Rarely Likable

Old School Linkbucket

I realized the other day that I used to curate linkbuckets a bit more. In other words, I'd provide the link and then prattle about it for a line or two. I have no idea which method people prefer, so here's your chance to compare.

Issue 36 of Storyglossia has a very interesting theme: Musical Obsession. I know of a story that should be subbed here. It's not mine, so all I can do is nag...or work on something of my own.

The posted-damn-near-everywhere NPR three minute fiction contest. The page kinda hints that reading lots of Lydia Davis is a good way to prime the pump, doesn't it?

iTunes for comics. I would buy a lot more comics and especially manga if I had something like this. Well, something like this, plus a job. But I digress. Portable, please. Not just iPhone/iPod Touch, please.

A review of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction. I really enjoyed this guide. There's a very wide range of approaches, examples, and exercises.

(British) suburbia needs a new literary champion. Am I dim, or is David Mitchell missing from this list? My prediction for today: Thanks to the demographic shifts now taking place, literature about suburbia will change dramatically in the next twenty years. Anyway, a few books I haven't read in this article -- and now I also have the itch to go look for my copy of The Buddha of Suburbia.

Nine unique ambient advertisements. Naturally, the Spiderman one is my favorite, even though spiders don't urinate.

My local newspaper has a fondness for really poorly done charts and graphs. This past Sunday, they had one that was something like "Five Summer Beach Reads." It included stuff like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which I haven't read. But it also included J. Robert Lennon's Castle, which I have. It startled me because (1) my local newspaper almost never deals in anything fantastic and (2) while Castle is my kinda beach read, I'm not sure that would be true of the sort of reader who gravitates toward The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. The only reason I haven't written a post about Castle is because it would turn into a dissertation.

I'm glad to see that other, more successful writers don't always know what's missing when they sit down to work, either.

Two for one advice! It's interesting to think about what Cary Tennis and Gawker would each have to say about my problems, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Maybe they should pair up all the time?

If you come here for the LOLMFA links, then you owe it to yourself to read Tod Goldberg's thoughtful post on some timely teaching-of-creative-writing topics.

An interview with Ron Currie (Everything Matters!). While I am really looking forward to checking the book out, can someone please direct me to women who write novels like this? I know of some almosts, and I could also probably use some reminders.

One for the research file: If distant worlds watch our transmissions, here's what they're seeing right now.

There are other reasons I think Dubai would be an interesting place to visit, but this is definitely one of them.

20+ minireviews of fountain pen inks. Still haven't inked the True Writer yet. I may cartridge it first. Or I might see about getting some samples myself.

Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince. All three turned 50 last year.

Tayari on choosing readers. I love how she gives writer advice in categories that are often skipped in favor of ones that are done to death. Maybe her next book should be a compilation?

Want to enroll in a writing class online? Here's an overview.

Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip, comes out on 10/1. My daughter wanted to be Bill Watterson for her school's Biography Day this year, and I had to explain to her that there wasn't going to be enough source material for the report part of the project. She ended up choosing Tiger Woods instead. Neither of her parents play or watch golf.

And finally: If you're like me and enjoy giggling at others who use social networking? There's Lamebook and Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook.

Review: Larry's Kidney, by Daniel Asa Rose

Larry's Kidney: Being the True Story of How I Found Myself in China with my Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Skirting the Law to Get Him a Transplant -- and Save His Life is what it says in its thirty-five word title. If I could add thirty-two more words, I think they'd be: You Won't Like the Title Character Very Much. You May Also Not Like Other Details. But Life Is Not Always Neat, Poignant or Noble. If That Bothers You, Move Down the Shelf.

The quest begins with an out of the blue phone call: After a fifteen year (understandable) silence, Larry asks his cousin, author Daniel Asa Rose, to accompany him to China. Larry's mission is twofold: to find a kidney transplant in a country where it is illegal, and to meet a woman with whom he has been corresponding online. Larry's got money, a degree of tenacity, and perhaps most important? A very good idea of just how unpleasant he is. Larry knows he needs to bring Daniel with him in order to achieve his goals -- besides, Larry's utterly alienated the rest of the family.

