Syntax of Things

Match.NYT.Com

If this doesn't mark the lowest point in the NY Times' book-related writing, I don't know what will.  Maybe, next week's groundbreaking piece, "When Your Bathroom Reading Material Stinks Up the Room"?

In case you're wondering, I married a woman who loves Madonna, so I think having things like books and music in common is right up there with having the same hair color as far as importance in a longlasting and loving relationship goes.

Singing the Blues (Clues)

Around the Corner

Dearest Reader,

I'm tired of what Syntax of Things has become.  Tired of feeling like I have to force out a post just because.  Starting April 1st, I'm going to try something different.  It may be similar to what has been but it won't be the same.  I'm not going to speak of what will be quite yet; I'm still trying to figure it out.  Until then, feel free to offer suggestions of what you'd like to see, what you'd like to read about, what you think has worked and what should be avoided.  I miss writing about baseball; I miss hating on Madonna; I hate being part of the litblog scene just because...Time to reinvent.  Time to talk more about the weather; time to figure out if R.E.M. can redeem themselves.  Time to figure out if my time has come, if maybe at 37 I need to give this all over to someone who has the energy and time.  Or maybe I should just not worry about any of it.  I do know that I'm not ready to quit.  Not when there are battles to be won.  Not when I still have to finish that Denis Johnson novel.  Not when I keep getting strange ARCs in the mail, ARCs about stem cell research for godsake.  Nope, not done. Not yet.

See you on Fool's Day.

love
SoT

PS.  The Litblog Co-op is no more.  It suffered from being insufferable at the end.  Something like it can work, even if it's run by the little people.

Gag Order

While traveling to the south of the continent in a bold effort to reunite grandparents with child, the brave father contracted a possibly lethal form of the flu.  At least it felt lethal to him.  Now after flying back from the south of the continent, flu in his veins, toddler in his lap, he figured on a day or two of rest, but lo and behold, his wife had relapsed, she having had this same flu some two weeks ago, an illness the father/husband helped nurse her through back then.  So this morning, it was a battle of who was sicker.  She won, claiming as her award a vomit bucket of purple plastic and the honor of holding down her side of the bed longer.  Miraculously, husband/father/flu victim was able to make it through the day but is begging of his ever faithful and too patient blog audience to give him but another few days to get back to feeling close to normal again. 

Million

There's no truer sign of spring than receiving notice from Jason Sanford and the folks at storySouth that they are now accepting nominations for the Million Writers Award:

The 2008 Million Writers Award for best online short story is now open for nominations from editors and readers. Once again, the Edit Red Writing Community is sponsoring the contest, which means there is a $300 prize for the overall winner. For those who don't feel like wading through the rules, here's the award process in a nutshell:

• Any story published during 2007 in an online magazine journal is eligible. The caveats are that said online mag or journal must have an editorial process--meaning no self-published stories--and the story must be at least a 1,000 words in length. Readers may nominate one story for the award. Editors of online publications may nominate up to three stories from their publication. All nominations are due by March 31.
• A group of volunteer preliminary editors will go through the nominated stories--along with other stories that catch their interest--and select their favorites. These will become the Million Writers Award notable stories of the year. I will then go through all the notable stories and pick the top ten stories of the year. The general public will then vote on those ten stories, with the overall winner receiving the award and cash prize.

Complete information on all this, along with links to where people can nominate stories, is available on the award website. I will also be regularly publishing comments and information on my blog and website as the award process as it unfolds.

     

Re-Boiled Hippos

It looks like Penguin is going to the Kerouac well again, and this time their able to dip their toe in the Burroughs fount at the same time:

A novel co-written by Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, two giants of the "Beat Generation" of poets, writers and drug-takers, is to be published for the first time more than 60 years after it was written.

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks, written in 1945, was inspired by an actual killing which led to the arrest of both authors.

The novel draws upon the stabbing in 1944 of a homosexual, David Kammerer, by Lucien Carr, a friend of the duo and another Beat leading light.
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Carr served two years after admitting manslaughter, claiming Kammerer had been obsessed with him and had become violent.

Carr confessed to Kerouac and Burroughs, who helped him dispose of the knife but did not go to police. Kerouac was arrested as an accessary to the killing in 1944 and was put in a Bronx jail but he was freed after his girlfriend, Edie Parker, stood bail.

Burroughs was arrested but escaped incarceration after his father put up bail.