Twitterature

by Tara Ariano on August 26, 2010

in Dorkiness,Pop Culture

As an alternative to the debate currently taking place on Twitter, and elsewhere, over popular vs. literary fiction and what’s for chicks and what’s for dicks and so forth, I wanted to bring your attention to a couple of books I recently read and enjoyed that I might not have picked up if not for the fact that I follow their authors on Twitter. See, hack comics? It’s good for more than giving narcissists a platform from which to talk about their lunches or whatever hack comics think people use it for!

1. And The Heart Says Whatever, by Emily Gould. You may know Gould as a former employee of Gawker or for a New York Times Magazine story she wrote about the effects of exposing oneself to criticism from the public at large, via the internet. I didn’t read Gawker during her tenure and I still haven’t read that story (though I sure have read a lot ABOUT it), but I read her Tumblr and was interested in her professional/personal experiences as a web writer because…you know. And even though the details of my biography are different from hers (I had already been married six months before I started a webzine, which is what they were called then, and my personal and professional lives have been intertwined basically that entire time), there are so many epiphanies about what you need to do to protect your own sanity that no one can tell you; you just have to get to them on your own. Reading her memoir was hard for me at some points because my wish to step into the book and give her the benefit of my wisdom as an elder stateswoman of the internet made me feel maternal, for God’s sake, and am I really that much older than she is? I am. Anyway, I know from her Twitter feed that she’s having a fun summer so she doesn’t need me anyway. And the book is great: her style reminds me of Margaret Atwood’s early short stories. Get it.

2. The Book Of Right And Wrong, by Matt Debenham. Though I haven’t met Matt, I have had lunch with his fantastic wife Caissie St. Onge a number of times and; I would have bought his book out of Twitter loyalty to them both. So I was, for real, unprepared for how great this book is. As a short-story fan, I am always looking for recommendations, but (sorry, Matt) pre-Twitter I didn’t know about him at all. Why aren’t Matt Debenham’s short stories in The New Yorker?! I would put this volume up against anything by Alice Munro; Matt’s stories are truthful and devastating and the book’s only fault is how quickly it ends. If you don’t buy this book you are doing yourself a disservice.

3. Going In Circles by Pamela Ribon. Now, I believe this young lady is a screenwriter who…just kidding. Obviously I know Pam: we’ve been naked together in semi-public so many times that I may know her better in some ways than her mother does. (I’m sorry that the podcast we recorded in Hawaii last year, featuring the scandalous story of the time we accidentally booked a three-way naked mud sauna with Dave, is no longer online…because that shit is gold.) I know you can’t take my endorsement entirely seriously because Pam is my dear friend, but I absolutely adored Going In Circles. While her first two novels were also sad and funny and great, Circles is an artistic leap forward that, as her friend, I was so excited and proud to read. The subject matter — divorce — is some of her toughest yet, and she dramatizes it without a whiff of soapiness or melodrama. I understand if you can’t take my word for it, so fortunately, you can take Oprah’s. Pam has spent the summer travelling around the country supporting the book and meeting other derby girls (it’s about divorce AND roller derby), so you should follow her on Twitter to make sure you know when she’s coming to your town. And you should have read the book by the time she gets there.

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I’m On Slate!

by Tara Ariano on August 16, 2010

in Pop Culture,Self-Pimps

I’m not going to claim it’s as brilliant a notion as “Gay Expendables,” which found Joe and me on Twitter recasting the movie (surprise! Jason Statham’s in both versions). But I had this idea that The Expendables is basically the same movie as The Women. I know you haven’t seen either movie — and you shouldn’t; they’re both terrible — but trust me.

I pitched it to Jessica Grose at Slate.com‘s Double X blog, and she did a fantastic edit on my ramblings. You should read it.

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Saito: GQMF

August 5, 2010

From Reddit (by way of The Daily What).

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Congratulations, Yosemitebear!

July 20, 2010

Curious as to what that Double Rainbow video guy’s been up to since he turned into a meme? UPDATE! Pam and one of her ex-co-workers were on Twitter earlier, discussing this tweet from Yosemitebear62 himself. Pam’s ex-colleague said he’s been in L.A. having “tons of meetings.” And I was like, “NA meetings, I hope.” Apparently [...]

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Shut Up, Kitty Paws Pose

July 19, 2010

Is this sexy? That unnatural hand position on the tie? That looks like kitty paws, and that the model’s about to lick them and smooth back her hair or something? It is? Really? Fine.

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The Last “Inception” Review You Have To Read!

July 18, 2010

Because I know you were waiting! Just kidding, you weren’t, but here are my thoughts anyway. I really loved it — I don’t think I have been as impressed and, really, gripped by a sci-fi movie since The Matrix. And though I realize that this is around the time that the backlash to the past [...]

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So Much For Shiftless Idleness

July 16, 2010

As I mentioned, I have wrapped up my time at Sling, and had been looking forward to being forced to take some time out from the workforce while I waited for the arrival of my green card (without which I would be legally prohibited from doing any paid work for any entity in any country [...]

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I Resigned From Sling. Tomorrow Is My Last Day. Will And I Have Had Some Good Times, Though.

July 8, 2010

4:10:30 PM Tara Ariano: http://notesfromahack.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-miami-is-exciting-choice-sports.html 4:11:38 PM Will Edmondson: who is this person 4:11:42 PM Tara Ariano: He’s a writer. 4:11:45 PM Will Edmondson: he’s a moron 4:11:53 PM Tara Ariano: I’M GOING TO MISS THIS! 4:12:07 PM Will Edmondson: the super team is going to KILL the NBA! 4:12:14 PM Will Edmondson: all the [...]

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When Oprah Interviews Pam

June 24, 2010

[In case you somehow missed it, the lovely and talented Pamela Ribon wrote an essay based on her excellent new novel, Going In Circles, which was featured today on Oprah.com. Obviously, now that it's been shared on Facebook and Twitter over 1000 times (and counting!), the next step is for Pam to appear on Oprah. [...]

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Anxiety Dreams: Evolved

June 10, 2010

Like most normal people (right?), I continue to have school-themed anxiety dreams, well past my graduation. I never had the one where you show up naked, but I’ve certainly had the one where you have to write the final exam for a class you haven’t taken. Way more frequent for me, for whatever reason, is [...]

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