Nathan Englander's Blog, page 2

Englander's First Crack Coffee for McSweeney's #38

This is a video that was made to go along with this crazy idea to include a coupon in McSweeney's #38 for a pound of coffee home roasted by me.

Englander's First Crack Coffee from William Hereford on Vimeo.

 

The Millions

The Millions does a books-of-the-year wrap-up and lets the writer choose any year. I went with 1933.

 

God and Fiction, with Granta Magazine

Wednesday, June 30, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Shakespeare & Company, Paris, France

From Granta: "Do writers of fiction have to create a cosmology in order to exist? How does the secular world challenge a fiction that is wrestling with questions of faith? For cultural atheists, what is it like to work and live in the US, the most religious country in the West? These are a few of the questions that Chris Adrian, Nathan Englander and Aleksandar Hemon will address tomorrow night at Shakespeare & Co for the ‘God in Fiction’ event in Paris. Following a reading from each of the authors, there will be a discussion on religion and atheism in fiction, with Granta editor John Freeman as moderator."

Tony Kushner Interview

I wanted to know what Tony Kushner really thought about Israel. So I interviewed him. It was for the "Writers" edition of Haaretz. Once a year, in honor of book week, the newspaper sends home its reporters and asks fiction writers to compose the paper.

"How I Started," with The New Yorker Magazine

Monday, June 20, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Joe's Pub, New York

Every month, The New Yorker magazine presents a live discussion of a topic from its pages. The next talk is called "How I Started." I'll be there, with New Yorker fiction contributors Jennifer Egan, who just won the Pulitzer Prize for A Visit From the Goon Squad, and the unparalleled Karen Russell, author of the bestselling Swamplandia!, and other writings with crocodiles. The New Yorker's Fiction Editor, Deborah Treisman, will be moderating. And, apparently, we will be discussing, "breaking into the literary life."

Iowa Writers' Workshop 75th Anniversary

Saturday, June 10, 2011, 10:00 a.m.
University of Iowa, Iowa City

I'm out in Iowa City to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Writers' Workshop. Last night, Marilynne Robinson gave a profound and hilarious speech about the state of writing in America today. There are panels running throughout the weekend, with a wonderful crop of writers in attendance. The panel I'm appearing on is set for Saturday. And I have the honor of sharing the stage with Stuart Dybek, Robert Hass, and Yiyun Li. We will be discussing something high minded.

The Ten at Sixth & I

Monday, June 7, 2011, 6:45p.m.
Sixth & I, Washington D.C.

I'm on a train headed down to D.C. to do an event at Sixth & I, a "102-year old non-denominational, non-membership, non-traditional, historic Synagogue." Over it's life, the building was a "Conservative synagogue (1908), turned African Methodist Episcopal Church (1951), and nearly a nightclub (2002)." I will have the good fortune of being interviewed by the very wonderful David Segal of the New York Times (my local, hometown newspaper). 

The Writing Life

Thursday, April 28, 2011, 6:30p.m.
New York Society Library, New York

Tonight I'll be reading a new story, "The Reader," for an Electric Literature sponsored event. "NYSL's Literary Magazine Salon features two amazing publications: the 1-year old Electric Literature and the 30 year old BOMB magazine. Nathan will be reading from work to be published in EL's 6th issue." From The Writing Life.

Ordinary Persecution with Alessandro Piperno

Friday, April 15, 2011, 12:00 p.m.
Auditorium Santa Margherita, Venice, Italy

Headed off to the Venice Literary Festival, to do a talk with Italian writer Alessandro Piperno, author of the bestselling novel The Worst Intentions. The event will be moderated by Shaul Bassi, a proffesor of English and Post-colonial literature. This year the festival is called Around the World in 32 Writers. Those writers include V.S. Naipul, A. S. Byatt, and Etgar Keret (who is going to eat a bowl of pasta with me just like in Lady and the Tramp).

An Afternoon with Peter Carey

State Library of VictoriaThursday, March 24, 2011, 12:30 p.m.
The New York Public Library, New York

Peter Carey is a best-selling and two-time Booker Prize-winning author whose novels include True History of the Kelly Gang and Jack Maggs. His most recent novel, Parrot and Olivier in America tells of the unlikely friendship between a French aristocrat and an English laborer adventuring in 19th century America. Join us as Peter Carey discusses his work and his inspiration with fellow writer, Nathan Englander, noted author of the novel The Ministry of Special Cases.