A writer--and, I believe, generally all persons--must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource. All things have been given to us for a purpose, and an artist must feel this more intensely. All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art."
Jorge Luis Borges, Twenty Conversations with Borges"
A lot of people believed in Australia for 1,000 years before its discovery. There had to be a commensurate weight – somewhere Down Under – to counter the northern land mass; an “unknown Southland” which was crucial to maintaining the balance of the world. To confuse matters, the continent was dubbed La Australia del Espiritu Santo – in honour of the House of Austria Literary guide to Australia
Aussie restaurateur, Paul Mathis has invented a new letter of the alphabet to replace the word "the" because he thinks it is more efficient Ze Kold Riva
Memories are not stamped on the brain. They are, in fact, malleable, rebuilt when recalled. Proust, it turns out, was no neuroscientist... The safest memories are those you never remember ~ On Writing in Books
What do the names Jimi Hendrix, Sylvia Plath, and Terry Fox have in common? Two notable commonalities for which they are all remembered – bright, burning passion, and the fact that they died too young Those who died young … ~ Five Literary Magazines That Restore My Faith in Publishing ~ stories are good for you ~ Life's Too Short... What Makes You Put Down a Book?
And I wish desperately for qualities
Moments like this demand, and which I lack.
Philip Larkin, "The Dance" (courtesy of John Podhoretz)