Susie Wild's Blog: Wildlife, page 55

The Old Book Reviews and the New Book Reviews

"Tom Lutz, who recently launched Los Angeles Review of Books (ambitiously described as "the first major, full-service book review to launch in the 21st century") has written a small manifesto on the occasion of adopting Susan Salter Reynolds and Richard Rayner, two orphan book reviewers from the Los Angeles Times. "
...
"Anyway, leaving Mr. Lutz to his manifesting, the LARB will not be the only "full-service" book review to launch in the 21st century. The BookBeast Section of The Daily Beast, The Daily's book section and HuffPo Books might not be exactly the same as the old model, but they still cover books. Web sites like The Millions and BookSlut augment traditional books coverage with interviews and essays. More readers than ever can access books coverage from the London Review of Books, the New York Review of Books and Bookforum (as well as The New Republic and The Nation), and make friends on GoodReads or write Harry Potter fan fiction or whatever it is that people like to read about books."


"There's also a book site due to launch in October that is backed by Simon & Schuster, Penguin and the Hachette Book Group (which owns Little, Brown and others). It's called Bookish and it has been described variously as the Pandora, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Pitchfork and Netflix of books. Despite being backed by three of the big six publishers, the site is claiming editorial independence, though to what extent that will be true remains to be seen, as it seems one will be able to buy books on it as well."MORE: http://www.observer.com/2011/08/the-old-book-reviews-and-the-new-book-reviews/

http://www.observer.com/2011/08/the-old-book-reviews-and-the-new-book-reviews/

Should authors be critics, too?

"Interesting piece on Salon (from last month - I've only just noticed on account of being on holiday. So this is really for those of you who missed it because you were on holiday, too) on whether novelists ought to double as literary critics or not. It's a well-worn argument, frustratingly circular argument, which goes something like this:


1) Novelists are well-qualified for the job of reviewing, just as scientists are well-qualified to peer review the work of their colleagues.2) But can we expect an unbiased reaction from people fighting for space in the same (rapidly narrowing) field? You don't, after all, get directors reviewing other directors' plays.3) Would it not be better to employ dedicated book critics, at one remove from the publishing world?4) Yes, probably. But the difference is that, in literature, the skills involved in creating and critiquing are the same. Furthermore, with book sections closing on both sides of the Atlantic, who can afford to employ a full-time book critic these days? And who could afford to live as one?5) In that case, are we not better off asking novelists - who are, after all, well-qualified - to review novels?6) Repeat, inconclusively."http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/aug/08/1


Judge and juryShould novelists double as book critics? Suddenly one prominent reviewer -- and author -- isn't so sure
"When a critic writes a novel, it's like one of those movies where the cop crosses the line and gets tossed in jail along with the people he put there," he said. "There's no question, writing fiction has changed the way I review."
...
"Being a novelist demands arrogance," he added. "To be a good critic, you have to be humble."

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2011/07/24/should_novelists_double_as_book_critics

Future Tense

"We're 

http://lareviewofbooks.org/post/8551066881/future-tense

The rise of longform ebook journalism

Here's another one to add to the Guardian Shorts mix, as predicted, more and more publishers are embracing the 10,000 word ebook for longform journalism: http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/lp/summer-of-unrest

I made a website

Look. The all new website for The Raconteur is here: http://www.theraconteur.info/

Gwen Davies' Western Mail Insider column

Two blogs of interest from NWR... one relating to the Writers Chain India, where WAI are hopefully funding me to go this November, ... the other relates to the short story and my Kindle novella 'Arrivals'Reading India, Translating WalesSince spring, under WLE-LAF auspices, I've met writers at Ultracomida from Russia, Bulgaria, Slovakia and, most recently, from India. Those of us lucky enough to be there last month, where Reading India - Translating Wales took place, are still talking about it. The seven-strong team of Welsh-language and Indian poets had clearly bonded during their mid June translation residency at Ty Newydd. Multi-award winning writer and translator K Satchidanandan joked that the trip from Kerala was 'worth it' just to see Eurig Salisbury's buoyant hair! The production values, as well as the poetic ones, were high. Part of the British Council-supported India Wales Writers Chain, which launched last year at Hay Festival Kerala (where poets Gillian Clarke, Menna Elfyn and Paul Henry were also present), the Aber event delivered a tremendous sense of an unbreakable chain. This was achieved through an inclusive and incantatory choreography of their performance: a presentation of work in Welsh, Manipuri, English, Bengali and Malayalam. 

