Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

Do you remember the giddy thrill of book fairs and book orders in grade school? As a kid, I used to live for those days when some bookseller would brings cases full of the newest Hardy Boys books to my school.

Over the weekend, the Brooklyn Book Festival made me feel the same way. I saw so many cool people: Rachel Fershleiser from Smith Magazine, author A.M. Homes, editor and novelist Ed Park.

A.M. Homes won my Best Advice for Fledgling Writers Award, telling Brooklyn writers to pay attention to the economics of their characters. Questions like "How do they earn money?" and "How do they spend money?" are equally important as questions like "Where do they live?"

I missed Ed Champion and Matthew Cheney, and Matthew missed Ed too, but he turned the whole experience into an existential crisis:

"I never saw Ed. Sure, there were 10,000 people at the festival, but still. If anybody can stand out amidst 10,000 people, it's Ed. I think one of us doesn't exist."

Fantasy novelist Robert Jordan has died. I spent many happy days buried under blankets and reading his fantasy series, Wheel of Time. I never even finished the gosh darn collection, but the experience of reading him was truly satisfying. Rest in Peace.