The Procrastination Edition “Delay is natural to a writer. He is like a surfer — he bides his time, waits for the perfect wave on which to ride in. Delay is instinctive for him. He waits for the surge (of emotion? of strength? of courage?) that will carry him along. I have no warm-up exercises, other than to take an . . .
Donna Tartt once interviewed Iris Murdoch. What wouldn’t I give to hear that recording?
The illustrator of Eudora Welty’s 1964 children’s book, The Shoe Bird, about a parrot who works in a shoe store, has died.
The Smart Set is a weekly feature, compiled and posted by Lauren Cerand, that usually appears Mondays at 12:30 pm, and highlights the best of the week to come. Special favor is given to New York’s independent booksellers and venues, and low-cost and free events. Please send details to Ms. Cerand at lauren [at] maudnewton.com by the Thursday prior to . . .
I’m Penn State today (2/9) to discuss blogging and the arts with the great Michael Bérubé — American literature and cultural studies professor, and blogger — as part of the university’s Arts in Public Life series. We start at 12:30. If you’re in town, it’d be great to see you.