New Yorker links

[sophinisba]

I just read this article in The New Yorker about the history of writing workshops and creative writing courses in the United States and the question of whether good (or great) writing can really be taught. I wanted to point it out both for folks like claudia603 and gamerchick who've done writing workshops irl and also for folks like me who are just interested in writing.

I don't read The New Yorker regularly (I happened to follow another link to the website yesterday) but I do like listening to their fiction postcast. Once a month they have a famous author come in and read a short story by another famous writer from the New Yorker archives, and then the writer and the magazine's fiction editor Deborah Treisman chat for a few minutes about the story, about the author, about the reader's own work, and so on. Each podcast lasts about half an hour.

I go through phases when I only want to listen to music when I'm walking around the neighborhood or riding the bus, and others when I get really sick of my music and want to hear people talking, so I listen to a lot more podcasts and sometimes audiobooks. It's weird to think I've had my iPod for less than a year! I don't know how I held out without one for so long.

Comments

[elanorgardner.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the article. Printed it to read later.

I have never been real keen on listening to anything but music on my iPod. I think it is some kind of "learning style" issue.

THanks again!

[sophinisba]

I have occasionally really enjoyed listening to (Merlin) podfics on mine, but it's one of those things where I have to be in just the right mood. Also I've had trouble downloading them so it takes kind of a lot of effort and I haven't done it that many times. I like podcasts like this one where you can subscribe and iTunes pretty much does the rest for you.

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

fantastic link; thank you. has applicability to the recent discussions of cultural appropriation as well.
much food for thought here.

[sophinisba]

Yeah, I really liked the bit about "authenticity" but then the part about books of ethnic literature as products to be consumed by white cultural tourists (or assigned in cultural studies classes) gave me something to think about.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

That's a fascinating article! Thanks for the link!

there is a degree to which such literature is for outsiders, a variety of anthropology in which natives “inform” on their own cultures to literary tourists.

Interesting quote, very interesting! (re: a lot of ethnic literature). Makes a lot of sense.

[sophinisba]

Yay I am glad you liked it. I liked that it was more balanced than I thought it was going to be. Like I thought it would say that writing workshops just cause everybody to write the same but there was more to it than that, and also with the multicultural literature saying it's for people from those groups to tell their stories but it's also for consumption by outsiders, I thought that was really interesting and it made me think about some of the reading I've been doing lately.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

I run (a lot; 7-8 hours a week) and I love listening to audiobooks. My library is a member of both NetLibrary.com and a regional electronic media consortium, so I can "check out" audiobooks on my computer and copy them to my mp3 player. I totally love this.

[sophinisba]

I haven't been running much lately but I was this past year (which is why I bought the iPod in the first place) and I've found that audiobooks work for me when I'm walking or riding the bus but for running I need either high-energy music or Merlin podfic that hits my kinks. Anything else is just not exciting enough. :)

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Well, for fast workouts I do listen to music, but I do a lot of long runs which are not supposed to be fast, and audiobooks (or fic) are wonderful for these! Plus, it keeps my brain engaged for, e.g. the 2 hours I was running this morning...

[sophinisba]

Even a "slow" run is so exhausting for me I haven't found audiobooks to be stimulating enough, but I know what you mean about needing something to keep your attention for that long. I should try to get back into it, though 2 hours at a time is still a long, long way off for me. It's been a little bit harder lately because I've been working mornings and it's been so hot in the afternoons, but I ought to try harder to work it in.

I should also get some good audiobooks. We don't have the NetLibrary thing, I don't think, so I sometimes get audiobooks out from the library and copy them to my computer and iPod, but the selection at my neighborhood branch is very small. But I should do the ILL thing. Even if it doesn't work out for running it would be nice to have for the bus.

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

That sounds interesting! Thanks for posting the link.

[sophinisba]

You're welcome. I'm always meaning to do more linking to that kind of thing.