The 2009 Oddest Book Title prize has drawn a record number of submissions, including the gem at left.

Fuck Yeah NYRB Classics!! Via The Millions.

American Psycho…the musical!

One poem, translated 31 ways. Via Silliman’s Blog.

What would your favorite TV characters read?

Choose your own literary elite nickname. Mine is ‘Helpless Drunken Cobra.’

Is Shoplifting from American Apparel the new Catcher in the Rye?

Our pals at Awkward Press (publishers of the very enjoyable Awkward One) are currently accepting submissions for their upcoming issue Awkward Two. Details here.

Aaaaand because we love you: Read more »

The good news is that John Irving doesn’t believe that the book is dead. On the other hand, in a recent interview for “Big Think”, he says that if he were a 27-year-old novelist trying to get his first book published today, he’d be tempted to shoot himself.

I think my favorite response to this interview so far is from the Fiction Circus’ Miracle Jones, who says:

“As a 27-year-old writer trying to get his first novel published, I’d much rather kill John Irving.”

Instead of my typical point-by-point rebuttal, I thought this time I’d respond to Irving’s sentiments with a list of contemporary writers under 27  (or who have recently been 27) who have been doing just fine. Read more »

This week: the J.D. Salinger tizzy resurfaces (um, in a funny way), Sarah Palin’s tips for writing a book, and a Twilight parody, all after the jump. Read more »