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January 26, 2011
Shorties (Top Bands For 2011, The World's Bestselling Poet, and more)
Louder Than War lists the top 50 band tips for 2011.
The Guardian profiles the world's bestselling poet, a 99 year-old Japanese woman.
The New York Times reviews Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts' new book, Harlem Is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America.
PopMatters interviews Corin Tucker about her post-Sleater-Kinney career.
BBC Radio 1 profiles singer-songwriter Alex Winston.
Part Joanna Newsom, part Ellie Goulding her melodies sore high above the pop songs she makes (reminiscent of MGMT and Passion Pit).
One True Thing interviews Caroline Leavitt about her novel Pictures of You.
JH: Do you have any advice for authors who are trying to sell their novels in this tough fiction environment?
CL: Yup. Don't give up, no matter how many rejections you get. Write and read every day because that's how you'll get better. Get your name out there by submitting to literary magazines, online magazines, anywhere people will see you. Network like crazy on Facebook and Twitter because it really does help. Go to writing conferences and enter contests. Start a blog. Self-publish if you have to because some of those books get noticed by traditional publishers. People are always going to want and need stories. It's hard-wired into us, I think, and if you have a passion for writing, then that is what you should do while you're here on Earth!
The House Next Door interviews Seamus Murphy, who produces PJ Harvey's videos.
The Valley Advocate profiles Small Beer Press.
Our cultural capital tends toward the small in scale, but it's often the result of a particular kind of self-selection. It's here you find exceptionally fine artistry delivered by artists who've eagerly traded urban rigors for the gentler pace and homier setting of old mill towns and time-gnarled mountains. Small Beer Press is among the finest examples of that trend.
Pank reviews Emma Straub's new book, Other People We Married (possibly 2011's most outstanding short story collection).
No wonder The Millions placed it on their radar for 2011: it’s an unforgettable treat. In fact, the instant I finished Other People We Married I flipped back to page one, eager to fall back into this magnificent array of narratives. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.
Drowned in Sound interviews Tim Kasher of The Good Life and Cursive.
On Poetry interviews singer-songwriter Michael Zapruder about writing lyrics.
The most recent update to the online "best books of 2010" lists included the A.V. Clubs best books, Blake Butler's favorite books, the Village Voice's best comics and graphic novels, and more.
The most recent update to the list of 2010 year-end online music lists included two album lists from Donewaiting, NYCTaper's best concerts, and much more.
My own "best of 2010" book & music lists:
favorite albums of 2010
favorite graphic novels
favorite nonfiction books
favorite novels of 2010
favorite short story collections
Coming later this month: my favorite free and legal mp3 downloads and favorite debut novels of the year.
Follow me on Twitter and Stumbleupon for links (updated throughout the day) that don't make the daily "Shorties" columns.
also at Largehearted Boy:
previous Shorties posts (daily links from the worlds of music, literature, and pop culture)
Online "Best Books of 2010" lists
Online "Best Music of 2010" lists
Atomic Books Comics Preview (highlights of the week's comics & graphic novel releases)
daily mp3 downloads
Largehearted Word (highlights of the week's book releases)
Try It Before You Buy It (mp3s and full album streams from this week's CD releases)
weekly music & DVD release lists
