In the introduction to Poems of Paul Celan, the translator Michael Hamburger writes: Many of these persons may have no existence or significance outside the poem. It is the poem that creates them or discovers them. My happy interpretation of that? You can make stuff up if you want to. Poetic license. Create new words.... Continue Reading →
Not many people can get through high school without reading J.D. Salinger's iconic book The Catcher in the Rye. The reclusive author of this angst-ridden novel passed away today at the ripe old age of 91. From The New York Times: Mr. Salinger’s literary reputation rests on a slender but enormously influential body of published... Continue Reading →
You may have heard of the movie The Basketball Diaries. And if you've heard of it, you probably know that Leo DiCaprio starred in this angst-ridden flick way back in the day (1995, in case you were wondering). The character he played was that of real-life poet and punk rocker (and one-time heroin addict) Jim... Continue Reading →
In my MFA program, we once had a long and drawn out class discussion about the font that was used in poet Lynn Emanuel's collection Then, Suddenly. The offending character that began this argument? The question mark. The font style used to typeset her book employed a question mark that was especially curly. Fat on... Continue Reading →
I firmly believe that every young woman should read Little Women at least once in her life and become acquainted with the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. If you have a sister or sisters, are super-close with your mother, or just have friends who you're convinced you were separated from at birth, this... Continue Reading →
We will regularly feature Creative Writing Prompts in the poetry section of Novel Novice. Because writers should write, right? And every lover of reading - even if fiction is your usual bag - should give poetry a shot at least once in their life. Writers also get writer's block. So to help you get scribbling... Continue Reading →
I have a thing for small books that are all cute and different and feel good and fit snugly in any size bag I carry. Now, full disclosure, I often discriminate against books for their covers as much as I allow them to influence me in a positive way. I am not the kind of... Continue Reading →
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