Pinky's Paperhaus

moonlighting

For the last few weeks, and for many to come, I've been doing my part at a new multi-city metroblog called afterhourscity that officially launched last week. I'm in LA, and I'm the only girl here, so it'll be easy for you to track my adventures in words and pictures. I slip in books where I can.

In one of his first post, one of the New York boys wrote, "Well, not much excitement from this point, it's just one of those disappointing nights in New York, where you just go back to your girls apartment and bang her, roll over and go to sleep." Woohoo, girls, get me some of that! Two "just"s in one sentence, a cavalier apostrophe omission, and oodles of charm.

Those Chicago kids have genuine charm, though, and I'd have to say I trust their recommendations for food and drink. Plus the have really good hair. I'm trying to catch up, though.

Driven to NaDruWruNi

Did you ever have one of those weeks where nothing goes right? You're putting away groceries and the orange juice slips out of your hand and explodes on the kitchen floor; the cat pukes, loudly, at 3am; in the pre-dawn rush to your car, you step in a 3-inch deep puddle; your hair just looks awful. Then you're at a stop light and someone smashes into the back of your car. And then things really start to go downhill.

And so it was with subdued glee that I have learned of NaDruWriNi, which is a lot like NaNoWriMo, but only involves one night of writing and demands simultaneous drinking. Organized by a broad abroad, via Ed.




Because you know, after all that, it's Miller time. At least it will be a week from Saturday.


Andrea Seigel's sordid tales of high school

Andrea Seigel begins this podcast telling a tale of high school love gone wrong. What brings it back to her is Bruce Hornsby. Who knew that any high schooler ever listened to Bruce Hornsby? Well here you get proof.

Andrea is the author of Like the Red Panda, a dark not-quite-YA book about a high school senior as she heads toward graduation and the day of her suicide. Doesn't sound like much fun, but it is. Maybe Andrea's blog will help convince you.

Up next from Andrea is To Feel Stuff which she talked about in her visit. If you don't find it in the podcast, check out part 2 of her show in the library to get a preview; it's not due out until Aug 2006.

Almond v. Sarvas

Both Steve Almond and Mark Sarvas have been guests on Pinky's Paperhaus. Today they are bickering (Steve in Salon, Mark on his blog). But I think they are both quite excellent, as repellent as I'm sure that may be to either of them.

Here is where Mark is right: he can dislike Steve Almond's writing all he wants and can blog his opinion.  No feud, just Mark blogging about a writer, as he blogs about a zillion other writers.

Here is where Steve is right: litbloggers are a concentrated community that can be very closed. Sometimes it seems like a terrifically smart group of 15 people all talking to each other and nodding in agreement.* And I think Steve may be right in saying that blogging keeps people from the work of their "real" writing. Anyone who says it doesn't isn't being honest, or doesn't have a day job.

But Mark is wrong in saying that Steve swipes at Tod Goldberg, who he only compliments. And it was a mistake for him to turn off the comments on his blog.

And Steve scoffs at Mark being a galvanizing force in the literary community of Los Angeles, which Mark indeed is. Not to mention characterizing LA as a place where books are "a minor cultural curiousity," which is about as gracious as coming over to visit, drinking our booze and then pissing on our begonias.

Steve is right: Mark is pretentious. But his peculiar self-effacing pretentiousness makes him immensely readable while giving his blogging a gravitas that attracts the bigshot book review editors (and friends like this, this and this). This may make Mark uncool to Steve Almond, but dude, I recommend staying out of the cooler-than-you ring, because there's always someone younger, wittier and (forgive me boys, but you drove me to it) endowed with a bigger dick who will come along and knock you out on your ass.

Drop into the library to check out their shows. They both have fabulous voices, decent taste in music and strong opinions. If either of them will still speak to me, I'd be proud to buy them a drink of their choice.

Finally, I would have gotten this up sooner, but I have a day job.

*Or maybe not: the Almond portion of this tempest in a teapot is now assigned reading in a class at SUNY Cortland.

Tomorrow and tomorrow

Later this week I start contributing to a new metroblog, which is where the rockers and writers at 826LA report will  surface.

Also coming up tomorrow is a fresh-faced podcast for you. I hope that "tomorrow" there gives me wiggle room until Thursday.

In lit news, the National Book Awards will be announced Wednesday, and the Nobel folks were kind enough to hold their literature announcement until Thursday. I think they were being nice and giving the NBAs a little room.

The Booker has gone to Banville, which has caused weather conditions on the west side of Los Angeles to be positively sunny.

Ain't they cute?

Josh Kun, Rick Moody and John Doe at 826LA Saturday Oct. 8.

Fridays parking is easy

Nobody goes to class on Fridays at USC. For example, this was 19th century British lit on Friday last week.

This is Taper Hall. There are lots of English classes here, and the English department is on the 4th floor. It's cozy, if you're nostalgic for soviet-era architecture.

Someone tacked on this modernist detail at one end of the building. Inspired, maybe. It makes Taper Hall look almost classy, at least at this end.

Except that someone else stuck this kinda classical guy onto the wall. Someone who was a bit cranky about the modernist white pillars. Who likes their oversize relief naked, male, and emasculated.

One of the hallowed halls of Taper. It bears no, I repeat no, resemblance to an institution for the criminally insane.

Melissa Bell podcast, eh?

Melissa Bell is writing about hot scientists for The Science Creative Quarterly, will be in the Decemeber maisonneuve, has been found in The God Particle and has, more than once, cracked the nut of McSweeney's.

Today she tells all -- actually, a third of all -- on Pinky's Paperhaus. This podcast is only the beginning of Ms. Bell's candid tales of Canada. The rest will come later, perhaps before next week is upon us. Download, why dontcha, and check out the playlist.

WeHo Book Fair report

So I made it there at 1pm, late, amazed that they let book fair attendees park right across the street at the Pacific Design Center for free. This is West Hollywood, people, and there was free parking. That's a goddamn miracle. Reason enough to go.

And if you didn't go, well, you weren't alone. This is no LA Times Book Bonanza, with so many authors on so many topics that anyone within 50 miles who reads seems irresistably drawn to Westwood. This one is, well, cozy, with stages bucking up against each other, delicious barbecue smoke blowing across the entrance, and small-to-moderate-sized audiences. But the attendees were phenomenally diverse, a reminder that this is not your average small-town book fair. The details after the jump.