We’re both fans of Queen. (For you young-uns, Queen was a glam/hard/progressive rock band in the 70s through the very early 90s.) As much of a fan as I am, though, I still don’t think I’d have put money into a Queen musical. And I know I would never call “Bohemian Rhapsody” “Bo-Rhap.” (Can you …
Author Archives: Cynthia Closkey
Misery of the midlist author
Many literary blogs are linking to the Salon article, “The confessions of a semi-successful author,” that tells the sad but common tale of an author who has struggled with the horror that is modern publishing. For a tale of publishing woe that has a happy ending, check out No Media Kings, where Jim Munroe explains …
We’re number one!
Exciting in a self-absorbed way: The Closkey.com site currently comes up first when one searches Google for “closkey.” Number 1 of about 6,940 results! (The fact that the domain name is the search word probably has a lot to do with it, but still.) It beats out all the McCloskey geneological sites, which is no …
And for those who prefer a more organized approach…
NewPages.com also has a lovely guide to online literary magazines. This too looks thorough. NewPages also offers reviews of literary magazines — something I’ve long wished for.
A hidden order amid the chaos
Laura Hird has perhaps the largest collection of links to known and obscure literary magazines I have seen. I can’t find any system to the placement of the mags, but perhaps there needn’t be lots of organization: Literary magazines are a pretty jumbled lot anyway. If you’re looking for new things to read or places …
R.I.P.: J.J. Jackson, original MTV VJ
I’m sorry to hear that J.J. Jackson, one of the original MTV VJs, died Wesdnesday of an apparent heart attack. He was 62. Of those first MTV personalities, J.J. seemed to have the most knowledge of the music business and to be more down-to-earth/less gimicky than the others with their hair and pretty faces, at …
It could break your heart if you really thought about it, so you should never think about it
The story “You Are a 14-Year-Old Arab Chick Who Just Moved to Texas” by Randa Jarrar is the winner of storySouth’s first Million Writer’s award. It was originally published in Eyeshot, and you can read it there now. The fall you moved with your family to America, you were diagnosed with TB, and the old …
Butler, Pennsylvania: Cultural mecca
A couple of weekend events for those in western PA: The Butler Little Theatre opens its production of Proof, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning drama, tomorrow (March 19). The show will run through next Saturday (March 27), except Monday. It stars my sister Katy Wayne in the role of Catherine; she previously portrayed her …
Zeliepalooza
As part of the “Save the Strand” project — an effort to renovate the old Strand Theatre in Zelienpole, PA — there will be a band fest next Thursday, 3/25, at Sanctuary in the Strip. Details available here. I’m not familiar with these bands but it’s for a good cause. Rawk on!
Audio books for your iPod
The Guardian Unlimited offers an overview of digital audio book sources. You’ve loaded your CDs in to your iPod, you’ve assembled playlists and discovered the joys of shuffle mode. But the first flush of gadget love is fading. What can you do to re-kindle the affair? Why not experiment with digital audio books? There are …