“It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don’t give a damn what you say, they’re going to write.”

-Sinclair Lewis

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Poet, Wayne Miller’s, sophomore outing, THE BOOK OF PROPS, is featured in The Kansas City Star.

The Washington Times finds wit and wisdom via Gil McNeil’s, THE BEACH STREET KNITTING AND YARN CLUB.

Pico Iyer, in The New York Times, shows his admiration for Jeoff Dyer’s new novel, JEFF IN VENICE, DEATH IN VARANASI.

Bart Ehrman takes on as much controversy as he likely looked for in the most scholarly of ways in, JESUS, INTERRUPTED.

In remembrance of the celebrated author, part 2 of a six-part documentary produced by the BBC in 1991.

From the YouTube description:

Following J.G. Ballard from Shepperton to Shanghai and back, looking at the scenes of his life which inspired his autobiographical novels. This is a BBC original production which aired in 1991, directed by James Runcie. It chronicles J.G. Ballard’s first trip to Shanghai after he first left it in 1946. He discusses his life and his work, especially his two autobiographical novels, Empire of the Sun and The Kindness of Women. There are also bits there about Crash and Vermilion Sands. A must for any J.G. Ballard fan.

Sam Leith, writing for The Guardian, presents a riveting profile of AS Byatt.

Judge nixes Internet Archive motion to intervene in Google settlement.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books prizewinners announced.

The Telegraph offers up two excellent pieces on Russian literature: “Who can follow in Nikolay Gogol’s footsteps?” and “Four new Russian books“.

Jim Zinsmeister examines W.B. Yeats’ “Among School Children”.

R.I.P. Santha Rama Rau

Today in Literature: On this day in 1898, William S. Porter began a 5-year prison sentence, during which he would craft many of the stories that would lead to future fame as O. Henry.

“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.”

-Franz Kafka

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Library Journal likes Michael Connelly’s latest, THE SCARECROW.

T.D. Jakes also takes accolades for his newest novel, NOT EASILY BROKEN.

When a fourteen year old boy survives an attempt at suicide by self-immolation, you can bet there will be a book in him, years down the road.  Brent Runyon tells of grappling with (and triumphing over) despair in, THE BURN JOURNALS.

CLOSING TIME, gives insight into the how and why of satirist, Joe Queenman’s, long, hard looks at life.

In remembrance of the celebrated author, part 1 of a six-part documentary produced by the BBC in 1991.

From the YouTube description:

Following J.G. Ballard from Shepperton to Shanghai and back, looking at the scenes of his life which inspired his autobiographical novels. This is a BBC original production which aired in 1991, directed by James Runcie. It chronicles J.G. Ballard’s first trip to Shanghai after he first left it in 1946. He discusses his life and his work, especially his two autobiographical novels, Empire of the Sun and The Kindness of Women. There are also bits there about Crash and Vermilion Sands. A must for any J.G. Ballard fan.

Jay Parini on why WS Merwin deserves the rare honor of multiple Pulitzers for his poetry.

Amazon continues to rake in the dough.

Levi Asher’s latest chapter in his ongoing memoir relates his experiences in putting together an anthology of poetry and fiction from the Web in the mid-90s.

Argentine poet Juan Gelman on the importance of writers finding their own voice.

The L.A. Times previews this weekend’s Los Angeles Festival of Books.

Today in Literature: On this day in 1891, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray was published.

“There are no rules in writing. There are useful principles. Throw them away when they’re not useful. But always know what you’re throwing away.”

-Will Shetterly

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Students of global politics and current events may find Jim Shultz and Melissa Crane Draper’s compilation of essays and articles, DIGNITY AND DEFIANCE: STORIES FROM BOLIVIA’S CHALLENGE TO GLOBALIZATION, interesting from one angle or another.

Popular Mechanics writes a glowing review of CLIMATE CHANGE: PICTURING THE SCIENCE.  But then again, they would, wouldn’t they?  The book’s editor, Gavin A. Schmidt, works for them.  It’s a looker, at the very least.

