Nancy Crampton has photographed some of the most famous writers in contemporary literature. In this portfolio, she shares some of the stories behind the photographs.
September/October 2005
Features
Welcome to Ellis Island: A Profile of Bret Easton Ellis
In his fifth and latest novel, Lunar Park, Bret Easton Ellis, the best-selling author of American Psycho, introduces a new, not entirely likable character to his readers: himself.
The Long Stroke of Hope: A Profile of Naomi Shihab Nye
With news of war and terrorism dominating the headlines, poet Naomi Shihab Nye stresses the "desperate necessity" of human connection that knows no boundaries.
Writing Through the Eyes of a Photographer
A portfolio of portraits by photographer Nancy Crampton from her book Writers.
Independent Presses
Northwest Passages: Six Indie Publishers Find Their Way
The Northwest region of the United States is home to a thriving community of writers and a successful independent publishing scene.
Waywiser Press: The Small British Press That Publishes Big American Poets
Some of America's most respected poets are publishing British editions with London's Waywiser Press.
David R. Godine: Thirty-Five Years of Independent Publishing
David R. Godine knows what it takes to survive as an independent publisher.
Waywiser Press: The Small British Press That Publishes Big American Poets
During the last three years, some of America’s most respected poets—Richard Wilbur, Mark Strand, and the late Anthony Hecht, among others—have published British editions of their books with Waywiser Press, a virtually unknown publisher based in London.
News and Trends
The Written Image: Gravity's Rainbow
Artist Zak Smith created a series of 760 illustrations—one for each page of Gravity's Rainbow.
The Contester: One Editor's Take on Clean Competition
Much has been written about some judges rewarding friends and former students, and I worry that a few questionable practices have detracted from the hundreds of contests that bring recognition to so many well-deserving writers. Nevertheless, there are steps that all of us—editors, judges, and writers—can take to help keep contests clean.
Literary MagNet
Literary MagNet chronicles the start-ups and closures, successes and failures, anniversaries and accolades, changes of editorship and special issues—in short, the news and trends—of literary magazines in America. This issue's MagNet features Verb, the Relay Project, From the Fishouse, Sonora Review, Bridge, Columbia, Failbetter, and Versal.
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Echoes of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"
Fifty years later, a number of organizations are planning special events on October 7 to commemorate the anniversary of Ginsberg's legendary reading.
The Status of a Classic
This month the Library of America, the nonprofit publisher founded in 1979 to “preserve our nation’s literary heritage,” will release the first two installments of a planned eight-volume edition of Philip Roth’s collected fiction.
Small Press Points
Small Press Points highlights the happenings of the small press players. This issue features Borealis Books, Passager Books, and Gorsky Press.
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Q&A: The Real Life of Philip Gourevitch
From the Paris Review’s new offices in lower Manhattan, Philip Gourevitch spoke about the past and future of what Time called “the biggest ‘little magazine’ in history.”
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Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin
Page One features a sample of titles we think you'll want to explore. With this installment, we offer excerpts from Water’s Leaves and Other Poems by Geoffrey Nutter and Pieces of Air in the Epic by Brenda Hillman.
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The Practical Writer
Paperback Originals: How Format Affects Reviews and Sales
Publishers embrace the trade paperback original.
First: Benjamin Kunkel's Indecision
First-time novelist Benjamin Kunkel makes a splash with Indecision.
The Literary Life
Writers at Work: The Merits of Nine-to-Five
Five writers with full-time jobs talk about dividing their time between two worlds.
The Perils of Writing Close to Home: Truth vs. Fiction
At no time on my book tour did I jump up and down, wave my fists, and scream, “It’s a novel! That means fiction!” At least I don’t think I did. It’s hard to be sure, because, in my head, I had that tantrum about three times daily as I traveled from town to town in southern Michigan, reading, signing books, and attending the Ann Arbor Book Festival. You see, my novel, Flight, was set in that region, where I had lived during my high school and college years.