An end-of-the-month round-up of links that lead to interesting things happening in the world of literature and pop culture.
- “Poetry is a solitary process. One does not write poetry for the masses. Poetry is a self-involved, lofty pursuit. Songs are for the people. When I’m writing a song, I imagine performing it. I imagine giving it. It’s a different aspect of communication. It’s for the people. We always write a certain amount of poetry for the masses. When Allen Ginsberg wrote “Howl,” he didn’t write it for himself. He wrote it to speak out. To make a move, to wake people up. I think rock & roll, as our cultural voice, took that energy and made it even more accessible.” |
Patti Smith in conversation with Paul Zollo, “Patti Smith on How She Writes A Song“
- “Paul Beatty has become the first American writer to win the Man Booker prize, for a caustic satire on US racial politics that judges said put him up there with Mark Twain and Jonathan Swift.” |
“Man Booker prize 2016 won by American author Paul Beatty” – via The Guardian
- “Johnny Depp is joining the cast of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, playing a co-starring role in the sequel which David Yates will direct early next year with Eddie Redmayne again in the lead role of Newt Scamander. I’ve confirmed this, but no one is saying exactly what role that Depp will play. But I believe that if you look carefully, you might spot him in a tiny turn in the first installment of the J.K. Rowling-created Harry Potter spinoff, which Warner Bros opens November 18.” |
“Johnny Depp To Co-Star In J.K. Rowling’s ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequel At Warner Bros” – via Deadline
- “Now Gay, along with poet Yona Harvey, make Marvel history as the first black women to write for Marvel. In their series, World of Wakanda, Gay tells tales of the Dora Milaje, the Wakandan royal family’s elite all-women fighting guard, while Harvey focuses on female revolutionary Zenzi, who fights for her country’s rights.” |
“Roxane Gay details her new Marvel comic, World of Wakanda” – via Entertainment Weekly
- “In a way, Island of the Blue Dolphins also anticipates the post-apocalyptic narratives that are a staple of publishing for young readers today. Karana inherits a vacated world, scavenging an initially precarious existence amid the rubble of plenty and community.” |
“The True Story of the Lone Woman Behind Island of the Blue Dolphins” – via Slate
