“The moment when I can work no more, when the novel or collection of short stories or book-length essay is as done as it’ll ever be, I go looking for works of art that match it tonally. I listen to music with an acquisitive ear. I watch pieces of movies whose titles intrigue me. Most of all, I scan through dozens of websites that collect images by contemporary artists. And then I try to solidify the relationship by using those works as my cover art.” The New Yorker’s Ben Greenman on choosing the cover art for his books.
I love getting the inside look at the outside of a book.
Ben Greenman and Darin Strauss Discuss How to Write Fiction Now
Darin Strauss and Ben Greenman live in Brooklyn. Both have written large amounts of published fiction: Strauss’s most recent book is a memoir, the National Book Critics’ Circle Award-winning Half a Life. Greenman’s new novel, The Slippage (Harper Perennial), comes out in May, and on its occasion, the two men sat down to discuss novel-writing, as well as writing that doesn’t result in novels.
Putting the interview behind a cut because it’s rather lengthy and I don’t want to interrupt your cat gifs/Sherlock set photos/inspirational quotes too much, but I do think you should click through to read their interview because it’s a doozy. Like, I’m kind of having a “whoa” moment right now.
On this podcast author and editor at The New Yorker Ben Greenman talks about why his new novel, The Slippage, is his most personal yet.
“The suburbs were complicated for me.”
Do you ever get anxious about books, like when you know they’re going to hit home, hard? That’s what happened to me.
Yo, New York!
The L Magazine’s annual Literary Upstart competition is underway, with the first round of semi-finalist readings happening on April 17th at PowerHouse Arena. If you’re local, there’s still time to submit your previously unpublished short fiction (maximum of 1,300 words) for judging; the deadline is April 12 at noon.
Fifteen semi-finalists will be selected to participate in one of three readings held at PowerHouse, in front of a lively audience and a panel of judges that includes Ben Greenman and our very own Cal Morgan. Go forth and submit your pocket fiction, and mark your calendars for a fun night of reading, judging, and the infamous New York City Literary Trivia competition (“Where overpriced education meets underpriced alcohol”)!
“We anticipate, adding plot, and then later we remember, adding theme. In time’s vast sky we look at a few clouds and pretend we recognize their shapes.”
- Ben Greenman, author of The Slippage (Harper Perennial, May 2013) on “Yours” by Mary Robison.
Read it for free tomorrow at Recommended Reading.
Yes, yes. (Hello, Ben.)
awesome books for 99 cents!
Last year, we offered 20 of our favorite books for just 99 cents in e-book format for the entire month of August. This year, we’re doing it again! Our facebook page has links for every retailer for every book, and we’ll be talking more about the individual books as the month goes on. Check it out!
short story ebook sale: What He’s Poised to Do by Ben Greenman
Did you know that we’re having an ebook sale with our friends at One Story? We’ve got many short story collections on sale for the entire month of July for just $1.99. Here on our tumblr we’re going to highlight each collection individually, starting with Ben Greenman’s What He’s Poised to Do.
In one sentence, what is this book about?
Love, infidelity, and the vanishing art of letter writing.
Have I heard of this author before?
Ben is an editor at the New Yorker. His other books include Superbad and Celebrity Chekhov. He loves charts.
You get paid to say this book is good. Who else liked it?
“Ben Greenman’s What He’s Poised to Do is a terrific collection—a set of elegant, inventive dispatches that knock around space and time, and the wrenching gaps between people, to chart a world of previously unnamed moments and emotions.” —Jess Walter, author ofBeautiful Ruins
I am well aware of Ben Greenman’s awesomeness and have already read this book. What’s his next project?
Ben has a novel coming some time in summer 2013.