Medical tourism, international online dating, China preparing for the Olympics, cross-cultural communication, cousins working through what has often been an acrimonious relationship...it's a heady mix, and the pacing in the first half of the book sometimes approaches frantic. I could see where some might confuse frantic with wacky -- particularly given the usual gravitas of some of the subject matter. But if you step back for a moment and think: The narrator has just arrived in a country to accomplish something that would not be looked upon favorably by its government, with few to no direct resources. He doesn't speak the language, and must take care of a cantankerous kidney transplant candidate who isn't sure about his new girlfriend, isn't interested in cultural immersion or self-improvement and eats nothing but Girl Scout cookies? Frantic starts to make sense, and it's really best to just hang on for the ride.

An appeal to the expatriate community is successful, and the cousins spend time waiting for the kidney in a hospital. As a result, the book changes pace. In another book, Larry would use this time to mull over his life. Then, inspired by the kindness and generosity around him, he would decide to become a better person just before going under the knife. In this book, Larry uses the time to mull over his life, deal with his new girlfriend, eat Kentucky Fried Chicken, and agonize over the cost of the transplant. While he's surrounded by kindness and generosity, little changes. Meanwhile, through Daniel, we get to see views of the city beyond the hospital -- how daily life for its residents is a compilation that is both familiar and strange. We're also introduced to other hospital residents -- people who have the luxury and anxieties that are peculiar to this form of tourism.

Daniel also addresses some of the questions for which there simply isn't time in the first half of the book: Why China? Why not ask family members? Why is Larry, well, Larry? And how will this adventure change the cousins' tenuous relationship? As with Larry himself, the answers are not always clear...or conducive to lessons learned on a global scale.  But, well, that's life. Like waiting for an organ transplant, life is rarely tidy, without risk, or guaranteed to have an ideal outcome.

Larry's Kidney: Being the True Story of How I Found Myself in China with my Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Skirting the Law to Get Him a Transplant -- and Save His Life
Daniel Asa Rose
William Morrow, May 2009
Find at B&N, Powell's (which also features a self-interview), IndieBound, Amazon, and Goodreads (which includes a video)

Science!

I have a story in the July issue of decomP. decomP is a litmag I've read for quite a while now -- so it's particularly nice to be among its usual great company.

Fun facts about "Headspace Sampler:"

-- I had to learn how a mass spectrometer worked for a science class in college. Even before I wrote this story, it's been a very useful piece of information.
-- I thought briefly about having the exhibit be about something other than criminalistics, since mass spectrometers are used in a variety of labs.
-- The moms probably owe their existence to Grace Paley stories.
-- I've never been to St. Louis, much less their science center. It looks pretty cool, though.

Solstice Linkbucket

-- Video game based on Lars Von Trier's Antichrist to be released next year. Sadly, it will not be an MMO.
-- "I think it's important to have a sense of humor and be humble." Shane Jones on what comes after book publication. (I liked his novel Light Boxes quite a bit. Enjoy books about dystopias, with successful experiments in form? So will you.)
-- Rhian analyzes Electric Literature's initial campaign. (So does John Fox.)
-- How Artie Lange relates to literary magazines.
-- Some stuff about a TV show I plan to try out this fall.
-- Blake Butler interviews Peter Cole.
-- Michelle Reale's story, "A First Time for Everything," at Word Riot.
-- Labelscar discusses the recent New York Times article on mall evolution.
-- Heavy Rotation: Twenty Writers on the Albums that Changed Their Lives comes out this Tuesday.
-- Guidelines for litmag editors, and guidelines for litmag writers from Roxane at PANK.
-- Tips on getting grants from Mira at Mira's List.
-- Next Northville Review: June 28.