Skip to main content

When authors attack

By

In case you never thought of "National Book Awards" and "Are you ready to rumble?" simultaneously...

I'm not exactly on the edge of my seat to know which middle-aged white man will win this year's National Book Award tonight, but I do wish I'd been at the National Book Award finalist reading last night when (according to Critical Mass) "extra-textual political reverberations turned into fire-works." Or at least as fiery as the works ever get at a prestigious-to-the-point-of-sphincter-Olympics events like this.

Former U.S. poet laureate Robert Hass kicked things off by commenting on how odd it was to have such an event without any mention of "this war," and how demoralized he was by living in a country where discussion means a "gingerly conversation about whether we should or should not torture our enemies." It wasn't completely off-topic question, given that the uncle of Edwidge Danticat -- the subject of her NBA finalist, "Brother, I'm Dying," -- died in the hands of the Department of Homeland Security due to the treatment he received upon entering the U.S. from Haiti seeking a political asylum visa. (It's worth noting this potential terrorist was a man in his 80s with a tracheotomy).

Hass' remarks earned applause, but also a follow-up from the next reader, Christopher Hitchens, who was "appalled" that this night could go on without mention of "our victory over the forces of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia," (an oddly retro-Biblical word for someone arguing against religion, but hey) which caused immediate boos and then hisses. "Do you know how you sound?" Hitchens asked the crowd when it increased. "It is the sound of mediocrity."


Um...ouch? Sorry, Hitch, I've seen guys smacked down smarter than that by my little ballerina daughter.

My longtime crush, Sherman Alexie, got in the best shot of the evening, saying about the audience hissing: "It always sounds to me like the sound of white liberal dreams escaping."
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
John Freeman writes: "(It's worth noting this potential terrorist was a man in his 80s with a tracheotomy)" I think it's shameful what U.S. Customs and Border Security did to Edwidge Danticat's Uncle Joseph, however, he was not held on suspicion of terrorism, and John Freeman knows that.
5:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dr. Janece O. Hudson Gets Into Your Dreams

By
Boxing the Octopus Contest/Dream Advice Exclusive: Ask Dr. Hudson a question about your dreams in the comments below or simply post a comment to be entered in a drawing to take place on Friday, August 5th at noon CDT to win a copy of Into Your Dreams! Beginning this afternoon (Monday, 8/1) Dr. Hudson will answer your dream questions on a first-come, first-served basis in the comments section. Please include an e-mail address with your comment or check back at the blog on Friday afternoon so we can reach you if your name is drawn. -------------------- Right around the time I sold my first book, I was fortunate enough to meet Jan Hudson, the author of more than thirty romances and romantic comedies. During a shared meal at a writer's conference, I casually mentioned a vivid, terrifying dream that had repeatedly troubled me for months, something about continually being cut off on my commute to work by tornadoes dropping from the sky. That's when I learned of Jan's ...
38 comments
Read more

Quick Tips from a Tightrope

By
The other day, I posted this sobering message on my Facebook and Twitter feeds: New writers don't want to hear it, but staying published is the hard part. Like trying to walk a tightrope in lard-slathered socks. The publishing biz had just given me another such reminder, with my former publisher (and holder of my entire in-print backlist) deciding to go all digital, at least in the near future and whittling down its editorial staff to nearly nil in response to dwindling sales. But even in the best of economic times, it's a huge challenge to keep one's career alive long enough to build an audience and prosper, especially for the grand majority of authors, who survive on the mid-list. (Big-time bestsellerdom has its own perils, but that's another post.) Yet somehow, I remain if not wildly optimistic, perpetually hopeful. Over the years, I've seen some very talented authors crash and burn with the fortunes of lousy covers, a line's or publisher's demise, or an ...
24 comments
Read more

#TheStruggleIsReal Why I’m Not Mad That You Didn’t Hire Me (Freelance editor Jerusha Rodgers on a millennial dilemma)

By
Today we hear from Jerusha Rodgers (aka "The Plot Whisperer") of Rabid Badger Editing  in a post prompted by a conversation about agism in publishing, which I see from the perspective of a, um...let's say "experienced" author/book doctor in my 50s and she sees from the perspective of a fresh new face in her mid-20s. Ironically, yes, she had to explain to me about "the struggle is real." Shortly after graduating, a friend of mine posted the greatest Facebook status ever: “I would love to reenact some the of the fantasies in Fifty Shades of Grey, specifically the one where she gets a full-time job straight out of college.” With an economy that clings to safety (read: tradition and money) and a workforce and community that strives for advancement (read: cooler, more accessible stuff), applicants whose limited practical experience is backed up by open minds and inherent expertise in the use of technology often get left out of the running. It’s the st...
26 comments
Read more