Hiding the Body: My Susan Sontag Story, by John Weir

Essay John Weir Adapted from a photo by Jake weirick on Unsplash Like a dead pop star, Susan Sontag left behind a lot of fans who claim they knew her. After the release last September of Benjamin Moser’s new biography, Susan Sontag: Her Life and Work, they were all over the internet, sharing stories. Writers, of course. Especially queer writers. Does every queer writer who lived in New York City and published a book sometime between 1960 and 2000 have a Sontag story? I do! Here’s mine: Eighteen years ago, shortly after she won the National Book Award for her fourth novel, In America, some of which she had been accused of plagiarizing, and a few months before she published, in the New Yorker, maybe the only response to the 9/11 attacks, in their immediate aftermath, that was worth considering, she was invited, along with John Updike and Norman Mailer, to read at Queens College CUNY, where I teach creative writing. Surely the most impressive trio of literary bigwigs of a certain era ever to read together in Flushing. Three idols. I had long regarded their work with awe and envy. In my early twenties, in the 1980s, in a studio apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, hot and airless in summer, frigid in winter, I read—eagerly, jealously—everything they wrote. I was an aspiring writer, and they were my workshop instructors and problematic literary parents. Updike’s Couples taught me how to do a party scene. Mailer’s An American... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2020-01-07 22:09:56 UTC ]
News tagged with: #gertrude stein #literary community #national book award

Other news stories related to: "Hiding the Body: My Susan Sontag Story, by John Weir"


John Sargent on Adventures and Misadventures in Publishing

Roxanne Coady talks with John Sargent about his many adventures in book publishing at a time when the industry met many challenges and some of the authors and other characters he worked with along the way. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts!... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-02 08:18:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book publishing #john sargent


'Wounded Tiger:' A Story of Hope for All

T. Martin Bennett’s new historical novel looks at World War II from the perspective of the Japanese pilot who led the attack on Pearl Harbor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #pearl harbor


Scary Stories to Ruin Your Sleep

With Halloween around the corner, Gilbert Cruz talks to the Book Review editors Tina Jordan and Sadie Stein about their favorite creepy books. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-27 15:52:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book review #scary stories


A Nation Haunted: The Social Significance of Ghost Stories

The ghost story is one of the most vibrant modes in U.S. American literature today. But why are ghost stories still relevant? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-26 10:35:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #american literature #ghost story #ghost stories


20 spooky short stories you can read for free online.

The leaves are amassing, the skeletons are out, and enormous bags of candy fill the grocery store aisles and threaten to spill their chocolates right into your mouth, through absolutely no fault of your own. Yep, it’s officially spooky season. But if you still need some help getting into the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-23 16:13:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #free online


Review: Britney Spears' memoir is a Gothic horror story

From her Louisiana roots to the quasi-imprisonment of her conservatorship, Britney Spears' 'The Woman in Me' paints the pop star's life as a Victorian nightmare. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-20 20:46:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #pop star #britney spears


A Memoir of My Former Self: Hilary Mantel's final book is a reminder of the many stories she still had to tell

The book shares secrets – Mantel’s own alongside those of the writers, historical figures and places she describes. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2023-10-19 14:40:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #final book #historical figures #hilary mantel


‘The potential to undermine democracy’: European publishing trade bodies call for action on generative AI

Three organisations argue that more transparency is needed after research found AI models have been trained using pirated works by authors such as Zadie Smith and Stephen KingThree major European publishing trade bodies have urged the EU to “act now” on transparency over artificial intelligence... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-19 13:53:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #european publishing #largest book #book chain #artificial intelligence #zadie smith #generative ai


John Freeman and Omar El Akkad on a Literary Magazine’s Final Issue

Poet, editor, and writer John Freeman and novelist Omar El Akkad join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about the final issue of Freeman’s, a literary magazine founded in 2015. El Akkad, a contributor to the volume, describes founding editor Freeman’s intense and uniquely... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-19 08:10:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary magazine #final issue #john freeman


Patience, Perspective, and the Power of Story: An Interview with Toni Ann Johnson, by Scott LaMascus

Patience, Perspective, and the Power of Story: An Interview with Toni Ann Johnson, by Scott LaMascus Interviews [email protected] Mon, 10/16/2023 - 13:46 Storyteller Toni Ann Johnson uses her skills as an actor, playwright, and fiction writer to... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-10-16 18:46:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #literary agent #easy ways #social justice #ruby bridges #young adult


Halloween Short Fiction: 9 Short Stories to Get You Ready for Spooky Season

These Halloween short stories are free to read online! They're deliciously unsettling, genre-bending, emotional, and even humorous. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-16 10:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #read online #spooky season


Book Review: John Plotz on Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea

In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle reviews John Plotz’s personal reading of a fantasy classic by Ursula K. Le Guin The American author Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) is widely regarded as one of the finest authors of what is broadly termed ‘speculative fiction’.... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2023-10-13 14:00:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #american author #le guin #secret library #book review


Book Review: ‘Joanna Russ: Novels & Stories’

A new collection of her novels and stories is a showcase for a science fiction pioneer. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-10-08 09:00:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #science fiction #book review


Pratchett power: from lost stories to new adaptations, how the late Discworld author lives on

It’s 40 years since The Colour of Magic hit the shelves. As newly unearthed short stories are published, fans and friends celebrate the late author’s enduring legacy“Of all the dead authors in the world, Terry Pratchett is the most alive,” said John Lloyd at the author’s memorial in 2015. This... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-10-07 10:00:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #graphic novel #neil gaiman #good omens


Children’s Books Edition: L’École des Loisirs’ New ‘House of Stories’

The Paris bookstore Chantelivre, owned by publisher L’École des Loisirs, has opened a 'House of Stories' where kids engage with narratives. The post Children’s Books Edition: L’École des Loisirs’ New ‘House of Stories’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-29 12:25:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bookstore #books edition #post children


You Too? Kim DeRose on Telling and Retelling Stories of Sexual Assault

It occurred at, of all places, a local tapas bar. I was sitting with a group of other Brooklyn moms when someone mentioned that my debut novel was going to be published soon. Everyone congratulated me and asked what the book was about, so I gave them a brief rundown: a group of teenage girls […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-28 08:55:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #debut novel #sexual assault


Bestselling author Naomi Wood wins 2023 BBC national short story award

The UEA creative writing lecturer won for Comorbidities, which judging chair Reeta Chakrabarti called a ‘sparkling gem’ that tackles serious issues with a ‘light and wry touch’• Read the story belowNaomi Wood has won the 2023 BBC national short story award for Comorbidities, a story about a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-26 19:00:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bestselling author #judging chair


Cassidy Hutchinson Reappears. She Has More Trump Stories to Tell.

“I would like not to be a hermit,” the former White House aide says upon the publication of a memoir about her journey down a political rabbit hole. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-09-23 12:54:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir


PNBA's Fall Tradeshow Wraps Up with Stories and Candid Advice

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association concluded its Fall Tradeshow in Portland, Ore., with an author breakfast and bookseller education programming. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #booksellers association #bookseller #author breakfast #fall tradeshow


John Sargent on His Adventures and Misadventures in Publishing

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. Andrew talks to John Sargent, author of Turning Pages, about his adventures and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-20 08:10:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #macmillan #macmillan publishers #turning pages #andrew talks #technological issues #leading thinkers #features conversations #john sargent #andrew keen