This Week in Words – Oct 6

by Treehouse Editors

compiled by Rachel Bondurant

Mary Hamilton has an essay in The Rumpus called “On Being Average” which is sure to knock you down a peg or two. I suddenly want to give away all my worldly possessions and live off the land or something. They should publish this in leaflet form so you can pass it out to every self-entitled asshole you meet on the street. It’s that good.

Publisher’s Weekly did all the work for me this week by compiling a list of the top ten most referenced songs in literature (the results will not surprise you). The information came from Small Demons, a – I don’t even know how to describe it – a vortex of bookish goodness (maybe?). It’s a place where you can click on a book (let’s try Catch-22) and it lists for you what other books mention it (Kinky’s Celebrity Pet Files by Kinky Friedman), people and places mentioned in the book (Henry Fonda and the Republic of Malta), and even food and drinks and “everything else” (martinis and Mae West). Care for a trip down the rabbit hole, anyone? You can get lost in there for hours.

Sundog Lit may not have their first issue out yet (expected sometime mid-month) but the content they are running suggests that we have a lot to look forward to. Their Photogene series, which features a photograph from which you are encouraged to find inspiration, has produced beautiful stories from beautiful art. The most recent story by Angela Palm called “When You Are an Only Child” is brief, but packs a whole lot of hurt.

Nib Magazine just launched their first issue which is available as an e-pub for your various mobile devices (or you can read it on the web). It features short stories and poetry from a number of writers, including Leesa Cross-Smith, author of “A Modest Guide to Truculence/Survival: Girls.” Nib also features short fiction in their series, “Flash Fridays.” This week’s story by Stephen Ramey is called “Collision Course” and it fits in with my theme this week of “stuff that is kick-you-in-the-face fantastic.”

I love John Waters, don’t you? Do you know what John Waters loves? Reading a steamy excerpt from Lady Chatterley’s Lover aloud on YouTube. What better way to close out Banned Books Week?