Many of the essays in Michael Bierut’s Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design originally appeared at Design Observer, the group blog he co-edits. The book opens with a cautionary piece, “Warning: May Contain Non-Design Content,” that should be required reading for practitioners of any art who believe it must be practiced and considered in a vacuum. To tide you over until . . .
Raymond Carver Mad Libs: lots of bad feelings, smokable things, and expletives required.
From the department of odd relationship coincidences: Max’s grandmother founded the Miami Christian bookstore that my mom was inspired by, and reacting against, when she set up her own bookstore/storefront church a couple miles down the road, back in 1983. (See teenage loser essay for details.) His grandparents attended the very Baptist church my parents tried to compromise on before . . .
Discussion at the Cormac McCarthy Society website devolves into political bickering.
Norwegian author Per Petterson has won the IMPAC. Earlier this year, he spoke about writing, and “us[ing] my machete” on his translator’s drafts.