George Saunders on satire, millionaire poets, and more
We’ll be taking a two-week summer break from our Friday Lit Links, returning on Friday, July 18th. In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter @worldlittoday to keep up with all the latest literary news.
News, Reviews, and Interviews
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has a new Director of Literature: meet Amy Stolls, who will oversee the organization’s grant and fellowship programs.
The highly anticipated PEN Literary Awards shortlists were announced last week. (You can read free samples of several of the great authors featured on the shortlists at GalleyCat.)
In a panel at the National Chinese Language Conference in Los Angeles, translators Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-Chun sat down with Mo Yan (via video) and Chinese Literature Today editor Jonathan Stalling to discuss how to bring Chinese literature in translation to a wider audience.
In a recent interview for the New Yorker, George Saunders talks about how nuns influenced his grammar, compassion in writing, and why he loves satire.
In no other form of literature is rhythm more important or noticeable than in poetry. Edward Hirsch recalls the history of poetic rhythm in a recent interview with NPR’s Morning Edition.
For Your Calendar
If you enjoy or are studying Caribbean literature, this call for papers is for you! Submit to a special issue of the journal SARGASSO, featuring the topic “Translation and the Caribbean: Tensions & Transformations.”
Deadline quickly approaching! The Tufts Poetry Awards honor both mid-career and novice poets.
The University of Oklahoma Writing Center is hosting a free digital storytelling workshop in July. It is designed to help victims, first responders, and caregivers affected by the May 2013 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma to learn to use writing as a creative outlet.
Fun Finds and Inspiration
We’re sure you already know the real answer to this, but the question begs asking: can language influence our perception of reality?
The phrase “There’s no money in poetry” is a common one for poets. So, we wonder, is there such a thing as a millionaire poet?
Need something short and sweet to read on your next lunch break? This list of 14 great pieces of literature is an excellent place to start!
There are several elements that make great South Asian novels. These, however, are not those elements.
