Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Bruce Jay Friedman on bathrobes and Dan Brown

AS: What’s an example of a pedestrian sentence?

BJF: I like to know what’s going on and what pop culture is once in a while, so I read The Da Vinci Code. I was reading along and I came to a sentence where the hero is in a hotel room and he dons a bathrobe. There’s no particular reason but I said, “OK, let him don a bathrobe.” It was like a king donning his raiment. Then twenty pages later he dons another bathrobe. I said, “If he dons one more fucking bathrobe I’m out of here.”

(From an interview between Amy Sorn and Bruce Jay Friedman in “Always Apprentices,” out now from The Believer)

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

After a winter break, my “Celebrity Book Review” column returns to Electric Literature. This month, it’s art superdealer Larry Gagosian on Matthew Specktor’s “American Dream Machine,” just out from our compadres over at Tin House books. Shine on you crazy diamonds!
http://electricliterature.com/blog/2013/04/29/celebrity-book-review-art-dealer-larry-gagosian-on-matthew-specktors-american-dream-machine/

After a winter break, my “Celebrity Book Review” column returns to Electric Literature. This month, it’s art superdealer Larry Gagosian on Matthew Specktor’s “American Dream Machine,” just out from our compadres over at Tin House books. Shine on you crazy diamonds!

http://electricliterature.com/blog/2013/04/29/celebrity-book-review-art-dealer-larry-gagosian-on-matthew-specktors-american-dream-machine/

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

“Eat them, I don’t know: John Mayer’s Guide to Foraging”

I have a new humor column running with the DC-based literary magazine, Barrelhouse. I think it’s funny, but I’m biased.

image

http://www.barrelhousemag.com/eat-them-i-dont-know-john-mayers-guide-to-foraging-by-courtney-maum/

Thursday, April 4, 2013
Another least is the way it feels to be a writer, which is to be forever outside the human circle and never within it, rarely holding hands with anyone but practicing a lonely occupation which involves wheedling and lying for more company, anything for company, for an audience, a reader, someone else to say yes, this is life; yes, it takes the top of my head off. Christine Schutt on writing, via 2Paragraphs.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
This makes me proud to work in advertising. 23 more “ah-ha-shit-whoops!” moments here: http://imgur.com/a/7shrP/layout/blog

This makes me proud to work in advertising. 23 more “ah-ha-shit-whoops!” moments here: http://imgur.com/a/7shrP/layout/blog

Monday, April 1, 2013

Le Missing Page

To the wonderful literary citizens who bought my story, “Notes from Mexico” from The Cupboard, here is a link to the missing page 24. I believe new versions will be shipped to people who already purchased, and to current subscribers. Thank you again! http://www.thecupboardpamphlet.org/Maumpage24.pdf

Sunday, March 24, 2013
Is it just me or is Slice Magazine kicking some major patooty? Look how beautiful issue #12 is. The theme is “Obsession.” I have a short story in it based on a horrid summer I spent working the 6 a.m to 1 p.m. shift at Starbucks and then walked across the strip mall to work from 1:30 to 7 p.m. at Borders. I manned/wo-manned the “Arts and Crafts” section. It was freaking depressing. Anyway, Slice magazine is awesome. Have a nice day.

Is it just me or is Slice Magazine kicking some major patooty? Look how beautiful issue #12 is. The theme is “Obsession.” I have a short story in it based on a horrid summer I spent working the 6 a.m to 1 p.m. shift at Starbucks and then walked across the strip mall to work from 1:30 to 7 p.m. at Borders. I manned/wo-manned the “Arts and Crafts” section. It was freaking depressing. Anyway, Slice magazine is awesome. Have a nice day.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013 Friday, March 1, 2013
Sea Otter getting her fur done.
CAN  YOU HANDLE THE CUTE?
From http://dailyotter.org/2013/03/01/sea-otter-pup-gets-her-fur-done/

Sea Otter getting her fur done.

CANĀ  YOU HANDLE THE CUTE?

From http://dailyotter.org/2013/03/01/sea-otter-pup-gets-her-fur-done/

Thursday, February 28, 2013
To me, AWP is “Burning Man” for writers. For Tin House, I compiled a list of AWP FAQs that will tell you, among other things, what to do when confronted with a serial submitter.

To me, AWP is “Burning Man” for writers. For Tin House, I compiled a list of AWP FAQs that will tell you, among other things, what to do when confronted with a serial submitter.