Funny Times Comic

I think this comic expresses how a lot of us feel about our jobs at some time or another. If we weren’t crazy when we started, we sure are now.

comic from The Funny Times website on their “About the Funny Times Staff” page.

New Blog

So, I am a crappy blogger, I admit it. So, due to some chemical imbalance in my brain (and a lot of insanity) I have started a new blog.

That doesn’t mean this blog is dead in the water. I just couldn’t justify putting all the new stuff in this blog because it really doesn’t fit what this blog was supposed to be about to begin with. Not that I actually have kept with the idea very well anyways.

But if you are interested in Asian drama, anime, literature, and music, then check out the new blog at:

http://asianaddictsannon.wordpress.com/

Peace out!

Literary World Floundering?

Major publishers have made cutbacks, literary magazines have changed publishing frequencies.  For as many new magazines and presses that are starting out, many are throwing in the towel and calling it quits.

And why is this?

M-O-N-E-Y!

Well, some of it has to due with personal health and commitment issues (mainly for online, but for some print magazines as well). There are a lot of magazines folding due to the fact that subscriptions are down and they cannot keep publishing if they can’t even break even. Some magazines that have been housed and supported at universities find their funding sources cut off, meaning they have to scramble to find a source of income to keep publishing.

It is really sad. Contests have been suspended, some magazines that paid contributors for publishing their work have had to either cut down the amount or stop paying altogether.

Despite the floundering of literary publishing, the staples are still around, from the Hudson Review to The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review to Shenandoah. There are also new magazines springing up (many of them online, but some new print magazines such as Paul Revere’s Horse) that hope to challenge the decline that is being seen.

There are also new presses popping up, hoping to succeed where traditional publishing seems to be struggling. Digital media, e-books, POD – they are jumping onto the digital revolution, believing more people will flock to electronic media versus traditional print media.

Give me a musty old book anytime, I hate reading online if I can avoid it, but there are a lot of people taking to the new digital age.

Everything I Want to Say about Twilight But Can’t

Perusing the web, there is an online review about New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight Saga, published by USA Today. While listening to this article, I believe that author nicely sums up all my problems that this series has, but that I cannot not elucidate nicely.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2009-11-19-twilight-new-moon_N.htm
I was in my math class today and my students were irate with my opinion of the Twilight series because I expressed my dislike for the overly maudlin tale. And though I found the movie okay, I can honestly admit that it was not my most favorite film and that it actually lacked quite a bit from making it better.
And for all those Twilight lovers, take it with a grain of salt. Everyone’s taste is different. I would like to point out that there are actually better werewolf and vampire media out there, you just need to know where to find it. ^_^
Anne Rice can be long-winded and overly descriptive and I admit that Louie’s story is boring and difficult to get into, but honestly, her vampire books are just plain good – especially those told in Lestat’s voice. I highly recommend The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. Now, for tweens and teens, L.J. Smith’s Vampire Diaries series isn’t all that bad. I can read all four books all the way through without skipping pages due to saccharine and overly angsty crap.
Another good one for teens is Companions of the Night. Bittersweet ending, but not bad writing at all, again something I can read all the way through and enjoy.
Speaking of werewolves, Blood and Chocolate is a great read, although they distinguish themselves from werewolves as something like it, but not exactly a werewolf. I would skip the movie. It was crap and did not follow the plot line of the book at all. But again, not bad, not too angsty and a lot more enjoyable than Twilight.
So, yeah. To each their own.

Emo/Angst in EVERY Culture

But really, Chani has a point about emo and angst. They are very popular and well, as the great Charles Baxter puts it, "Hell sells." Why? Unfortunately, people lose interest in things if they are plain ol' happily ever after stories. Truthfully, conflict is needed. However, anime and manga in general do have a tendency to have some of the worst qualities of American soap operas. Basically meaning that a couple must go through every trial possible (which gets ridiculous after a certain point) just in order to be together. Please, family disapproval, enemies attacking from all sides (literary AND figuratively) is too much and the odds are actually against that many obstacles appearing (simultaneously AND in succession).

But it is not just in anime and manga. It is there in Asian drama, American soap operas and even prime time television now. It's getting worse, not better which makes television even more annoying. Charter calls continuosly and I can honestly say that I just don't watch that much tv because there is really too much crap out there.

