August 2012 Archives
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TMN Weekender
GOP Yourself
In this edition of the TMN Weekender, a selection of stories shedding a little light on the party of Lincoln. Ready to read here on TMN or in an e-book...
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The Tennis Handsomes
Hang on Till Tomorrow
The rain moved in bands across the blue hardcourt like a firehouse had been trained on it. It was sudden and vicious and definitively the weather of summer. But the...
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Birnbaum V.
Ron Rash, Redux
Our man in Boston talks with writer Ron Rash about his latest book, America’s great regional voices, the high percentage of readers in New Zealand and Australia, and the misery that accompanies putting a novel together, where it’s rather more fun to stick pencils in your eyes.
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Gallery
Autotypes
Americans have always regarded their cars as more than vehicles, and nothing demonstrates that aspiration better than the typography and proper nouns used to name those dreams.
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Lunch Poems
Michael Loughran
“Year of the Grim Light” I was using fewer and fewer words, and then I was using none. Not even a running gag with the dog, or...
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Our Passions, Our Day Jobs
Down and Out in a Repurposed Troop Carrier
Stunt memoirs are ubiquitous: writers who eat, pray, and love straight into their bank accounts. But what happens when the material for your book—for which you took a dozen amusement park jobs to acquire—isn’t all hijinks and zany locals? What if it’s rather nice?
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TMN Weekender
Corn on a Stick
In this edition of the TMN Weekender, the collected installations (so far) of Matt Robison’s “News From America” series. Ready to read here on TMN or...
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Reading Roulette
Nikolai Klimontovich
Our series of contemporary Russian literature continues—six months, six stories from some of Russia’s best working writers, plus interviews with their authors, all of it sponsored by Powells.com. This month we feature one of Moscow’s finest chroniclers.
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Transcontinental Summer Reading
狼王梦 (Lang Wang Meng)
What was the book about? It is an animal story. It is about a mother wolf and her son. What was your favorite part? She hopes her son can become...
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The Tennis Handsomes
All the Children Singing
Could do well Yesterday, when 20-year-old Louisiana hothead Ryan Harrison ran into a TV camera while losing his first round match in Cincinnati, he said, “Get the fricking TVs...
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The American Artist
Go Away
Artist colonies are mysterious places. Available only to a select few, supposedly teeming with alcohol, affairs, and creative hoodoo. But the rumors aren’t true—they just lack detail. Scenes and lessons from three residencies.
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TMN Weekender
The Obscurathlon
This weekend, a selection of stories about athletic endeavors you won't see on ESPN. Ready to read here on TMN or in an e-book you can export to your...
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Transcontinental Summer Reading
Barbapapa: La Robe
What was the book about? This book is about Barbabelle, who wants a dress and who decides to make it herself. What was your favorite part? My favorite part is...
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America, America, Burning Bright
Soldier’s Heart
A post-World War II documentary, banned by the military in 1946 but lately released online, is one of the earliest depictions of psychotherapy. But it says even more about contemporary Americans’ interest in the veterans they love to praise.
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The Tennis Handsomes
Where the Air Is Sweet
The major stuff I watch too, and weeks like this past one are as good as any. The Olympics satisfied all my blockbuster tennis needs, while the Citi Open in...
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Birnbaum V.
Jess Walter
Our man in Boston sits down with the author of The Financial Lives of the Poets to talk about his latest novel, how to survive in Hollywood, the ins and outs of contemporary publishing, and that unheralded Paris of the Northwest, Spokane.
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Transcontinental Summer Reading
The Gruffalo’s Child
What was the book about? It was about the Gruffalo’s child trying to find the Big Bad Mouse. What was your favorite part? When the little mouse was...
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The Sports Desk
Submerged
Every four years, the world rediscovers swimming—that pleasant recreation turned into a furious race of hulks. But not everyone watches simply as a fan. The former competitive swimmer is never fully a land-bound mammal.