Check out Alexandra Sheckler’s interview with founder and editor of Bookslut, Jessa Crispin. Jessa dishes about the blog, review-worthy books, and the best reads of 2009. Now it’s your turn to dish – which book has the Bookslut reviewed that tickles your fancy?

Talk to us!  This is the place to discuss Alexandra Sheckler’s interview with New Yorker writer and book authorD.T. Max, and to ask questions of her about the process.

Author, essayist and journalist D.T. Max on Raymond Carver, his distrust of adverbs, and why he was destined to become a writer. more »

My writing routine includes a Mac book and an empty Word document. Slowly, but surely, the screen intermittently fills with letters, creating a peppered portrait. At least that’s what used to happen before you came along, Writer’s Block. Ever since my release from college a month ago I’ve undergone a painful case of writer’s block. It’s time for confrontation.

Dear Writer’s Block,

I’ve tried everything: changing my atmosphere, hosting writing workshops on my porch, reading, doodling, listening to the radio, book clubs, events, and writing (gasp). The change in atmosphere only creates a drifting mind and, when applicable, intense sessions of people-watching and inner dialogue. Writing workshop turns into a wine manifesto, events are fun but mindless, and writing turns into illegible babble.

What else can I do, Writer’s Block?

Buy a typewriter, you say? Why yes, a quaint typing machine that clicks and clacks should do the trick. A vintage toy that makes the sweetest of sounds, is irresistible to touch and impossible to ignore. Typewriters don’t have Facebook or Google. Typewriters don’t have iTunes or colorful, distracting screens. Typewriters help you get right to the point … Write. To. The. Point.

Thank you, Writer’s Block, for understanding. I’m currently waiting, rather impatiently, to... more »

A move from one apartment to another made me realize how extensive my book collection got. As I moved my books from a box to the windowsill I looked at each one individually – scanning my eyes over the covers, flipping through the pages of folds, highlights and notes. Each book sparked a memory whether I bought it, found it, or received it.

The best gift to get (and give) is a book with a personal message written inside. There’s something so telling about books as gifts. Just this weekend I was reminded of that delightful feeling when my friend and I went to the Printer’s Row Lit Fest in Chicago. As we fingered through piles of used books he grabbed “Everything is Illuminated.”

“I’m buying you this,” he said, not even asking if I read or owned it. Later as we sat over a pre-5 o’clock pitcher of sangria he opened the book to its front-page and began to write.

“Don’t read it until later,” he said closing the cover and slipping it into my purse. I was all kinds of excited. I played fair and waited until I got home.

“It’s a rainy day in June. We bought this book a few... more »

I thought of my favorite magazine while I was cleaning my toilet this afternoon. Let me explain.

I’m finishing the last year of my undergrad career – pursuing a journalism degree with a concentration in magazine publishing. Internships are encouraged; however, most of us know that interns, aka office baristas, often feel awkward, inadequate and work for free.

When I discovered my favorite magazine’s main office was minutes from my house, I inquired about an intern position. I went to storefront events, chatted with the publisher, and applied. Days later, I was hired.

The first day I shipped and posted back issues. The second day I removed subscription cards (a foreshadowing event). The third day I cleaned the bathrooms. Yes, there was more than one. (I did not reveal my cleaning skills on my resume, but thanks to childhood chores, Mr. Clean and I are acquaintances.)

So, there I was. In the bathroom and away from the hustle and bustle of magazine layout. As I scrubbed stale piss off the toilet seats, feelings of resentment surfaced. Careful to keep my fingers on the soaked sponge and off the foul surface, I played out the absurdity of the situation in my head. I looked at... more »

While fishing around Craigslist for writing gigs, free coffee tables, and volunteer work, I stumbled across a program called Chicago Books to Women in Prison. By donating any (paperback) books to the program, incarcerated women in prisons nationwide will be given the chance to read. Their site states that they “hear over and over that rehabilitation is not a priority, and prison libraries tend to be dismal, if they exist at all.”

So, as much as you love your books, (believe me … the whole trying-to-start-a-library project is all too familiar) why not browse your bookshelves and donate to women in need? Chances are, someone who hasn’t read “The Catcher in the Rye” will appreciate it more than you will the third time around. Besides, Amazon always has great deals if you can’t live without it.

Here’s your chance! Loosen your grip on that history book from freshman year of college and use that rainy day to see a movie instead. Come on … who do you think you’re kidding anyway?

Their blog reads:

We are still (as always) in need of:

PAPERBACK ONLY!

1. Dictionaries
2. Composition books
3. Daily Meditations
4. GED prep books, especially math
5. Urban fiction
6. Books on drug or alcohol recovery
7. Yoga or exercise books
8. Health books for HIV positive people
9. Books on... more »

Best-selling author and journalist Tom Wolfe made an appearance Thursday as “The Right Stuff” was selected for The Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago program this fall.

I must admit, I feel somewhat perverse writing a blog about him after he said tersely in an interview with journalist Carol Marin, “Blogs fascinate me…they’re a new world for people who will believe anything.” Believe me when I say meeting Tom Wolfe was truly an unforgettable experience.

After much discussion, Marin finally got to the question everyone’s been dying to know, “What’s with the white suit?” Anybody who knows anything about Wolfe knows he’s famous for wearing a white suit and fedora during any appearance.

Wolfe said the white suit is “the man from Mars” approach. He said he never blended in with the crowd and wearing the white suit provides a barrier between himself and his subjects, as he has reported a variety of subjects from NASCAR drivers, to Black Panthers, to Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, to the first men to launch into outer space – just to name a few. He described it as “The man who doesn’t know anything and is eager to know.”

His opinion of modern authors who have “the... more »