And you want emo and angst? Check out Stephanie Myers Twilight series. OMG, talk about emo and angst. The first book was fine, the second book saw a dramatic increase and books 3 and 4? Fuh-gettaboutit. It is seriously ridiculous. So, I guess you can say there is no entertainment venue safe from emo and angst and I believe that this is totally different than Baxter implies with his quote. Sure, hell sells, but we're not talking about climbing through the seven circles while everyone is against you.

Too much is too much. Moderation is key. We need moderation in the anime and manga and literature and movies today. Melodrama will always be present (unfortunately, my much loved Escaflowne can be emo and angsty as well - but not quite to the evil extent of today), so how bout we tone it down just a little?

A Proud Moment

Back in either my sophomore or junior year at Adrian College a group of fellow students and I decided we wanted a place where we could write and receive feedback without worrying about creating a portfolio for a grade, thus our idea of establishing a writing club was born. A few of my friends thought it was too much of a hassle to go through the process of becoming an officially recognized organization, but I went through the tiring process of paperwork, research, and building a constitution, along with my close friend Sassy.

After going through the paperwork approval and then the official approval by the board, The Pen & Ink Society was created. Membership was low, we didn’t advertise and initially decided to forgo any fees, probably not the best idea, but all we really wanted was a comfortable environment where fellow student writers could come for workshops and I think the initial generation did a good job with what we had.

Now, the creation of this club in and of itself was a proud moment, but that is not what I am so happy about today. While doing some research for work, I stumbled across one of the winning essays from Eastern Michigan University’s Education First Essay Contest.  I was shocked/proud to see one of the winners was Adrian College’s own Angie Palaian.

I met her just as my stint as the Pen & Ink Society’s acting president was over, but I remember her work as strong and powerful and I am happy to know that the club meant something to her and am glad to see her go on to bigger and better things, such as pursuing a career as a college professor.

Rock on!

Another Tangled Google Mess

So I can’t explain this really well and I know it confuses the hell out of people who are actually dealing with it right now, so I am just going to post the link here:

http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/guild-responds-to-second-wme-letter-on.html

Nothing like copyright issues and settlement cases, but this is what people were concerned about long before Google was firmly cemented in their archive.

**A side note that has nothing to do with the Authors Guild/Google settlement, but I thought I would bring it up because it is irritating to an extent is that Facebook is now featured in Google searches. So, let’s say you want to Google a specific person, well if there are several people with that name in Facebook, those people will come up first, which, let’s face it, can be really annoying.  However, I don’t think I’ll switch my search engine to Bing just yet, their interface annoys they hell out of me.

Warning Labels - Let Hilarity Ensue

At work I came across something I found to be fairly amusing: A book with a "warning" label . . . or perhaps "rating" label is more precise. It is reminiscent of how TV rates viewer programs, from child safe to all that fun stuff (I can't recall an exact one but I think there was one that have like 13 or 14 on it saying it was unsuitable for children below that age) and of how videogames are rated (E for everyone, M for mature).

Wolf Pirate Publishing is actually putting labels like these on the back of their books. Really. I just laughed when I saw it. Probably not as funny as I am making it out to be, but it seems ridiculous to me.

So, on the back of The Angel's Iscariot, there is a box with a big, bold M next to another box that descries "Contains: Adult situations, violence, and mature subject matter not appropriate for young readers." And on the back of The Repossession is a box with an R next to another box that reads "Contains: Adult situation, violence, sexual content and mature subject matter not appropriate for young readers."

Apparently sexual content is the only thing that is the difference between an R rating and an M rating. Shouldn't that be an X rating instead? And, truthfully, this stuff is found in basic sections, not children's sections, so is a label even necessary?

Brave Men Press Releases First Books

I am copying and pasting the press release below.  But basically Brave Men Press is a new independent publisher that has released a lot of “coinsides” and is now releasing their first book: No Theater by Chris Tonelli.

***

BRAVE MEN PRESS is excited to announce the release of our first book, NO THEATER by Chris Tonelli.

Considering the responsibilities of the social world with a disconnected eye, NO THEATER is a collection of meticulously crafted poems that perform outside of time, but remain intuitively familiar and profound. Chris Tonelli reveals the artificialities of the everyday self with a language stalked by loss yet driven by possibility. Here, these poems come prepared in an armature of many masks and invested with an insight sure to move around the mental furniture of any reader.
Chris Tonelli co-curates The So and So Series and is the author of four chapbooks, most recently For People Who Like Gravity and Other People (Rope-A-Dope Press, forthcoming). He teaches at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where he lives with his wife Allison.
Read a sample poem at http://sixthfinch.com/tonelli2.html

Anderbo Looking for Novelist

Anderbo, an online lit mag, has put out a call looking for a novelist.  They hope to produce their first full-length novel for the website. Anderbo recently was published in Dzanc’s Best of the Web for 2009 for the story “The Right of Passengers” by Waqar Ahmed.

