Latham's Blog

Mary Karr’s Latest Memoir: Lit

Latham Shinder — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:02:02 +0000

In terms of memoirs Karr’s latest isn’t exactly high-octane, which her first was. The drama is mild if put against a recovery narrative like Jerry Stahl’s classic “Permanent Midnight,” or a stylistic tour de force around divorce like Abigail Thomas’ “Safekeeping,” or a harrowing “Girl, Interrupted”-type vision of a psychiatric hospital, or a fervent Catholic conversion account on the order of Heather King’s “Redeemed.”

Read the full story at the LA Times.

The Internet is Scrambling Our Brains Says Nicholas Carr

Latham Shinder — Sun, 01 May 2011 08:20:49 +0000

During the winter of 2007, a UCLA professor of psychiatry named Gary Small recruited six volunteers—three experienced Web surfers and three novices—for a study on brain activity. He gave each a pair of goggles onto which Web pages could be projected. Then he slid his subjects, one by one, into the cylinder of a whole-brain magnetic resonance imager and told them to start searching the Internet. As they used a handheld keypad to Google various preselected topics—the nutritional benefits of chocolate, vacationing in the Galapagos Islands, buying a new car—the MRI scanned their brains for areas of high activation, indicated by increases in blood flow.

Read the full story at Wired.

Ashley Judd on the Writing Process

Latham Shinder — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:57:17 +0000

Tina Fey’s New Memoir: “Bossypants”

Latham Shinder — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:51:03 +0000

It’s not every day you read something that makes you laugh out loud every other page. Then again, Tina Fey doesn’t write a book every day. Maybe she should. If you’re a fan of the Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star, famous for her spot-on imitation of Sarah Palin, you will love this collection of autobiographical essays. Even if you’re not a die-hard fan, you’ll still laugh now and then. You can’t help it.

Read the full story at USA Today.

Andre Dubus Discussed His New Memoir, Townie – Video

Latham Shinder — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:09:28 +0000

An Interview with Sage Cohen by Erika Dreifus

Latham Shinder — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:58:32 +0000

Sage Cohen has made a big and positive difference in my own writing life, both as a poetry teacher (I’ve taken both her Level I and Level II online poetry courses), as an inspiring author, and, most recently, as a kind and supportive friend. I am delighted to share her wisdom and creative energy with you in this interview, which focuses on her newest book, *The Productive Writer: Tips & Tools to Help You Write More, Stress Less & Create Success*.

Sage is also the author of *Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry* and the poetry collection *Like the Heart, the World*. Her essay “The Word is the Way” appeared alongside thought leaders such as Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Thomas L. Friedman in the anthology *How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth*. She has won first prize in the Ghost Road Press poetry contest and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She lectures and teaches widely (including a range of interactive, online classes) and publishes the Writing the Life Poetic Zine.

Read the full interview at ErikaDreifus.com.

The Pale King, a New Novel by a Dead Guy

Latham Shinder — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 08:59:46 +0000

“The Pale King” is less inventive and exuberantly imagined than Wallace’s previous novels: no herds of feral hamsters roaming the land, no artificially created deserts in Ohio, no ad-bearing Statue of Liberty. But like “Infinite Jest” it depicts an America in thrall to myopic consumerism, and like his first novel, “The Broom of the System,” it grapples with corrugated questions of identity and the difficulties of communication.

Read the full story at The New York Times Books.

Jeffrey Archer on the Future of Ebooks

Latham Shinder — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:24:17 +0000

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, author and former politician Jeffrey Archer speaks about England’s decline as a financial center, his quirky writing habits and the rising value of the e-book market.

Jonathan Franzen on Inspiration (Video)

Latham Shinder — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:00:57 +0000

Amanda Hocking Goes Legit

Latham Shinder — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:00:11 +0000

The 26 year old signs a four book deal for over $2 million. Catch what she says about the deal on her blog at http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/2011/02/announcement.html.