SYLLABUS

Monday, November 14, 2011

Super Sad True Love Story

Has anyone else found that book prophetic in light of the Occupy Movement?  A little too close for comfort...

Checking In

Hey Guys and Gals,

Welcome to Monday!  Just a couple of things:

I know the tasks list hasn't been posted (please post ASAP), but please make contact with your groups before Thursday to have an idea of what needs to be done (i.e.- creative concepts in Design&Formatting group, reviews and press releases in Marketing&Publicity group, etc.) so we can have another productive meeting this week.

I realize we're all busy with papers and due dates, but at minimum have a clear idea of what your e-book submission will be before this Thursday.  I believe Caroline (Past/Present), Nick (Future) and Madeleine (Past/Present) are in charge of the sections, so check in with your corresponding editor to cement your ideas.  *NOTE TO EDITORS- please post your emails/phone numbers/something for us to contact you by.  In light of Thanksgiving and the fast-approaching end of the semester, ROUGH/FIRST DRAFTS ARE DUE NEXT TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22ND.  Don't freak out!  Just have something/anything prepared before we leave for Thanksgiving Break.

Also, if you're taking a Netflix break, I recommend watching Obscene.  It's a film about Barney Rosset, who guest speaker Carl Bromley mentioned.  The commentary's great and the soundtrack is kick ass.

Email me or Catie (cmlangill@usfca.edu) if you have questions. 

Hearts, stars and unicorns,

Ariel (email: alstenek@usfca.edu, phone: (808) 227-5614)

Monday, October 10, 2011

A Fantastic Exploration of the Written Word



One of my favorite series when I was in high school were the Thursday Next novels by Jasper Fforde which followed the protagonist as she literally (ha!) traveled through books. Thursday Next lives in a parallel universe with cops that police not only the here and now but also throughout time and books as well. Next is a Literary SpecOps (Special Operations) agent in her world but also works to combat rogues in books as well with Jursifiction. Fforde's novels are fun intertextual adventures playing with many layers of books and the written word. For example, Next's first mission with Jurisfiction involves replacing a canine protagonist who has gone blind with a new one but is almost killed by the "generics" (characters in a story who aren't developed by the author) who get high off emotions. I would definitely recommend the Thursday Next series as an entertaining look at the literary world, readers, and what goes on in the books we are reading.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Lit Quake

If you're in the city this weekend check out the Lit Quake! Thanks to Jamey for sharing.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

A response to Kindle and eBooks: Bio-Optically Organized Knowledge



The video is in Spanish because my Ecuadorian host mother sent it to me on Day of the Book which is celebrated more in her home country of Spain by the exchange of books between couples and family members.