Friday Links: The “I Need to Close Tabs” Edition

I accumulate goodies for Friday Links all week long. The tabs stay open in my browser until I post them here on the site. This becomes problematic, however, when I don’t do a Friday Links post for a few weeks. Hence this random, fly-by collection of links to occupy your weekend. Everything is bookish, related to reading or writing or publishing, but that’s about all I can say for a theme this week. Blame the heat or quarantine or pandemic brain, or possibly all three.

An open book with a 3D, black-and-white sketch of a pirate, treasure beneath a palm tree, and a pirate ship.

Wishing you all a good weekend. Please take care, whatever that means in your neck of the woods. Social distance, wear a mask, stay home if at all possible. Read something lovely or take a long nap. Be kind to others, and to yourself. Enjoy!

This Week’s Links:

Cree LeFavour on the Pleasures of the Limitless Reread. – I am a fan of rereading, though I rarely have as much time to do so as I’d wish. This reflection on the joys of rereading really clicked for me.

The Battle Between W.E.B. DuBois and His White Editor Was an Early Reckoning Over Objectivity. – We think of great writers as respected for their skills and accomplishments, but they fought for whatever ground they gained.

Writers Who Cook: Serious Biscuits with Steven Reigns. – Because I know I’m not the only bookish person who has foodie leanings.

Joan Didion & John Dunne: A Literary Arts Podcast. – An interview from the archives, where the authors discuss their careers and writing processes.

Toni Morrison Let Us Know We Are More Than the Work We Do. – A lovely look back at the author and her wisdom on the anniversary of her death.

Penguin Quiz: Which Famous Literary Group Would You Have Been In? – Fun little quiz. (I’d have been part of the Algonquin Round Table, if you wanted to know.)

It’s Time to Radically Rethink Online Book Events. – The perfect essay for the age of COVID-19.

100 Must-Read Historical Romances. – A great list of fun titles to distract you from whichever of the latest dumpster fires occupies your brain.

Friday Links: The Endurance of Art

Happy Friday, everyone! I’m afraid I have a rather abbreviated set of links for you this week, given that my attention was generally elsewhere during my downtime this week. But I do have a few tips and a bit of a pep talk, especially for you NaNoWriMo participants, who may be struggling with output about now.

Art endures. Whatever your feelings about the outcome of this week’s election, I encourage you to continue to do your best work, to focus your frustrations and joys and heart into your writing and into making the best art you can. So get words down, or go read your favorite book, or discover a wonderful new novel and get lost in its pages. Pick up some cheap theater tickets or head to the movies. Spend a quiet hour in a museum. Take a little time for your spirit and your creativity, whatever else you feel it’s necessary to do right now.

5 Benefits of Using a Typewriter on Your First Draft – An interesting theory of process.

Why Fiction Matters – Why you should keep plugging away at your work.

Toni Morrison on Reality TV, Black Lives Matter, and Meeting Jeff Bezos – An interview with the acclaimed author.

Writing Trans Characters – Some advice on how to write an accurate portrayal.

The Words and Works of Leonard Cohen – Saying goodbye to the talented singer/songwriter/poet.

Friday Links

Happy Friday! Another busy week, though mostly busy in good ways, for which I’m grateful. It was also a good week for gathering links; I feel like I have some particular goodies in this Friday’s batch, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. It’s a nice balance of readerly to writerly, and there should be a little something for everyone.

I’m looking at a working weekend, but with a little luck I’ll be able to squeeze in a bit of personal reading time. What are your weekend plans? Enjoying spring weather? An outing with friends or family? Regardless of your schedule, I wish you some reading time as well, not to mention a bit of quality time with your writing. Happy weekend, and enjoy!

A New ‘Wrinkle in Time’ – A look at the recently discovered passage that was cut from the original manuscript of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel.

Six Tips for Improving Your Dialogue – Great advice from author Eileen Cook.

Publication Opportunities for Writers: May and June, 2015 – A list of places to submit your work in the next couple of months.

The Radical Vision of Toni Morrison – Wonderful profile of the award-winning author.

At the Biggest Writers Conference in the World – One writer’s experiences at the recent AWP conference.

Toni Morrison: Dealing with Race in Literature

This interview is twenty-five-years old, and yet the discussion still seems relevant today. Toni Morrison talks to Bill Moyers about the depiction of people of color in literature as well as the role of that representation, both in reviews and in academic literary analysis.

This is the second part of a two-part interview, the first of which is titled On Love and Writing. You can view the first part here.