Marissa Levien
@marissalevien.bsky.social
I write stuff. My novel, "The World Gives Way," is in an indie bookstore near you and you should definitely go buy a copy.
Things my writing students have said lately that give me pause: "I liked that false herring..." "It reminded me of that movie The Lovely Bones..." "The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Tim Burton..."
Been feeling way too many feelings and just realized the cause isn't a greater depth in my existential well, I've just been drinking too much caffeine
Grady Hendrix might be the best Writer of Titles who ever lived.
"Because we are the party that supports States' Righ--" "Oh, wait--" Trump Administration Considers Halting Congestion Pricing www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/n...
Trump Administration Considers Halting Congestion Pricing
The New York City tolling program began on Jan. 5 after defying obstacles for decades. A move to stop it would likely touch off a legal battle between the state and federal government.
nytimes.com
This is about a week late (I don't do anything in a timely manner these days), but wanted to shout out Jules Feiffer, who was a wonderful mentor and friend. He let me help with the watercolors, told me so many wonderful stories. He will be missed.
The Bulwer-Lytton Awards for Worst Opening Paragraph went out and, man, I totally disagree. This opener is hilarious.
If there's one niche superpower I possess, it's that I can always spell "onomatopoeia" correctly on the first try.
I feel like someone ought to write a children's book telling kids it's okay to give up sometimes.
Something that doesn't get shouted out as much about NYRB is the awesome colorful inner covers (which usually match the color of the typeface on the title). They always make me smile.
This morning I am living the content life of an 80-yr-old woman: My hair is washed but I'm waiting for it to set, I've got my newspaper crossword, I'm munching on plain yogurt, the Boston Pops' rendition of American in Paris is playing on the turntable, and the cat has finally settled on my lap.
I fail to see how this is at all helpful www.nytimes.com/2023/10/13/b...
Frankfurt Book Fair Cancels Award Ceremony for Palestinian Author
Organizers cited the Israel-Hamas war as the reason for stepping back from honoring a novel about the 1949 murder of a Palestinian girl by Israeli soldiers.
nytimes.com
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I sense that Wes Anderson is going through a Brecht phase. (not a dig)
Is it weird to read Flaubert's Parrot before reading any Flaubert?
Preparing a lecture, and looking for some source material... does anyone have any good examples of deliberate Lacunae in literature? Obv there's "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver, and I think there's a strong case that Frankenstein has deliberate holes in the text, but there's got to be others...
There's a trailer now for "All of Us Strangers" and it looks so goooooood... Andrew Haigh fans unite! (Haigh-heads?) variety.com/2023/film/tr...
Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott Fall in Love and See Ghosts in ‘All of Us Strangers’ Trailer
Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott play a gay couple in "All of Us Strangers," from director Andrew Haigh, premiering at the New York Film Festival.
variety.com
The ending of the movie is already an explanation of the movie’s ending.
If a spider winked would it do it like this ;:::) or like this :;::) or like this ::;:) or like this :::;) or like this ;;::) or like this ;;;:) or like this ;;;;) or like this :;;;) or like this ::;;) or like this :;;:) or like this ;::;) or like this ;;:;) or like this ;:;;) or
It's typically unsuccessful writers who angrily opine about the "rules" of writing. Successful writers know that there are no rules and every author, project, and process is different.
Asked my students to list any classic/older books they'd read, and a student shouted out "The Alchemist"
Weeded the garden. Discovered poison ivy. Now I've washed my arms up to the elbow in dish soap, and am waiting to see if I'm the kind of person who reacts to poison ivy.