Writing Unleashed with Laura M. Harkins

News Source Banned Books Speak Out Publishers Weekly reports on Banned Books Week taking place Sept. 24 th -Oct. 1 st .   Banned books will be read on a special YouTube channel to support freedom of speech and denounce censorship. Check out which controversial authors are participating in the virtual read-out. What are you planning to do for Banned Books Week? What Was That About? Flavorwire put together a list of 10 classic novels known for giving readers a challenge . Are there any that didn’t make the list?     20 Re-Imagined Book Covers Peruse through 20 artistic interpretations of classic novels . Which did you like best? Source New Yorker Festival-Sept. 30-Oct. 2 Nate Freeman gives readers the writer and celebrity pair-ups at the 2011 New Yorker Festival coming up at the end of September. Which pair would you like to see? Contests FICTION Glimmer Train Literary Journal - ...

News Source Amazon the New Library? Lauren Hazard Owen with paidContent covers the early stage of Amazon’s venture into e-book lending . Similar to Netflix and a library, the service would be made available to their Prime members. The venture leaves more questions than answers at this point. Do you think e-book lending through Amazon will create problems? Source Interview with Haruki Murakami Enjoy Haruki Murakami’s interview as The New Yorker’s fiction editor discusses his novel 1Q84 (hitting U.S. shelves in late October) and the excerpt, “Town of Cats,” available online and in print. The setting of 1Q84 is 1984, and Murakami struggled with the lack of technology. Have you faced similar challenges when dealing with settings in your stories ?     Source Vintage Dust Jackets Check out these vintage dust jackets for novelists Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, J.D. Salinger, etc. Which one is your favorite? So...

News Source An Inspirational Montana Poet Laureate Kristen Inbody writes about Sheryl Noethe , Montana’s new poet laureate and her amazing work with the Missoula Writing Collaborative. The non-profit organization provides under privileged students trained writing professionals to inspire their creativity and encourage self-expression through written and spoken word. Do you think all schools could benefit from this kind of teaching? Source Interview with Haruki Murakami Enjoy Haruki Murakami’s interview as The New Yorker’s fiction editor discusses his novel 1Q84 (hitting U.S. shelves in late October) and the excerpt, “Town of Cats,” available online and in print. The setting of 1Q84 is 1984, and Murakami struggled with the lack of technology. Have you faced similar challenges when dealing with settings in your stories ?     Source Poetry Fighting Back Seth Abramson from Huffington Post lists 10-poetry mus...

News Source The Future of Print Books Emily Witt of The New York Observer discusses indie publisher Melville House’s attempt to secure print books in the future . The innovation HybridBooks will utilize Quick Response (QR) barcodes in the back of print books, giving readers access to free supplemental material. Will the QR barcode help print books maintain relevance? Source Need Help Focusing on Writing?  John Briggs from The New York Times breaks down three text editors that provide full-screen views, cutting down on internet distractions . Briggs also features an “app that turns off your network connection for a set amount of time.” How do you avoid distraction while writing?     Source Experience Leads to Inspiration For all my nonfiction writers and passionate procrastinators. Travel with A. Igoni Barrett on his flight home to Lagos, Nigeria while he reminiscences about his fellowship at the N...

Source News Famous Mystery Writer Surfing Skills Revealed Sam Jones from the Guardian delights readers with Agatha Christie’s passion for surfing . What special skills do you have outside of your writing life? Source Jennifer Egan and Girl Crush Zine Daniel D’Addario reports on “ Thessaly LaForce , web editor of The Paris Review , and Jenna Wortham, technology reporter for The New York Times ” collaboration on a homemade magazine, Girl Crush . Jennifer Egan will contribute to the one-time publication celebrating strong and respected women. Who do you have a crush on?     Source 2011 and Still Banning Books Alison Flood reports on Missouri school districts decision to ban Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five for its profanity and Sarah Ockler’s YA novel Twenty-Boy Summer for its topics of teenage drinking and promiscuity.   Does book banning work or are parents and educators avoiding important topics by pre...