Writer & Gadabout
I quite enjoyed this delightful little video that accompanied Gareth Smit’s article in the New Yorker regarding “The Odd Literary Paraphernalia of the New York Public Library’s Berg Collection.” It’s worth a watch and a read on a pleasant Friday afternoon.
It’s Friday! That means it’s time for the Friday Link Pack, my weekly post covering topics such as writing, art, current events, and random weirdness. Some of these links I mentioned on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Do you have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Click here to email me and let me know! (Include a website so I can link to you as well.) Let’s get to it…
Five Years
Author M.S. Force reflects on the last five years of her career when she decided to take her rejected novel True North and step into indie publishing.
Alan Moore’s Advice To Unpublished Authors
“If you write every day, you’re a writer.” In this quick video recorded at St James Library, Northampton, UK, Alan Moore gives some advice to new and unpublished writers.
20 Misused English Words That Make Smart People Look Silly
Is it affect or effect, ironic or coincidental, do you get nauseous or nauseated? They are fair questions. Quartz sets the record straight on a few words people get wrong all the time.
Anne Frank’s Diary Gains ‘Co-Author’ In Copyright Move
Copyright laws are weird.
13 Miles Of Typography On Broadway, From A To Z
If you’re a writer, you should appreciate type. After all, typography is the communication channel to share your worlds with readers. In this piece for Hopes & Fears, Ksenya Samarskaya examines the type one finds along New York’s famous Broadway.
Meet The Designer Whose Collection Will Make You Scream
Costume or fashion? That is the question asked by designer Eda Yorulmazoglu in her latest, and wonderfully strange, collection.
Meet the Vendor: Saltstone Ceramics
My friend Sarah recently opened Saltstone Ceramics, a pottery studio here in Seattle. The work she has been creating is fantastic. (Kari-Lise and I own quite a few pieces now.) In this interview, Sarah discusses her journey, her work, and lots more. Find out more about her work at her website.
The Return of #FeedCthulhu
Ross Lockheart, of the weird fiction press Word Horde, is giving away ebooks of their latest anthology, Cthulhu Fhtagn! All you have to do is donate to your local food bank and tweet about it. Three lucky winners will win personalized autographed copies as well. Details in the post!
Our Generation Ships Will Sink
Sci-fi great, Kim Stanley Robinson, dives into the complexity inherent in the ideas surrounding generation ships and why he thinks they are not only impractical but impossible outside the realm of fiction. Great article.
Is Tom Brady A Fancy Dog?
Deadspin asks the tough questions.
Your Jetpack Is Here
No, really. I’m serious. Check out this incredible video of the JB-9, the world’s only true jetpack. Find out more at Jetpack Aviation’s website. The future is now people. The future… is now.
Prostitution Among Animals
“A few studies have been used to promote the idea that prostitution exists among different species of animals such as Adélie penguins and chimpanzees. Penguins use stones for building their nests. Based on a 1998 study, media reports stated that a shortage of stones led female Adélie penguins to trade sex for stones. Some pair-bonded female penguins copulate with males who are not their mates and then take pebbles for their own nests.”
Under The Pyramids/Imprisoned with the Pharaohs
Written with Harry Houdini in 1924, the story is a fictionalized account of an allegedly true experience of the escape artist. What mysteries does Houdini find? Well, you’ll just have to read to find out.
It’s time to share a few interesting links I have found throughout the week. Some of these I mention on Twitter, if you’re not already following me there, please do! Have a link I should feature in the upcoming link pack? Let me know!
25 Book Covers by Janusz Stanny
Here’s a collection of beautifully designed vintage covers from Polish designer Janusz Stanny. There’s some really unique approaches with his style, would be interesting to see some of it used today.
Get the Scoop on Fair Image Usage
A good post from Writers Helping Writers covering the ins and outs of using images you find on the web. This is a good one for the self-publishing/indie crowd.
The Number One Reason Writers Give Up
My friend Lauren Sapala explores the real reason why many writers abandon their work and give up. Lauren is also a writing coach, and editor, and an excellent beta reader (she read Old Broken Road). If you’re looking for help I’d highly recommend her.
New York City photographed with the Game Boy Camera in 2000
My friend Peter shared this with me. A fantastic collection of photographs of New York taken with an old Game Boy Camera.
Gan-Gan
“She had a good good heart. She was beautiful.” A haunting little video from Gemma Green-Hope for her grandmother.
Stanford study finds walking improves creativity
Hit a snag in your own creative endeavors? Go take a walk.
In Deep: The dark and dangerous world of extreme cavers.
Fascinating piece in The New Yorker following a group of people who spend much of their time in some of the deepest caves in the world.
Embarrassing dad at electronic music festival
This guy is just the best. Seriously.
The Dreams in the Witch House
A creepy old croan and an even creepier Brown Jenkins.
I saw this project over on Swiss Miss and I had to share. Windows of New York is a weekly illustration project by José Guizar and I absolutely love it. There’s a peace to be gained browsing the site and seeing how much attention to detail is spent recreating mundane objects most of us take for granted. There’s a beauty there. It makes me wonder how many things I walk or drive past on a daily basis that are often forgotten; bits of beauty that remain unnoticed.
You can follow Windows of New York on Twitter.
K. M. Alexander 
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