Branding and Freedom in the Market Economy: A Conversation with Calvin Baker and Colson Whitehead
Tonight, at Lolita (266 Broome St. at Allen, NYC)One Story author Calvin Baker and Colson Whitehead will be having a conversation, moderated by the blogger Maud Newton. For complete details go here.To see what Maud has to say about Calvin’s new novel, Dominion, go here.
I just returned from Sirenland, One Story’s first writers’ conference. We spent a week in Positano, Italy at Le Sirenuse, with One Story author Dani Shapiro and our host, Antonio Sersale. Eleven writers from across the United States participated in this special workshop, gave readings, went to talks about publishing, and met individually with Dani and myself. The weather was touch and go, but the setting was amazing, and the food out of this world. One Story found some new Italian subscribers, and many friends were made, and mandolins played. To see more pictures, and find out information about the conference, visit www.sirenland.net. I will post again when Sirenland starts reading applications for next year. 
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2007, judged by Charles D’Ambrosio, Ursula K. LeGuinn and Lily Tuck, and featuring One Story issue #64 “The Scent of Cinammon” by Charles Lambert is now available for pre-order. Check out the cover here. Pub date is: May 8, 2007.
I’m in Boston right now, and there is snow on the way, up to thirteen inches, they are saying on the radio. There is always one last storm in New England, one last hurrah in late March or early April, when everyone is sick to death of the cold. But then, when the spring finally comes, there is the sense that you’ve earned it. I feel a bit like the narrator in Lydia Peelle’s “Reasons For and Advantages of Breathing,” waiting for the winter to end. In college, I started off as a biology major, so there was something comforting when I first picked up this story, its structure suggesting a science textbook, and when I came to the line: “This is my office, he says proudly, and these are my anoles.” I was completely charmed. The characters had taken form and I believed every inch of them. The narrator in this story is buried�not just by the mountains of snow outside her window, but also by regret and depression, and to see her be drawn to the Herpetologist and his anoles, his terrariums full of snakes and his tropical laboratory, I got the sense of watching someone slowly waking from a deep hibernation. The warmth of the Herpetologist spreads through the pages, until she can feel self-preservation take hold of her heart. Trust the body, says the Herpetologist. Not the mind. The body loves itself. I couldn’t agree more.
Friday night’s reading featuring Margo Rabb was a really fun event. Lots of people showed up and Margo was nice enough to answer a couple questions after she read. There are a few photos up here thanks to Hannah.
That’s all until next month, which will feature David Petersen.
After reading the recent Publisher’s Weekly article about Algonquin’s potentially-hazardous marketing campaign, I decided to see if I could locate the man in the midst of the action, One Story author Brock Clarke.
He was kind enough to answer a few questions questions about the marketing of his new novel, An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England.
KS: Whose idea was it to promote the book in such a unique way?
BC: Well, some of the good, talented people at Algonquin thought it up. This should be obvious, but only because I’m not creative enough to think if it myself. If publicity were left to me, I’d probably do something ingenious like make sure my mother told her cousins about the novel, and let word of mouth take over from there, which it surely would not have.
KS: Were you anticipating anyone to find the letters threatening in any way?
BC: I didn’t really anticipate anything–once I learned of the promotion, I didn’t think, “What if this happens?” Or, “I hope this happens,” or “I hope this doesn’t happen.” I just said, “Sounds good,” which is what I tend to do when someone so clearly knows more about something than I do. This happens all the time, and so I’m somewhat expert at it by now.
As for naming fake historical homes: this seems to me the clearest evidence of the letters’ fictiveness. Each of the letters mentions the guy–my narrator, Sam Pulsifer–as the guy who already has burned down the Emily Dickinson House. And as anyone who cares–or who cares enough to get on the Web for five seconds–knows, the Emily Dickinson House is still very much intact and accepting paying customers in lovely Amherst, Masschusetts. Besides, the houses that are torched in my novel are all real writers’ houses, and despite them being torched in fiction, they all still exist in reality. That which happens in fiction doesn’t necessarily happen in real life. This is as good a definition of fiction as I know. And for that matter, a pretty fair definition of memoir, too.
KS: Were you aware of the recent Cartoon Network “scandal” (in which Lite-Brite esque signs were confused for bombs)? Any thoughts on the concurrence of Boston-area police getting tipped off about marketing campaigns?
BC: I was aware of the Adult Swim scare, sure. But the two don’t seem to have a lot to do with each other: one, as I understand it, could have been mistaken for a bomb, maybe. The other–the letter–was clearly a fictive letter. I mean, the letter was real–it existed–but it clearly was about something that hadn’t already happened (again, the Emily Dickinson House still stands) as though it had actually already happened. The head of the Edith Wharton House seemed to recognize this, and to take it with good humor, and a sense of fun, for which I’m grateful.
KS: Do you think “viral marketing” and other creative techniques work for selling books?
BC: Again, I have no idea what works, or not. All I’m really concerned with–and pretend to have some expertise about–is writing fiction, and even then I’m not always totally sure what works or what doesn’t. I trust the folks Algonquin know what they’re doing, and nothing that they’re done thus far as suggested they don’t. I just say, “Sounds good” and get out of their way, and get back to writing.
If this has left you hungry for some short stories you can check out The Georgia Review (.pdf) or the virgina Quarterly Review. You can also pick up Carrying the Torch, or What We Won’t Do from Powells.com.
Thanks to Brock Clarke and N.M. Kelby for stopping by and signing books with us. Here they are, looking good at the One Story booth:
Brock Clarke with his collection Carrying the torch
NM Kelby with Whale Season.
Next up, congratulations to the winner of the Air Hockey Tournament: fiction editor of Agni, Billy Giraldi! Here’s some shots of the final match:
CJ Evans, Associate Poetry Editor of Tin House versus Billy Giraldi of Agni, with NM Kelby in the background.
One with the crowd.
Finally here’s Editor Hannah Tinti at her panel about fiction over dvds. From left to right Jennifer Vanderbes, Justin Cronin, Hannah, Dan Chaon, and Tom Barbash.
Thanks and congratulations to all the lit mags who have competed sofar in One Story’s first annual AWP Air Hockey tournament.
The competition was stiff even before the first teams signed up, withthe lit mags abundant, the testosterone flowing, and the round-robinwith only 8 available spaces. One Story decided to sit this one outleaving Land Grant College Review, Agni, Small Beers Press, Redivider,Plougshares, Sub Tropics, Post Road, and Tin House to battle for theglory.
So far it has been fierce, and it looks like tomorrow’s final showdownbetween Agni and Tin House will be no different! Stop by table #18around 2PM to witness the carnage. From 2-3 NM Kelby will also besigning her beautiful new paperback copies of “Whale Season”.
Check out some photos of the action:
LandGrant College Review and Agni show down with Maribeth Batcha,Publisher, cheering in the background.
Redividerversus Plougshares (Yes, this was basically a route 128 showdown).
Anyone and everyone who will be perusing the AWP bookfair at any time this weekend:
One Story has set up shop at table #18. Come on by to see what crazy thing we’ve assigned to literature now that the duckpond has become passe. (And–pick up issues on the cheap!)