The Things She Read

I had the great luxury of abandoning my computer for a few hours and jumping on a train. That meant more time than I've had in months to read!

And fortunately, I picked some amazing things to take with me. I read a piece by Chris Jones (Canadian author of the celebrated profile of Roger Ebert in Esquire) called "The Things that Carried Him." (Not to be confused with another fantastic piece from the Atlantic, "The Things He Carried") This piece earned Esquire and Jones a National Magazine Award. It's a phenomenal feat of journalism that tells how the body of an American soldier finds its way home to his grave in Indiana. The story is a few years old but its power hasn't diminished one bit.

You won't be able to put it down and you will not soon forget the story. If I sound hyperbolic, I'm not. It's really that good. Make sure you have Kleenex nearby.

On a lighter note, try the New Yorker's Parent's Guide to "Your New College Graduate"

Finally - I've just started Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. I like this book because it was a winner for me in our book publisher "fantasy football" league (pick your list, order books, see how they sell), but also because it happens to be written in Friedman's signature lucid style. The book is a manifesto, calling America to step up and embrace sustainability as way of life-- and the its best hope for the future. Friedman's prose is urgent, clear, and persuasive. When I'm done, I'm sure I'm going to feel very smart.

More things I have collected

To read:

• "Marijuana Fuels a New Kitchen Culture," New York Times
• "200 Moments that Changed Journalism, 2000-2009," Poynter
• "What Startups Are Really Like"

To share:

• "Sweetest at the End," Modern Love, New York Times (Your tears via Cynara)
• The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.

For your convenience:

• What The Fuck Should I Make for Dinner? (via Ryan)

To listen to:




For your information:

• this

Gaga Roundup

image /via Sean McCabe at the Atlantic

There's been no shortage of magazines, lately, dissecting the popularity and stardom of the Lady Gaga.

First, New York magazine's Gaga-quotation-filled piece, "Growing up Gaga," where the pop star says something I don't like: "Pop stars should not eat." (The rest, however, is pretty fascinating, even if you've read a lot of about her)

Second, a DJ-friend writes a memoir for Esquire about his relationship with Gaga before she made it big. He reveals information and photos that are uncomfortably intimate yet still boring. That's "Lady Gaga: The Grandmother of Pop"

Finally, the Atlantic pulls apart Gaga as object, symbol, and artist in "The Last Pop Star."

Quoted: Interviews

"Journalists request interview the way beggars ask for alms, reflexisvely and nervously. Like beggars, journalists must always be prepared for a rebuff, and cannot afford to let pride prevent them from making the pitch. But it isn't pleasant for a grown man or woman to put himself or herself in the way of refusal. In my many years of doing journalism, I have never come to terms with this part of the work. I hate to ask. I hate it when they say no. And I love it when they say yes."

-Janet Malcolm, "Iphigenia in Forest Hills," The New Yorker

LongForm.org

Slate led me to my favourite website of the week, Longform.org. Longform was started by Max Linsky and Aaron Lammer to share their favourite pieces of journalism.

I think every writer and aspiring writer keeps a folder of favourite articles (e- and hard copy versions) they've read. This is the website I've always wanted: a place to dig into the archives and find gems you've never heard of but other long-form J fans have loved.

The articles date back as far as 1966 (Esquire, of course) and others can be found on newsstands currently. Writers represented in the latest Longform.org lineup are the usual suspects—Susan Orlean, Mark Leibovich, Mark Bowen, James Fallows, Simon Winchester, David Grann, Michael Lewis, Jeanne Marie Laskas, John Sack, Jeffrey Goldberg.

Bonus: LongForm works closely with Instapaper (possibly the best app out there) so that you can save and read these great pieces on the go.

I love you, I hate you Arianna

Today Syracuse's School of Public Communication, which trains journalists, honours Arianna Huffington with a Fred Dressler Lifetime Achievement Award... for making money on the backs of unpaid writers?

More commentary at Advertising Age

Unbelievable (and very often, heartbreaking) images honoured By the Pulitzer Prizes and Overseas Press Club this weekend for photographic reportage (at the Daily Beast).