Faucet of Catholic Book Jackets

“Talent is like a faucet; while it is open, you have to write. Inspiration?—a hoax fabricated by poets for their self-importance.”

~ Jean Anouilh (quoted in the New York Times, Oct. 2, 1960)

Dead Authors Get The Best Book Covers (Wait – Why?)

“Reading takes place in this nebulous kind of realm, and in a way, the jacket is part of the thing that you bring back from that experience. It’s the thing that you hold on to.”

Via NPR 

Now There’s Even A Prize For Roman Catholic Lit ($25,000, No Less)

The George W. Hunt Prize, sponsored by the Jesuit magazine America and Yale’s St. Thomas More Chapel, stipulates that nominees “should be familiar with the Roman Catholic tradition … [and] be a person of sound moral character and reputation and must not have published works that are manifestly atheistic or morally offensive.” (Good luck to the jurors on hashing that out.)

Via The Washington Post

McSweeney’s Is Going Nonprofit – And That’s *Not* A Disaster For Literature

“Though we’d all like to see independent publishers like McSweeney’s selling more each year, it’s vital that some publishers primarily seek quality and artistic innovation.”

Via Huffington Post Arts 

“Too much depression will not result in a work of art because a work of art is an affirmative gesture. To compose, you have to feel that you are accomplishing something. If you feel you are accomplishing something, you won’t feel so depressed. You may feel depressed, but it can’t be so depressing that you can’t move. No, I would say that people create in moments when they are elated about expressing their depression!”

~ Aaron Copland (quoted in The Creative Experience: How and Why Do We Create?, courtesy of Maria Popova)