Things that today I am loving

1. "In art, as in love, as in dancing the hora, if you don’t know the moves, you really can’t fake them."

2. Painting my fingernails, finding tiny imperfections, removing the paint, painting my fingernails, finding tiny imperfections, removing the paint

3. The new Caketrain, which arrived today and looks beautiful.

4. Bologna and cheese sandwiches. I have had three today.

5. Fighting this book. Potentially to the death.

Countdown and a link

Number of days till one of our own (one lovely Ms. Gray) reads at the KAP House: 5

So that means that you've got five days to conjure up some good vibes--from NY to Cali and back down to Arkansas and Austin.

And here's a link:Some worry that the increasingly cozy relationship between Hollywood and publishing companies is changing expectations of literary success — and may even be changing the way novelists approach their work.

the ghost of b.c.

two things that made me wish the summerhill-colemans still lived here:

seeing no country for old men

arkansas beating no. 1 lsu in overtime

happy long weekend, everyone. i miss you all.

On a lighter note:

Stacy sent me this very fun video (with Ira Glass and Terry Gross) from the National Book Awards.

Some Staggering Stats

I know I just posted, but I couldn't resist:

The percentage of adults who are proficient in reading prose has fallen at the same time that the proportion of people who read regularly for pleasure has declined.

the percentage of high school graduates deemed by employers as "deficient" in writing in English (72 percent).

Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.8

And now this
article from the NY Times on adjuncts.

Thanksgiving poems

I watch Home for the Holidays and also for some reason, the Big Chill around this time of year. And I was thinking about that the other day when I came across this post by the Academy of American Poets about Thanksgiving poems. But they didn't have this one by Lucille Clifton. I like it because it is sad and happy and to me that's what holidays always feel like. The good ones anyway.

The lesson of the falling leaves


The leaves believe
such letting go is love
such love is faith
such faith is grace
such grace is god

I agree with the leaves.


Okay that's the end of the poem. What are your Thanksgiving stories, movies, poems? What's in your bag of tricks? Or is it just me?

resounding applause

Wow. I wonder how B.R. Myers feels today.

I haven't read the book (I know), but the review was off the charts scathing. Like, made us wince.