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Saturday, June 25, 2022

No one would publish my novel, and now it’s up for the Miles Franklin

 Public toilets have a duty to be accessible, poetry does not.

— Geoffrey Hill, born in 1932


How to win the Miles Franklin: analysing 64 years of data


Michael Winkler is still amazed at what’s happened to the little book that has been punching above its weight. He sold his print run of 500 copies, reckons he may have turned a three-figure profit, and Grimmish has now been reissued by Sydney publisher Puncher & Wattmann.

“Writing,” Winkler says, “is a lot of hard work and sitting in the dark for these little shiny moments, I suppose.” The next shiny moment could be a lot brighter.

No one would publish my novel, and now it’s up for the Miles Franklin


Michael Winkler: The ‘bonkers’ self-published book making history as a Miles Franklin contender


Michael Winkler’s Grimmish is a self-published literary success — but what of history’s other homemade triumphs? From Beatrix Potter to Marcel Proust, these authors managed to find wide audiences, despite the upturned noses of publishers


Literature has always been a way to understand who we are as a nation, and the last quarter of a century in novels shows how bold, innovative, brave and important our storytellers are.

The 25 best Australian novels of the last 25 years


Leaving Poland for New York in 1935, the novelist Isaac Bashevis Singer continued to write in Yiddish — the language of exile - the language of EXILE  


Daniel Naroditsky is the new NYT chess columnist


The economics of Wendy’s pricing


Rats being trained to help earthquake survivors


FAA regulatory requirements for SpaceX, stunning in their stupidity


The dysfunctionality of progressive non-profits.  Lays it all out.


Behavioral economics guide 2022, always impressive


You can’t pour from an empty cup' is a cliché seen on Pinterest boards around the world, but there’s a reason it’s everywhere — it’s true. You’re no good to anyone if you can’t help yourself.
Self(ish) Love: 4 Ways To Actually Put Yourself First

FASTER, PLEASE: Single brain scan can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

PHONE SCAMMERS EXPLAINED: Willingness to give away money among older adults linked to cognitive profile of early Alzheimer’s.


An Irish-Language Film Has Become An Unlikely Hit In The British Isles

The Quiet Girl (original title An Cailín Ciúin) "has astonished the industry by quadrupling the previous record for an Irish language film, and by last week earning more than €610,000 since its release in mid-May."  Small numbers by Hollywood standards, but huge for a foreign-language film in that market....


Looks Like Dance Classes Improve Your Memory

That's a summary, but: "Latinos age 55 and over who participated in a culturally relevant Latin dance program for eight months significantly improved their working memory compared with peers in the control group who attended health education workshops." - Neuroscience News

Ballet Is The Pursuit Of Perfection

Siphe November, who's 23 and has risen through the ranks to become the youngest principal dancer in the National Ballet of Canada's history, "has incredible technique, ... passion he brings to each movement and a magnetic pull that draws you in while he’s onstage." - The Globe and...


Why Do We Forget The Books We’ve Read?

Two big reasons: Interference - that is, the other books we've read get in the way; and passive engagement. That is, if you write a review of a book you're reading, you'll remember it better. But is it worth it? We have limited working memory, after all. - The...