News Around the Net

Romanian-born German author Herta Mueller won the 2009 Nobel Prize for literature. I know, I know. "Who?" She's apparently "little-known", which makes me feel better about never having heard of her. Too bad. My money was on Tom Clancy. More from the NY Times.

And yes, the British do bet on the Nobel Prize. Nerds.

As long as we're talking about awards, Hilary Mantel won the 2009 Man Booker prize for her novel Wolf Hall, about trouble in the Tudor England court. Shouldn't that book have been written by Phillipa Gregory?

By the way, Gregory also has a new book out. Wanna guess what it's about? Okay, so it's about the Plantagenets, but they were right before the Tudors! Anyway, here's an interview with Gregory, if you're into that sort of thing.

Also, in more awardish news, the National Book Foundation announced their annual "5 Under 35" Fiction selections for 2009. Just another award/honor that I didn't get. I don't want to talk about it.

Every week, we have a "Future of Publishing?" story. Maybe it's not so complex after all. Maybe it just takes a couple hippies in a warehouse in Vermont.

Here's a great interview with Sam Hamill, poet, publisher, editor, translator, co-founder of the Copper Canyon Press (in 1972), and all-around do-it-all literary Jesus.

Having trouble with writer's block? Wahida Clark says prison helps. I'm just saying. Now I can blow up Kinkos and finally get some short stories written.

I know, I know. This is supposed to be funny. But still, it just makes me laugh in a sad, sad sort of way before I finally give way to tears.

John Updike fan? It looks like Boston is the place for you.

Is it craft or creativity that makes good stories? I won't tell you which side I'm on, I'll only say that I don't know the difference between a comma and a period. This whole thing? Grammar check.

Dan Brown world take over news! An enormous Spanish-language printing of the yet-unreleased Lost Symbol. No opportunity to read Dan Brown yet, those poor, pitiful souls! Also, Brown does his best Oprah power-by-association impression. Note to everyone: change the title of your new book to "Secrets of the Freemasons" and watch the cash pile up. What's that? Your book is about baby animals? It doesn't matter. What part of piles of cash did you not understand? Just change the name of the main character to Mason! Or Freemason, if you're a stickler.

Need a poem for your wedding? Me neither.