What Is Autobiography? A Conversation with Debut Memoirist Victoria Chang, by Amy Wright

Interviews Victoria Chang’s new collection, Dear Memory, expands the field of the memoir for readers to explore a full-color archive of family photos and historical documents collaged between lines of poetry and letters. It prompts us to ask, with her, What composes a life and what makes of life art? What makes of memory history, and whose history, and how do we survive loss? We might expect the author of five books of poetry and two children’s books to incorporate the lyric in her first book of nonfiction, but Chang goes further. If her memories arrive at times as poetry, she denies them the protection of a poem. For instance, at the end of a letter that begins, “Do you remember those Fridays in gym class . . . ,” she realizes that memory may be “the exit wound of joy.” Such insights pierce us before we can register surprise. Elsewhere, she covers her mother’s mouth with three Mandarin characters in the photo on her certificate of naturalization, inserting her reservation into the official record along with her daughter’s grief. I reached out to Chang, moved by this book’s innovative form. “It was always my goal as a writer to be able to make whatever I want,” she told me via Zoom video hosted by the low-residency MFA program at Antioch University, which she directs. The winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the PEN Voelcker Award, a Sustainable Arts Foundation... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'

[ World Literature Today | 2022-01-05 19:50:39 UTC ]
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Changing copyright laws could "stifle" literature, report finds

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 08:50 Changing copyright laws in the UK could strike a blow to investment in literature, a report has found. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) has produced the document for the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which reveals that out... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IPG: Publisher and retailer relationships must change

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 11/03/2011 - 09:02 The relationship between publishers and retailers needs to change if physical bookshops are not to face a "bleak" future, the c.e.o. of Blackwell has warned. Andrew Hutchings was speaking during the Retailers Question Time... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google’s Algorithm Changes—Will You Notice?

Google’s algorithmic changes (which the search giant claims will effect 11.8 percent of queries) take aim at what it says are “low-quality sites—sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other web sites or sites that are just not very useful. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Riggio: American trade on cusp of "transformational change"

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 10/03/2011 - 09:13 Barnes & Noble chairman Len Riggio has said the American book trade is on the cusp of "transformational growth" led by digital sales, in a bullish keynote address to the annual meeting of the Association of American... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adobe releases Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool to developers

By Ed Oswald, Betanews Some may see it as capitulation to Apple's longstanding position on Flash, others as acceptance of trends in digital media. Either way, Adobe has apparently decided to insulate itself from the threat of HTML5 by releasing a Flash-to-HTML5 converter codenamed "Wallaby." The... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2011-03-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sceptre spends six figures on debut author

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 04/03/2011 - 10:14 Sceptre has signed a six-figure deal for two novels by debut author Jess Richards, including Snake Ropes, set on an island "off the edge of the map". Deputy publisher Jocasta Hamilton made the deal for UK and Commonwealth... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Random House E-book Change May Pave Way to IBookstore

In an unexpected about-face, publisher Random House announced on Monday that it would adopt the agency model for ebook sales in the U.S., beginning March 1... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-03-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Magazines Digital Media Announces Staff Changes

Hearst Magazines Digital Media announced several changes to its roster today. Julie Hocheiser is now site director for Seventeen.com. Hocheiser served previously as the senior web editor for the Hearst Teen Network. Neha Gandhi also joined Seventeen.com as a web editor. Gandhi is the former... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut author wins Waterstone's Children's Book Prize

Publication Date: Wed, 09/02/2011 - 20:05 Debut author Sita Brahmachari has won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize for her coming-of-age novel about life, death, friendship and love. She was awarded the £5,000 prize this evening [9th February] for Artichoke Hearts, published by Macmillan... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harper Changes the Audio Equation

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple sets 31st March deadline for app changes

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 04/02/2011 - 10:49 Apple is set for a collision course with Amazon after setting a 31st March deadline for its changes to its app terms. From that date, all apps must make any content they use available for purchase within the app itself. This... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Murdoch's iPad-Ready The Daily Debuts: 5 Things to Know

Can The Daily save journalism? The iPad-friendly e-newspaper officially rolls off the press (kinda) Wednesday. Here are five things to know about the News Corp. and Apple endeavor. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple confirms rule change over ebook apps

Written By: Philip Jones Apple has confirmed that it wants a cut of Amazon's Kindle sales made via its iPad and iPhone apps. The giant hardware company has said that it will no longer allow apps to sell content via a separate browser link, unless customers are also given the option of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Registration opens for Tools of Change Bologna

Written By: Katie Allen Registration is now open for the first Tools of Change Bologna, which is to be held on 27th March. The conference, which focuses on digital development, will take place a day before the Bologna Children’s Book Fair opens. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NYT Pay Wall Could Debut Next Month

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[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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At Fulfillment Roundtable, Panelists Mull the Changing Role of Bureaus

Top executives of some of the leading fulfillment companies were assembled for FMA's annual President's Panel yesterday to provide an update on their companies and how the market is evolving. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time to Change Co-op?

After several stark years in which stores like Cody's in San Francisco and Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Nashville closed and the nation's second largest chain is teetering more than ever, publishers and booksellers are looking for new ways to work together. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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