Compulsive Reader Newsletter May

The Compulsive Reader newsletter for May has gone out.  This month's issue has a baker's dozen of fresh reviews including such gems as  The Alphabet of Women edited by Miriam Hechtman, American Daguerreotypes by James Penha, and Scale Model of a Country at Dawn by John Sibley Williams along with an interview with The Filthy Marauders' Bob Freville. We also have two new giveaways and a big round-up of April's literary news.  If you haven't received it yet you can grab a copy from the archive.  There is also a new interview with Yilinhi or Lorna Munro. You can listen directly here: https://anchor.fm/compulsivereader/episodes/Talking-poetry-with-YilinhiLorna-Munro-e1h49p2

If you'd like to subscribe visit http://www.compulsivereader.com

A Paradise of Poets

I missed poetry monday...sorry!  It's been a little busy in the lead-up to year-end to say the least, but if poetry doesn't happen I get grumpy so here is a Thursday dose, and we'll get back to our regular scheduled monday poem next week.  I've been taking my own advice and listening to Poem Talk, and have just come across the marvellously succinct (called it 'condensed' if you like) poem "A Paradise of Poets" by Jerome Rothenberg. You can read the full text of the poem, which isn't long, here. The Poem Talk episode is here.  In the Poem Talk episode, Al Filreis is joined by Bob Holman, Jessica Lowenthal and Randall Couch, and their often funny discussion about the poem is well worth a listen, as is Rothenberg's excellent reading, which you can also hear in the episode. "A Paradise of Poets" manages to bring together so many threads - the history of poetry itself from Dante onwards, and the whole nature of poetic creation - in so few words. I see Rothenberg's Limbo as a positive place - a place of camaraderie where the poet mingles and performs and waits ("sitting here in limbo") for the poems to be birthed anew each time it's read, before moving back to the point of creation - that cyclical quality that Bob Holman speaks of in the Poem Talk episode. That private moment of conception (in the silent space of creation) is always solipsistic, but it opens out in the limbo space, and then back to creation again.

Just by way of a little promo, next Monday we'll be featuring Jennifer Maiden's Liquid Nitrogen.  The book cover alone, a picture of the Eta Carinae nebula, was enough to draw my attention, but the poems...oh just you wait. 

Podcasting for Writers Workshop

I'm excited to report that I'll be delivering the inaugural Writers on the Move Workshop. If you've always wanted to have your own radio show, or just want to know what a podcast is, and how to use it to promote your own work, then you're invited to join me to learn about Podcasting for Writers!  The workshop will be a LIVE hour long chat format, scheduled for May 16 at 7pm US EST. 

There is no charge for the workshop, but you will need to register. Please send an email to me at: maggieball@compulsivereader.com so I can send you a password, attendance link, and workbook. 

A bit about the workshop:

The simplest definition of a podcast is just a recorded radio show and I will provide the information you need to get your podcast up and running. I’ll define what a podcast is and the many different ways you can either do a single podcast, or start your own “radio show” or even syndication with recorded podcasts.
This will be a very informative workshop for writers who want to bring their books and/or services to a larger audience. If you’re blogging now, the next step is to create podcasts and I can show you how.  It's time to take your promotions to the next level.  I'll look forward to you joining me! 

What frightens you? Comp newsflash

Because I'm having trouble contacting my winners (no responses), I've decided to open this comp up to everyone - just email me with your postal address (US and CA only I'm afraid), and the subject line Literary Life, and I'll choose the first entry as the winner!  The October episode of Penguin's The Literary Life podcast investigates fright: that disturbing feeling that can spring from the most unlikely of places—even the pages of books. Sarah Waters joins Penguin to discuss her newest book, The Little Stranger, a gothic novel and finalist for the Man Booker Prize that critics have compared to Henry James and Edgar Allen Poe. Koren Zailckas, author of Smashed and Fury joins us to rant about what not to do when reading your own audiobook in our latest installation of The Writer's Rant. Rich Hasselberger explains why designing a book jacket for a thriller is different than for a paranormal romance and Kristin Hersh, founder of the band Throwing Muses, talks about her memoir Rat Girl.   Because Penguin knows how much I like to give away books, they've offered me a copy of one of the featured books (your choice).  To win, just make sure you're following us.  I'll choose the winner at random from followers.  Giveaway will only run for this week, so don't delay!  Happy Halloween.

Another (fast) book giveaway

Today, Penguin Group launches a new monthly radio series called The Literary Life. Completely written, produced, and hosted by Penguin employees, The Literary Life features literary fiction and nonfiction from bestselling, critically acclaimed authors and fast-rising newcomers. It’s hosted by Jake Morrissey, Executive Editor at Riverhead Books. Each episode will debut on the last Tuesday of the month. In addition to candid interviews with authors, regular segments on The Literary Life include: Inside Publishing, featuring a publishing personality giving a behind-the-scenes look into the book industry; Writer’s Rant, where authors are given the floor to vent; and Penguin Mix Tape, featuring interviews and performances by musicians-turned-authors.

To celebrate the launch, we've got one of the 4 new books featured on this month’s show – Rosanne Cash’s Composed, Maile Meloy’s Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, Doug Dorst’s The Surf Guru or Sloane Crosley’s How Did You Get This Number.

To win, just send me an email at maggieball@compulsivereader.com with your postal address, and the title you want. You'll have to be fast, as this giveaway ends on Friday, 3rd September.

The debut episode of The Literary Life is now available for listening here and is downloadable from iTunes. In this episode, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, author of the new bestselling memoir Composed, answers questions and performs “The World Unseen.” Maile Meloy, author of the bestselling collection Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It, and Doug Dorst, author of The Surf Guru and Alive in Necropolis, discuss the art of the short story. Sloane Crosley, author of the bestselling essay collections I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number, rants about punctuation.

Are you living creatively?

I've been taking a fascinating course on Overcoming Creative Anxiety from creativity maestro Eric Maisel (could this be procrastination?).  Time management is more of an issue for me than anxiety (I'm anxious that I'm struggling to manage my time though), but I have to say that I've been finding the course fascinating, especially about carving out, and honoring the creative space (you know, that time you put aside to write your novel that keeps getting interrupted).  Perhaps allowing and even inviting those interruptions is also driven by a form of anxiety and avoidance.  There are plenty of excellent no cost podcasts by Eric (who is, above all, intelligent and articulate) over at: http://creative.personallifemedia.com.  "On Being Too Nice" is my current favourite (and I guess a personal issue for me).  A very motivating form of procrastination.