices, NBA Authors Star at Miami Book Fair appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Canongate to publish Turkish author Altan

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Angry Robot signs Strange Chemistry author

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Preston: 'Authors United will fight on'

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air November 21, 2014: James Patterson

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air November 20, 2014: Jessye Norman

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BiblioBoard, Bestselling Authors Partner on Library E-books

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Barbie Author ???Scared to Open??? Email After Book Labeled ???Sexist???

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[ ABC News | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air November 17, 2014: Brian Krebs

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dan Brown on the Writing Life as a Global Megaseller

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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ALLi unveils 'ethical author' code

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors on the Air November 14, 2014: James Gustave Speth, Daniel P. Bolger

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Author Of "Go The F*ck To Sleep" Tackles New Subject: Kids Who Won't F*cking Eat

In a delightfully profane interview, Adam Mansbach reveals his secrets for keeping your creative edge after a huge hit.In 2011, a children's book parody took the Internet and bookshelves on a glorious joyride of profanity, driven by a nation of parents pulling their collective hair out over... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Respond to Death of Minister-Author Myles Munroe

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Christmas Creep: Pushing Black Friday Up

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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