A writer's block

What does a young writer look like to you? Conjure up an image in your mind. What do you see? Thick black glasses? A fuzzy sweater, holes conveniently poked near the ends of the sleeves for easy thumb access? A hunched, pale little person, jittery from too much coffee at the temp agency where they work, scuttling around and biding their time until they publish some brilliant collection of stories that they’ve slaved over, neat, symmetrical slices of their sad, sad life? Okay great, perfect. Now take that poor myopic sap and imagine them racing down the basketball court like a wild tiger – they’re on a fast break, they take off at the foul line, flying through the air, twisting and soaring until they throw down a monstrous, two-handed jam, shattering the backboard into a million crystal fragments. Completely free and uninhibited they stand there beneath the mangled hoop, screaming with primal fury, as the glass rain trickles down from above.

Impossible, you say. Too much of a contradiction, you say. Yet this is exactly what’s going on in the WORD Bookstore’s literary basketball league this summer, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (okay, maybe not exactly). But the idea is definitely there: WORD is combining the traditionally opposed fields of books and ‘ballin into a glorious conglomeration where everyone is welcome. Teams are made up of literature enthusiasts, and games are serious and fast paced without being overly competitive. All skill levels are welcome. And best of all, it’s free.

The preseason starts in April, so anyone looking to participate should get their act together soon. The requirements are simple: you need to correctly answer 4 out of 5 questions on a literary test, fill out a self-assessment of your basketball skills and sign a waiver. Complete information about registration is available here. And if you’re worried about the test, well, don’t be. Here’s last year’s:

1. Who wrote “Ulysses”?

2. What is the best selling book of all time?

3. What is J.D. Salinger’s most well-known book?

4. Name a book that has been banned in the United States in the last 100 years.

5. What is your favorite book?

According to Stephanie Anderson, the manager at WORD, the league began as bookstore workers were inventing basketball teams for famous writers. Which, of course, is another awesome part of playing in the league – picking your team name. Some ideas: W.E.B and Da Boys? To Kill a Blocking Bird? The Fastbreaks of Wrath? Can you guys think of any? I bet you can.

So anyway, come check this out. It’s cool. If you’re by yourself, they’ll place you on a team. And if you’re outside the NYC area, well, maybe you can use this as motivation to get your weirdo friend Ralph to come out of his darkened room and run around out there in the sunlight a little bit. He’ll like it. Maybe.