I See (Writer) Pride

Sometimes being a writer is tough. We have to deal with constant rejection and, even when we are successful, we don’t really know what the future will bring. So today, I want to share one of my favorite movie inspiration moments:

Whenever you feel like quitting, remember Junior and Yul Brenner. Now let’s get out there and write!

Billy Murray, Coming to Your Next Poetry Reading

When you think “poetry,” you don’t necessarily think of Bill Murray. (Okay, maybe you do, but it’s probably because of the innate poetry in Ghostbusters.) But Murray can pull of a surprisingly good poetry reading. Here, at the 16th Annual Poets House Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge, he reads Billy Collins’ poem, “Forgetfulness”:

I’ve seen Collins at a couple of readings and Murray really hits that Collins vibe–humorous at first, with that great thoughtful turn at the end.

Click through to see Bill Murray tackle more poetry readings.

(via Tweetspeak Poetry)

Poetry for Office Survival

It’s mid-July. A lot of people are on vacation. Going to work can feel like you’re in a barren wasteland of tumbleweeds. But this Wednesday, you don’t have to battle it out alone with the freezing office AC–it’s Take Your Poet to Work Day! Cut out a picture of your favorite poet, decorate him/her, attach it to a popsicle stick, and take your poet-puppet to work.

My work poet has to be T.S. Eliot:

Whenever I’m shuffling on public transportation with a lot of other commuters, I think about The Waste Land. Particularly:

Unreal City,
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
I had not thought death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,
And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.
Flowed up the hill and down King William Street,
To where Saint Mary Woolnoth kept the hours
With a dead sound on the final stroke of nine.

If anyone understands how necessary that extra cup of coffee is, it’s Eliot. My suggestions for Take Your Poet to Work Day activities:

  • Write haiku about your favorite office supplies.
  • Print out sonnets and put them in random mailboxes.
  • Instead of listening to streaming radio, crank up your favorite poetry reading recordings.
  • Take meeting notes in iambic pentameter.
  • Have fun with your punctuation, ala e.e. cummings.

Share your ideas for Take Your Poet to Work Day in the comments.

(H/T bookshelves of doom)

Writers Know How to Party

Anyone who’s been to a writers conference knows that writers know how to party. But if you need further evidence, check out these photos of famous writers socializing and having a blast. My favorite has to be this one of James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry:

dance

Make sure to check out the full list. Although I think we could compile a list of YA/children’s writers partying and have some pretty awesome pictures as well. For example:

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I cropped out the other person in this photo not to protect his identity, but because his excited face was sub-par. I don’t accept half-assed when it comes to making faces.

(image via Flavorwire)(via The Paris Review)

Links Galore

A few more spooky links for Halloween:

A Little Tea If You Please

Kind of love these descriptions from the Jane Austen Tea Series. For example, Mr. Knightley’s Reserve:

“An Earl Grey that is true and balanced. The Bergamot is smooth and steady. A tea to depend on and love more with each passing cup!”

I might be the target audience for this tea, but their marketing is just so fun.

In case you’re even more in the target audience, check out this article on the Jane Austen Society of North America’s recent gathering in New York. These people know their literature and can put together a historically accurate costume. Rock on.