I'm not sure why, but I still chuckle when I see Monroeville, Alabama, called the state's literary capital. I guess I spent too much time there that what I experienced of the town canceled out the fact that it has been the home of Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Anyway, an exhibit of some of Capote's letters will go on display in Alabama's Literary Capital on April 27th. Apparently nothing newsworthy in the letters, but one does have a sentence I can relate to:
In closing the July 9, 1959 letter, Capote told his aunt: "Oh I do wish I could have some butter beans. Now! This very minute."
Expect even more press for Monroeville when Infamous hits theaters in the Fall.
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Speaking of Southern writers and their homes, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal has a piece on the new Faulkner Garden at the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany, MS {thx Jo}. And what would a tourist trap be without corporate sponsorship:
A plaque at the entrance to the garden states, "Faulkner Garden established by New Albany Garden Club with support from Principal Financial Group, UNITE, Wal-Mart, Union County Historical Society and many individuals.
"This garden was established to increase understanding and appreciation of William Faulkner's use of local plants and landscape in his prose," it concludes.
###Seems that everybody has a memoir in them these days. Probably even James Frey:
Literary agents say they're seeing more memoir manuscripts and proposals than ever. Lee Gutkind, founder of the literary journal Creative Nonfiction and a professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, says he gets 300-400 memoir submissions each month unsolicited, for his publication, which comes out three times a year. This reflects a change in the whole publishing climate, Mr. Gutkind says. In the past, writers would break into the business with autobiographical novels, and move on to other sorts of fiction. Now, "the novel's not hot anymore, and the autobiographical novel has been replaced by the memoir." Memoirs have become "the new door opening for first-time writers, young and old," he says.
###The Baltimore Sun's Carole Goldberg writes "mega-gazillion-sellers like the The Da Vinci Code prove a book doesn't need literary quality to score big in the quantity department. Although Dan Brown's theological thriller boasts a fast-paced, cinematic style, intriguing puzzles and controversial theories about Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the Roman Catholic Church and women, and the symbolism of major artworks, its prose is pedestrian, bordering on painful, and the plot doesn't make much sense." She then offers other examples of best sellers that amount to steaming piles of literary poo.
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According to an Australian researcher, children's books and movies have been quicker than adult fiction to address themes of terrorism, war, and 9/11.
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Good news, bad news? I'm not sure how I feel about this seeing as I'm one of those bloggers looking for a job:
Employers regularly Google prospective employees to learn more about them. Blogging gives you a way to control what employers see, because Google's system works in such a way that blogs that are heavily networked with others come up high in Google searches.
Notice to potential Googling employer: I'm not the Jeff Bryant who sings in a country band. Unless you like country music.
