During a tirade against funds given to public radio and arts programs, Minnesota House Majority Leader Matt Dean complained that American Gods author Neil Gaiman is a “pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota.” [Via Galleycat]
Laura Miller explains how a Los Angeles podiatrist sign became an inspiration to authors Jonathan Lethem and David Foster Wallace.
Elif Batuman tells you why she doesn’t read reviews of her work.
Carmela Ciuraru’s new study of pseudonyms, Nom de Plume, gets the book-trailer treatment.
Francisco Goldman on Say Her Name, his turbulent novel of mourning for his recently deceased wife: “I don’t know if God is in the details, but love is certainly in the details. I wanted to fill the book with an effusion of all of those little details of everyday life. It’s really what makes relationships . . . and to lose them is falling into a void, you can’t believe it.”
The six volume, 2,400 page pyrotechnic cooking tome Modernist Cuisine has published an extensive list of corrections that would-be chefs should probably read before baking, for example, Barbecued Eel with Whipped Caramel: “In the recipe,” one correction reads, “step two should be omitted.”