***
ANDERBO SEEKS NOVELIST:
Anderbo.com is seeking to post ONE unpublished entire novel on its website by December 1, 2009 for at least the following six months. We will look at the FIRST 30 PAGES (up to 10,000 words) of your e-manuscript and decide within 60 days if we want to see more. THERE IS NO READING FEE and all literary rights will remain with the author. No novel submissions will be accepted after September 1st. We guarantee to choose and use one manuscript, and to pay an honorarium of $300 to the chosen author upon publication. For technical guidelines and address see http://www.anderbo.com/guidelines.html

Bitten

So, here we are, the middle of summer and let’s take a look at some entertainment news. Funny enough, all revolving around vampires.

Twilight’s sequel New Moon is set to be released in theaters in November.  As much as I really started abhorring the books, it will be worth a gander. Although it is in this book that everything starts getting maudlin and melodramatic, but hey, nothing is perfect.

True Blood is back for it’s 2nd season on HBO.  I seriously have no idea why on earth this show has developed such a big following, but whatever. It’s hokey, full of cheese and the acting . . . well, its pretty obvious that the actor’s are acting.

The Vampire Diaries has been picked up by the CW and will begin airing episodes this fall. Congrats to L.J. Smith, however, I won’t hold my breath.  This is a pretty decent YA series that my sister and I read and reread growing up and has recently been re-released in 2 2-book special editions. Things never translate well between the written word and movies.  Funny enough, series based on books don’t translate the best either.  Who knows how much the plotline will diverge from the actual books.  I hope not much, but, like I said, things never translate well from book form to other media forms.

Also, Koishite Akuma, just began airing in Japan. What does this have to do with with American entertainment? Well, nothing really, unless you are like me and actually like Asian drama.  But, it is amusing to me because it is yet ANOTHER vampire related thing that is out in the entertainment world.

Vampires and the entertainment industry are no strangers to one another, but I find it rather amusing that now we are being swamped with all things vampire right now. What has happened that we have a sudden resurgence in vampire entertainment? People like to say it is all thanks to the success of Twilight, but can one book (or 4-book series) really bring such a rejuvenation into this long decaying and usually hokey market (seriously, there really aren’t a lot of great vampire movies/series out there)?

Micro-fiction that makes no sense

Sometimes the girl wondered what the big deal was.  It was just another day like any other.  Sure, it was the day that began a new biological year, but what was it’s significance?  It was never really celebrated or rejoiced.  In fact, she was pretty certain that her mother cursed this day every year – if she wasn’t too drunk to remember that is.

The girl sighed.  Life, supposedly the greatest gift.  This morning she had received one card telling her she was now officially over the hill at 25.  Enclosed was a picture of a Mayfly, a creature that lived such a brief life.

Sometimes the girl wondered why she was born.  Her parents hated each other enough to get divorced and move half a world apart, leaving her behind, stuck in the middle.

The girl sighed again and looked down at the card on the table.  She was burning that picture tonight.

Where have I heard that before?

My little sister told me that she wants to be a famous writer.  Nothing wrong with dreaming, although we all know the likelihood of them hitting it big is relatively low, especially in this economy, digital age, and the instant gratification factor.

My favorite part about this is the fact that she hates reading.  Now, this could be because of her ESL nightmares, however, I think not. She is enraptured with her movies and television, but can’t be bothered to pick up a book.

Now, I am from the school that to be a good writer, you have to be a good reader.  Am I wrong?  I guess one doesn’t have to read a book to write a book, but it helps.  Especially if you can get your hands on those really special, well-written tomes.

I have always been an avid reader.  I have had stories and poems circulating and percolating in my brain for ages.  But I believe all the literature I have read, and the classes I have took, have made me the better writer.

It really breaks my heart to hear that the majority of children would rather watch tv than curl up with a good book.

Burn, Baby, Burn

And so this is how it begins. This is how it begins, and this is how it ends . . . in fire and in ice. Burning passions, freezing loves consuming the world – seeking, searching. It is never enough. It is never enough. This echoes and resounds. He is consumed by fire – nothing but burning passion. She is ice incarnate – her love burns as it freezes. Seeking, searching. They can never find the other without withering within. Opposites consumed by fire, burning hot, burning cold til nothing is left, even heaven has turned to ash.

