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Bread Loaf Writers Conference Official Site

–Interlude at Bread Loaf

Posted in Books, Reading, Writing, tagged Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Reading, Writing on August 16, 2011| 4 Comments »

Apologies for the radio silence but I have been on a mountaintop in Vermont since last Wednesday, attending the 86th annual Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. The irony of a writers’ conference is that there is precious little time for actually writing, and pretty much no time for blogging. We participate in workshop, sharing our work, and each day there are a series of craft classes. Today, I am looking forward to Richard Bausch’s class, “Failing the Art of Exposition.”

And then there’s reading … and readings! From 4pm to about 10 pm each day, there are so many wonderful readings in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. There are too many luminaries for me to enumerate here. But here’s a list of this year’s faculty and guests. All of these readings are being made available on iTunes–here is the link to Bread Loaf on iTunes.

To get an idea of the hectic schedule, check out today’s edition of Bread Loaf’s daily paper, The Crumb.

Then of course, everyone being writers, things carry well into the evening, er I should clarify morning, hours. Thankfully, coffee is available all day, strategically stationed around the campus. I have been mainlining it.

To get a sense of the goings on, check out the Bread Loaf feed on Twitter: #blwc11.

–Famous Debts in Literature

Posted in Books, Fiction, Literature, Poetry, tagged 10 Most Extraordinary Literary Debts, Angela's Ashes, Canterbury Tales, Charles Dickens, Chaucer, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Henry David Thoreau, House of Mirth, Les Misérables, Literature, Quiz on Famous Literary Debts on August 8, 2011| 1 Comment »

There’s no money in poetry, but then there’s no poetry in money either.
—Robert Graves

Not to quibble with one of the most prolific poets and authors of the 20^th century, but money, and more precisely the lack of it, has for centuries played an immense role in literature. Just as the deficit continues to plague our nation, such obligations have been a driving force in many of our favorite books, from the many “dettes” owed in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to the gritty poverty of Angela’s Ashes.

There’s the infamous stolen loaf of bread that Jean Valjean paid for with his misfortunes over and over again in Les Misérables. The money Lily Bart accepts from Gus Trenor drags down her social status in House of Mirth. Of course, debt and penury are recurring themes in Charles Dickens’s many works. And perhaps more topical, there’s the giant credit card balance rung up by clueless Becky Bloomwood in Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Flavorwire lists the 10 Most Extraordinary Literary Debts.
The Guardian offers an interactive Quiz on Famous Literary Debts.

Now, I don’t want to get too caught up with literature and debt. After all, as Henry David Thoreau said:

“Books are the treasured wealth of the world
and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.”

Jane Austen’s Earliest Surviving Manuscript The Watsons Sells for $1.6MM

–Spoiler Alert: This Book Has No Ending

Posted in Books, Classics, Favorite Authors, Favorite Books, Fiction, Jane Austen, Literature, Reading Culture, tagged Cold Sassy Tree, Irène Némirovsky, Jane Austen, Leaving Cold Sassy, Olive Ann Burns, Sanditon, Suite Française, The Watsons on August 5, 2011| 4 Comments »

Two weeks ago, a 68-page fragment of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, The Watsons, sold at auction for $1.6 million dollars.

This might seem rather spendy, especially in these gloomy economic times, but not to those of us who have known the anguish—the pain—of unfinished Jane.

Most readers are familiar with the angst that sets in when you finish the last book of a favorite author. Even that does not compare with the agony of getting deep into such a book, only to be left hanging when it has no end.

Margaret Drabble described The Watsons as “a tantalizing, delightful and highly accomplished fragment, which must surely have proved the equal of her other six novels, had she finished it.” Tantalizing indeed.

The Watsons starts off deliciously with a neighborhood ball, a description of an agreeable “young man of very good fortune,” and an immediate rivalry among the unmarried Watson sisters. But just as the story really gets going—spoiler alert—the words end. In an attempt to ease the pain, I plunged into Austen’s other fragment, Sanditon, only to find I had instead poured salt on the wound. More than disappointment, I felt abandonment and despair.

I burned myself again with Leaving Cold Sassy, after having connected so deeply with its predecessor Cold Sassy Tree. I hadn’t bothered to read the cover blurb explaining that Olive Ann Burns died of cancer while writing it. After a buildup of 15 chapters and some 200 pages, Will Tweedy’s story ended, midstream.

The author’s notes, in these cases, do little to ease the pain. Finding out what happened is never the same as reading the novel. This is most heartbreakingly demonstrated in Irène Némirovsky’s lush masterpiece, Suite Française. Our final vignette is of an ephemeral July afternoon, Némirovsky sitting outside “on [her] blue cardigan in the middle of an ocean of leaves,” writing notes as bees buzz around her. Two days later, the Nazis carted her off to Auschwitz. Her story, and that of the characters with whom she was so preoccupied, abruptly cut off.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I know, at some point, I will reach once more for these works. No pain, no gain, … and not enough Jane.

Ghosts of Borders Past: Photo Tribute to Borders

–A Former Borders’ Employee Says Shop the Sales

Posted in Books, tagged books, bookstores, Borders on August 2, 2011| 7 Comments »

As a Borders bookseller from 2006 until our store closed in April, I would like to respond to your last post Caveat Emptor: Skip the Borders Fire ‘Sale’.

You quote articles that say the Borders’ liquidation is “not that good of a deal” and that “some of Borders’ prices have even gone up.” These articles fail to take into account how liquidation works. Book prices are set by the publisher and printed on the cover. However, Borders discounts no longer apply. A bestseller may have been up to 40% off while Borders was still in control of the pricing matrix, but under liquidators, books are discounted by category. These prices continue to drop by about 10% each week, so that remaining books are 80-90% off during the final week. Those who choose to shop the Borders liquidation within its first weeks are essentially paying a premium for access to the more popular titles that will not last two months of discounts.

You also argue that shopping Borders sales will not help the employees, but in fact it can help them. While we never work on commission and do not get a percentage of the store’s sales, employees can get extra hours if a closing store is consistently busy. I was able to pick up extra shifts as our liquidator green-lighted more payroll. Those padded paychecks helped tide me over until unemployment benefits kicked in.

Sadly, a bookstore in liquidation is no longer a place to sit for hours over coffee. The liquidator cannot pay for café perishables to be shipped to a closing store. Expect seating areas and restrooms also to be closed in most Borders. The change in atmosphere is depressing for customers and staff alike, but a necessary part of the wind-down.

Your final advice, to seek out other local bookstores to support, I agree with wholeheartedly. As John Connolly, one of my favorite authors (who I have been lucky enough to get to know through my work as a bookseller), has said repeatedly, “Buy books locally – or you will not be able to do so for much longer.” Make sure to visit the bricks-and-mortar stores of your choice, whether independent, used, or chain. I am grateful for booksellers of every stripe in my community. Last week, I attended a signing at an independent store less than two miles from the Borders where I worked. The sales clerk told me, “We never saw you as the enemy. Amazon is the enemy.” While some independents may be glad to lose the competition, most that I have talked with are simply sad to see another book outlet disappear.

If you do shop the Borders liquidation, either now or when the discounts get steeper, please be gentle to any remaining books and employees. We are all very sorry to see this chapter of our lives ending, but would be glad to have you in our stores one last time.

Sincerely,

Rachel
Founder,
Booksellers Without Borders (We are the Remaindered)
@BksellerExpats on Twitter
Book reviews, author interviews, and a reading
community from former Borders booksellers

Read Caveat Emptor: Skip the Borders Fire Sale

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