Square Pegs

If you’re looking for a reason not to write for the Village Voice, might we point you to the latest offer from management to staff? In addition to the traditional benefit cuts (which we’re sure somebody is going to fix — you want your crisis? Try health care, and not just for artists), there’s a cute little item that should raise hackles everywhere: …and insisted that terms for work on the Voice’s website be determined in one-on-one deals between individual writers and the corporation, not through the collective bargaining that is required in a union shop. In a way, accessing […]

Laws always have a hard time keeping up with rapid changes in society and technology. In many ways, this is a good thing. Laws should be deliberate, not reactionary. Sometimes, however, a slow pace can be destructive. Which is why, like music clearances, you’re going to be hearing more about patent infringements. Which, by the way, are not the same as copyright infringements. Patents are ideas. The problem is that some ideas are not unique. Just as a thousand monkeys might eventually produce the works of Shakespeare (though, we hope, with more modern spelling), two minds might light upon the

It is a generally accepted principle that art builds upon art. Books, movies, songs, even paintings take cues from what has come before. Stories and themes are reexamined. Pieces of other works are incorporated into new works. But then art became big business. It was no longer controlled by the artist — once art became a corporate asset, the rules changed. If you’ve been paying attention to the rumblings, one thing you’ve noticed is that it won’t be technology that keeps the vast majority of works out of the public purview, it will be clearances. Especially when it comes to

We know many fine products of MFA programs. They are good writers with kind souls. Yesterday, we talked about the benefits of writing workshops. Like anything that’s good — potato chips, lo mein — a little workshopping is excellent. Full-time immersion can be destructive. Elizabeth Clementson talks about her experiences in a MFA program. While we can all chuckle knowingly as she describes naive young ‘uns who see this final step in their education as the precursor to fame and fortune (not necessarily in that order, what with the way advances work), we can also see that repaying student loans

If you want people to read, you need to deliver the material in ways that are convenient for the reader. As a general rule, many of us rarely have the luxury of time to sit down and read for hours at a time. This is actually very sad. What is the point of increasing efficiency if it just makes us busier? Time alone isn’t the only barrier to reading, and as researchers, well, research new ways to provide reading material to a wider audience, we hope they keep one thing in mind. This is important: change the name of ScentHighlights.

We have so much to get to today, and so little time. First up is something near and dear to our heart: easy access to the Internet. Across the nation, communities are looking at ways to provide low-cost, high-speed Internet access to citizens. Some have already achieved this goal. But there’s a bill pending in the House of Representatives that would do away with this service, in favor of commercial interests. We believe this is wrong. For many reasons — including the fact that it’s easier to participate in the activities of your local government — access to the Internet

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