I didn’t see that coming

But still, it is rather amusing. The people at Unshelved posited a question to librarians, booksellers, and readers: “What do you wish publishers knew?” They went through over a hundred emails and compiled and distilled the responses into a book (with original comics based on some of the quotes). The title of this volume? Publisher Confidential: Frank Feedback for Publishers from Librarians, Booksellers, and Readers. Try saying that in one breath.

Who would have thought that there would be a book telling publishers what the public wants. Will the publishers listen? Who knows. My favorite part of this book is the cover illustration. A comic of a quandary. Librarians, booksellers, and readers are buying fewer books because of the sometimes astronomical pricing, according to publishers they are raising prices because no one is buying. Sound business sense. Since no one is buying, jack the prices to make sure it stays that way ;)

Still, this is a book worth checking out. Some of the quotes seem silly, but hey, it’s good for a laugh and a “hell yeah.”

Enjoy!

College Book Store to go Bookless

Caltech, needing to severely trim its 2010 budget, has decided to merge the Caltech Bookstore with the popular c-store.  They will sell merchandise and food, and some published Caltech authors, but other than that, not a book is to be seen.

Students will now have to acquire their textbooks online.  Right now, plans are being made to create an easy-to-use interface to make things easier on students and staff alike when it comes time to buy books.

Out of all the ways to cut spending – they choose to eliminate books.  Even TEXTBOOKS!  And this is a college?  True books seem overpriced and you can never get half of what you spend back off of those books, but some students need a bricks and mortar bookstore.

Check out the article and the responses this decision has made, here: [http://www.nacs.org/news/041709-caltech.asp?id=cm]

The Monkey’s Paw

A bookshop in Toronto, The Monkey’s Paw, is definitely a curiosity shop.  It specializes in “uncommon scholarly and out-of-print books; ephemera & images; manual typewriters; [and] biological specimens.”

Seriously. One would expect some odd things in a book and curiosity shop, but biological specimens?  Definitely a must-see if one is ever in the Toronto area.

The books offered are amusing to note, such as A Treatise on the Use of Flogging in Medicine and Venery by John Henry Meibomius along with poetry by Alfred Lord Tennyson.  Something for everyone. From history nerds, literature lovers, and people who are just amused by rare and weird items.

To check out some of what The Monkey’s Paw stocks, check out their blog. [http://mo-paw.blogspot.com/]

NewPages Reviews New Issues of Literary Magazines

NewPages updated their Literary Magazine Review column yesterday. It contains 11 new reviews of the current (or one of the most recent issues) of online and print magazines.

Magazines reviewed in this batch of reviews are:

The Antioch Review :: The Chaffin Journal :: ChiZine :: Eclectica :: The Farallon Review :: Journal of Ordinary Thought :: Manoa :: The Missouri Review :: storySouth :: The Sun :: Tuesday

This edition even contains a double review of the two most recent issues of Tuesday; an art project. So go and dip your toes into the world of literary magazines and maybe you’ll even be inspired to purchase the issues reviewed or even to subscribe to the magazines in question.

Anita Blake Telefilm Announced

Oh dear God no!  That was my first reaction to an article I read today on the Publishers Weekly website. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6648610.html

And why this reaction?  Once upon a time, I was a fan of the Anita Blake book.  Not so much now.  Why?  Well, truthfully when there is more sex in a book than plot, why bother reading?  The scariest part is that the author actually mentioned that she knew there was more sex and less plot.  Some fans craved the overly graphic and excessive sex scenes, while others wanted more plot.  What to do? Seriously, does that question even need to be asked? I think not.

Another reason for the reaction: HBO’s take on the Sookie Stackhouse series. Trueblood is campy, stupid, and filled with so much cheese that it is ridiculous.  Not to mention, its total disregard of the actual plot of the series.  Granted it is entertaining pop fiction, but still.  Charlaine Harris had some good books before the plot went totally south.  Open-ended series – never a really good idea.

So another book series bites the dust. Another movie shall be made. The first few books were ok, so maybe the movie will be ok.  But with the track record of movies and series based on books, that is hard to believe.

NewPages Book Reviews

It is the first of the month again - that means that NewPages has new book reviews up. From memoirs to short story collections to poetry to YA novels to essays on Emerson and writing, there is a little something here for everyone to dip their toes into and explore new books from several independent publishers.

Enjoy the reviews!
[http://www.newpages.com/bookreviews/2009_4/april2009_book_reviews.htm]