In our afternoon reading: reviews of books by Karin Tidbeck and Nghi Vo, revisiting the music of Tiger Trap, and more.
Where William Blake Meets Orchestral Pop: An Interview With Astralingua
Astralingua, the duo of Joseph Andrew Thompson and Anne Rose Thompson, recently released their new album Safe Passage. It’s a musically and lyrically lush work, bringing in everything from nuanced arrangements to a William Blake-inspired song, and its expansiveness makes for a wholly immersive listening experience. We talked with Joseph via email about the process of making the album, turning William Blake into music, and more.
Morning Bites: Pulitzer Prizes, Elizabeth Hand, Warren Ellis Interviewed, Amelia Martins’s Playlist, and More
In our morning reading: this year’s Pulitzer Prize winners, interviews with Elizabeth Hand and Warren Ellis, and more.
Morning Bites: Tony Tulathimutte, Jarett Kobek Interviewed, William Blake’s Grave, Niina Pollari on Translation, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Tony Tulathimutte, Niina Pollari on translation, a self-interview from Amber Sparks, and more.
Morning Bites: Teju Cole Interviewed, Wollstonecraft & Blake, Janaka Stucky on Poetry, Bialys, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Teju Cole, Janaka Stucky on one of his poems, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award longlist, and more.
Morning Bites: Lethem’s Newest, LA Times Book Prizes, Blake’s Grave and More
Mr. California, Jonathan Lethem, gives us an excerpt from his upcoming book about the movie, They Live. Christopher Hitchens, Jonathan Franzen, and Patti Smith are among the finalists for the 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. Jami Attenberg talks to Wesley Stace. William Blake’s grave will be protected. James Franco’s banned Oscar song. Uzbekistan finally catches on to our Western devil music.
Bono gets all Literary About the Spider-Man Musical
Posted by Jason Diamond Bono likes to drop names from his expensive book/art collection when he’s talking about his really expensive musical: “We’re wrestling with the same stuff as Rilke, Blake, ‘Wings of Desire,’ Roy Lichtenstein, the Ramones — the cost of feeling feelings, the desire for connections when you’re separate from others,” Bono continued. “If the only wows you get from ‘Spider-Man’ are visual, special-effect, spectacular-type wows, and not wows from the soul or the heart, we will all […]
Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, Brooklyn Good Beards, and Good Times
“Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman have more in common than impressive beards.” So says this write up in The Brooklyn Paper discussing the upcoming Whitman & Beats Conference taking place in Brooklyn March 27th.