Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond's Blog, page 3

Who Do You Write For?

The movie 5 to 7 ends with this quote as a way to explain the muse behind the writer characters bestselling first novel. It got me thinking about what and who were the main catalysts for different stories I’ve written. They’ve never been the same, but they have been there. I wonder how my story/ies... Read more.

Questions about the Thiel / Hogan vs Gawker Case

I’ve been following the messy Hulk-Hogan-vs-Gawker-is-really-Peter-Thiel-vs-Gawker saga since it started, my allegiances shifting like an ill-fitting toupee from moment to moment. At times I felt infuriated and exasperated by more evidence of just how far the tentacles of “big money” stretch; how strong its chokehold on life. The idealist in me railed against the abuse of power... Read more.

Barnes & Noble, Inc Founder to Retire

This month, Leonard Riggio, Founder and Executive Chairman on Barnes and Noble, Inc will retire, though “he has no plans to sell his stock” according to the New York Times which announced Riggio’s plans to retire in April. The onetime college bookseller, who dropped out of New York University where he worked in the book store to... Read more.

#WritersonTrump

This week, 470 writers across the U.S. added their name to “An Open Letter to the American People,” a rejection of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s candidacy. In it, the undersigned, which includes Pulitzer Prizewinning poet Tracy K. Smith and Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist Junot Diaz, list their reasons for opposing Trump. Among them: Because, as writers, we are particularly... Read more.

New Yorker Copy editor: “Our purpose is to make the author look good.”

In her incredibly witty TED Talk, Mary Norris, a copy editor for the New Yorker also known as the Comma Queen, defines the intimately technical relationship between editors and writers beautifully: “There is a pact between writers and editors. The editor never sells out the writer, never goes public about bad jokes that had to... Read more.

Jessica Crispin on Fear & Writing

In the week after she shuttered her litblog Bookslut, Jessica Crispin shared her frank opinions on the publishing industry and how fear among writers cripples improvement with TheGuardian.com and New York Magazine‘s Vulture.com. Read them for an honest, acerbic assessment of, among other things, what it can mean to have a literary career today.

12th PEN Festival Has Mexico Focus

On April 25th, PEN America will kick off its 12th annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature with a focus on Mexico. The aim, according to the statement on the festival website is to invite attendees to “rethink the stories of migration, the border and national identity.” The program features a range of lectures and panels related to... Read more.

The New Publishers: Telecommunications & Technology Companies

Digital platforms and devices have become the place where stories that are usually ignored by mainstream distributors find welcome viewers. Among others past, present and (being) adapted for television, there’s viral hit An African City, Snapchat series Literally Can’t Even, and Roots drummer Questlove’s original animated series STORYVILLE. But, increasingly, telcos and tech companies are taking more of an ownership stake in... Read more.

Eat, Drink, and Be Literary with Marlon James, Zadie Smith, and Bill Clegg

For the third year in a row, Brooklyn Academy of Music is hosting the ultimate literary supper series. “Eat, Drink, and Be Literary” 2016 will feature a monthly lineup that includes Man Booker Prize 2015 winner Marlon James, 2015 Sunday Times short story prizewinner Yiyun Lee, amongst other seminal talents. See the full 2016 schedule on BAM.org.

Isabel Allende Starts All Her Books on January 8th

If there’s a balance between being bullish about writerly goals/self-imposed deadlines and patient pacing, Isabel Allende seems to have mastered it. Check out the author’s interview on Lenny about her new book and her writing process.