For those of you who still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and wishing on stars, what we are about to say will come as a grave disappointment. Those who saw Dad and his pina colada trying to assemble a bike should be safe. Ready? Okay. You’re right, old news. Old, boring news. We mislead you. Oops. Reality shows aren’t spontaneous fun-fests. Oh sure, the stupid things that come out of peoples’ mouths are real. You can’t make this stuff up. But behind the scenes (as evidenced by the lenghty credits) are writers and whatnot. It’s the writers who […]

The Octagon library at Queen Mary, University of London, is undergoing a little “refurbishment”. Part of the process involves discarding old books. This, by the way, is a common library practice (we will refrain from repeating the mother/Ray Bradbury story, but you can pretend it’s been told. Again.). The Octagon’s mistake, and it was a mistake, came in their approach. Yes, rather than announcing a book giveaway or sale or donating the books or taking them to used bookstores or any one of a zillion approaches, they chose to toss the books into large skips. Which is the British way

Something tells us we got the wrong takeaway message from the Washington Post’s article on new models for comic strip artists. We believe we were supposed to start thinking along the lines of new business models; alas, we noted that the key to success is moving out of California and heading for somewhere more affordable. Other things we learned? First, of course, is that breaking into the comics business is hard but easier now than ever before. Oh sure, you’re still not going to get rich, but you also don’t have grit your teeth every morning when you see that

It’s Friday, we’re practically on vacation, and we’re thinking nothing says weekend better than a funny rejection story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Also to protect the not-so-innocent. And the guilty. Everyone else is fair game. Dear Julie, Thank you for your recent rejection and the return of my manuscript*, despite the fact that I neglected to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. I always think that major multinational corporations have deals with the Postal Service and I am a starving artist. You can buy the stamps. I will admit to a bit of confusion as I read

We were pleased to be barraged with news of bold action on the part of the House of Representatives. We are so pleased to learn of this decision that we will ignore any and all choice comments that naturally arise from reading this quote: “Congress has begun to hear that civil liberties and privacy issues are important to Americans,” said Representative Bernard Sanders, the independent from Vermont . . . House Blocks a Provision for Patriot Act Inquiries

Today is a busy day in literature (and we thank Today in Literature for doing all the legwork that allows us to make such a pronouncement). Of course, it’s Bloomsday. You have our permission to take a long, leisurely lunch, complete with brimming glasses of ale and other fun beverages. It’s like Cinco de Mayo without margaritas. And probably police checkpoints, though we cannot guarantee this. Also, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes were married on this date. We’re not sure how to celebrate that particular union in an appropriate manner. Joyce’s Bloomsday Book