http://newwelshreview.blogspot.com/2011/08/reading-india-translating-wales.html


The Kindle Single and Masters of Ecstasy

"Novellas per se sell even worse than story collections. But just as capitalism abhors a vacuum, so Amazon created the Single Kindle: a marketplace for digital texts (including nonfiction and essays) of between 10,000 and 30,000 words. Parthian, ever quick off the mark, have brought out SK versions of the lead novellas from longer print editions: Aled Islwyn's  Muscles Came Easy  (42 pages, £2.39) and Susie Willd's  Arrivals  as well as highlights from classic Library of Wales authors Hilda Vaughan and Arthur Macken's 'The Great God Pan'. Hopefully Seren will give Glenda Beagan's similarly titled 'The Great Master of Ecstasy' the same e-treatment."

http://newwelshreview.blogspot.com/2011/07/kindle-single-and-masters-of-ecstasy.html

Guardian Shorts ebooks are here

Here begins the #journalism revolution. Guardian Shorts #ebooks'curated and packaged for a quick portable read'



What are Guardian Shorts?Guardian Shorts is a new series of ebooks from the Guardian, providing detailed guides to topical news stories, public policy, sports and cultural events. The ebooks will demonstrate the best of Guardian journalism, with timelines, data and comment, curated and packaged for a quick, portable read.http://www.guardian.co.uk/mobile/guardian-shorts-faq

Arts Criticism links round up

As I am doing the WAI Critics Development Scheme for the next 6 months, there will probably be some posts full of links relating to that on this blog for a little while. Here is the first:

"a reviewer is entitled to be spiteful as long as she is honest". How rude should theatre critics be? Michael Billington's response to that Lynn Barber case. More on this here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8670745/Literary-Life-July-31.html

In Wales I think a lot of what Patrick McGuinness says in this Wales Home Article from January 2010 is still very relevant: http://waleshome.org/2010/01/culture-in-a-vacuum-welsh-arts-coverage-in-the-english-language-media/

Especially: 'the ordinary reader who relies on mainstream Welsh media is being short-changed. It's not a question of just sticking a few arts events in a 'listings' section, it's about developing a reviewing culture that doesn't assume – patronisingly – that 'ordinary people' can't or don't want to discuss arts or books or music, or discover the literary and artistic heritage of the place they live in. The arts coverage in most English regional papers or TV and radio stations is superior – more literate, more open-minded and more perceptive – than what we have in English in Wales.'


Arty Bollox? So how do you write a good art review then? Well it is 12 years since Brian Ashbee ranted about Art Bollocks in Art Review. Still in 2011 Emma Gelliot has some ideas in her blog on art in Wales. She quotes a variety of other interesting/ funny comment from TALK REVIEW: A Beginner's Guide to Art Bollocks to David Berridge talking about the future of art criticism on AXIS. Cheers Emma. 