A page of cookbooks from Library Journal, like grocery shelves, should not be perused whilst hungry.  Trust me on this one.

The Economist applauds Richard Overy’s comprehensive and fascinating account of THE MORBID AGE: BRITAIN BETWEEN THE WARS.

Molly Pesce interviews Mary Tyler Moore about her new memoir, Growing Up Again:

Two men admit to firebombing publisher’s London home over Muhammad book.

Rolling Stone is reporting that a film version of Tom Wolfe’s book on Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, is moving ever closer to reality, with Gus Van Sant at the helm (and talk of Woody Harrelson and Jack Black (?) on screen).

Columbia’s Spectacle presents an interesting interview with William Gass on “baroque prose”.

Heather McRobie examines the influence of Flannery O’Connor’s Catholicism on her work.

Robert Minhinnick among five poets on the longlist for the £10,000 Wales Book of the Year prize.

How well do you know your literary apocalypses? Take The Guardian’s quiz and find out.

Book Patrol shows off the earliest known dust jacket.

Ian Thompson, writing for The Times Literary Supplement, explores “four first novels that share a view of urban Britain as a multi-shaded community of peoples”.

Today in Literature: On this day in 1616, William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes died.

“Writers aren’t exactly people…. they’re a whole bunch of people trying to be one person.”

Dave Wood has a trio of of novels up for review in The Woodbury Bulletin.

Go green, the lazy, financially-strapped, couch potato way with Josh Dorfman telling you how in, THE LAZY ENVIRONMENTALIST ON A BUDGET: SAVE MONEY, SAVE TIME, SAVE THE PLANET.

The DRAGONSHIPS series gets a new installment with, BONES OF THE DRAGON, and it’s met with great enthusiasm over at 411mania.com.

The Christian Science Monitor is impressed with Nikki Giovanni’s newest volume, BICYCLES: LOVE POEMS.

Frank Hinks, the author of the “Ramion” series, discusses his latest book The Kingdom Of The Deep:

Steven Johnson explores how the e-book will change the way we read and write and likely end the era of reading alone.

NPR dusts off a 2008 audio interview with W.S. Merwin on the heels of the poet’s second Pulitzer win.

The Algonquin gets some 21st Century bells and whistles.

Dan Brown already has a film in the works for his newest book, still five months from hitting shelves.

Penguin South Africa announces its plans to launch the Penguin African Writers Series, featuring a mix of the classic and the new, along with a new award, The Penguin Prize for African Writing.

Today in Literature: On this day in 1960, Anne Sexton published her first book of poetry, “To Bedlam and Part Way Back”, which included her signature piece “Her Kind”.

“You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance.”

-Ray Bradbury

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OCCASIONS: SELECTED WRITINGS, by Eudora Welty (edited by Pearl Amelia McHaney) marks 100 years of perspective for a great American storyteller.

True crime and boxing collide in a tale of justice possibly miscarried in John Hotten’s, THE YEARS OF THE LOCUST: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER, MONEY, AND MAYHEM IN THE LAST AGE OF BOXING.

Canadian Driver reviews the gorgeous-looking, ART OF THE HOT ROD, by Ken Gross.

THE SLAP, Christos Tsiolkas’ prize-nominated novel, get’s the glowing treatment in Adelaides’ Independent Weekly.

A brief biography of the author:

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize winners announced.

The CBC looks at Pulitzer winners playwright Lynn Nottage, novelist Elizabeth Strout and composer Steve Reich.

The BBC presents a collection of quotes from writers about the late JG Ballard…

…while The Guardian Book Blog’s John Crace underscores the importance of Ballard’s real-life experiences in informing his work.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer profiles the small, non-profit Washington publishing house that has now notched its second Pulitzer-winning poet.

Works about 9/11, Alzheimer’s and Jim Crow-era racism nominated for the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction.

William McGonagall just can’t catch a break.

Today in Literature: On this day in 1894, George Bernard Shaw’s “Arms and the Man” opened.