***********************************************************************
I have recently discovered theartsdesk.com, which has some top contributors writing for it: http://www.theartsdesk.com

Should Radio drama be more realistic? http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2011/jul/28/radio-drama-natural-dialogue

How many National Theatres does one nation need? NTW and NTS in discussions at Edinburgh festival: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/aug/02/edinburgh-national-theatre-wales-scotland

Edinburgh festival: Critic's Choice: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/edinburgh-festival/


Alexis Petridis on how to write the perfect pop review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/aug/02/alexis-petridis-writing-album-reviews

*********************************************************************
and other Welsh Arts News:

Seren Books gets global recognition for Booker longlisting: http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/08/booker-notoriety-sparks-rights-run-at-cinderella-indies/

The Welsh Music Prize has arrived: http://welshmusicprize.com/

Joe Dunthorne's 2nd novel Wild Abandon gets a good review: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8668414/Wild-Abandon-by-Joe-Dunthorne-review.html

I am performing poems at Birkenstock on Sunday

Today and tonight, we're having a mini-festival to celebrate the artistic achievements of women*. We're starting at 4pm with an open mic sesh for any women or women-identifying people to come and play. Dain't matter if you're playing a cello or a kazoo, if you're performing poetry or reading a short story because WE WANT YOU!

We'll be exhibiting women's art throughout Gwdihw, some of which has been commissioned especially for this event. It's going to be splendid :)

There'll be lots of music and some superb performance poetry by some award-winning published authors.

So far we've got:

Miss Maud's Folly - gypsy folktale jazz
Esther - folk-soul
Little Eris - electro/lo-fi
Cosmo - Anarchist cheeky-boy-punk
Miacca - folk-reggae

Performing poets:
Mab Jones
Susie Wild
Rhian Edwards

Exhibiting artists:
Rachel Coral
Lucy Baker
Elen Mai-Wyn Jones
Naomi Calvert

Please come along... it's free entry but we're going to pass a hat around on the day/night and all the pennies will be going toward Cardiff Feminist Network so that they can keeping doing their amazing work.

We look forward to seeing each and every one of you :)

* and our token man-feminist friend and legend, Cosmo.


Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=190495941009070

Western Mail | WM | Life | 2 August: Summer Reads

What are you reading this summer?
Here are my Summer Read recommendations from the WM article today (page 3)...
Ah summer, long hots days on the beach or by the pool, little to occupy your thoughts but daydreams and good books. Heaven. Unfortunately I seem to spend more of my time in far-less-glamorous wellies standing in muddy fields performing on the festival circuit for my summer holidays these days. As such my first summer read comes from a place very close to home and is packed full of rock'n'roll. Tiffany Murray's Diamond Star Halo came out last year, but has just been released in perfectly portable paperback (and Kindle) form.
It is a magical book charting the lives and loves of Halo and her eccentric family as they grow up on Rock Farm, a residential recording studio in the borderland of Wales that attracts star visitors from across the globe. The inspiration for the setting is not difficult to ascertain, Murray grew up in the infamous Rockfield Studios, established in the 1960s and inspiring the likes of Freddie Mercury, who wrote some of "Bohemian Rhapsody" there. Diamond Star Halo begins in 1977, when Halo is five years old, and Tequila, a band of American brothers, are in residence. When they depart, they leave a baby boy, Fred, "part seal-pup, part bloody Heathcliff" who demands all of Halo's heart. This is a sparkling, witty, novel that draws you into the delightfully strange world of the farm across the decades and then makes you ever so sad to leave it; exactly what I want from a summer read and, indeed, from the best of holidays.
Returning to the summers of my teenage years, I would recommend an old favourite of mine Bonjour Tristesse (Hello Sadness) as a quick yet classic read full of sunshine and shadows, lust and loss of innocence. Published in 1954 when the French writer Françoise Sagan was just 18, it was an overnight success. This seductive coming-of-age novella tells the story of 17-year-old Cécile and her unsuccessful love life as she summers with her father and his mistress in a villa on the French Riviera. To continue the musical thread, it also happens to be the book that inspired Simon and Garfunkel's song 'Sound of Silence'.

Susie Wild is the author of the award-winning short story collection The Art of Contraception (Parthian, 2010) and the Kindle ebook novella Arrivals (Parthian, May 2011), She also has some poems in the recent Nu2: Memorable Firsts anthology (Parthian, July 2011).