Dickinson Read-a-Thon!

The craziest, coolest event is being held in the Twin Cities this Friday! In celebration of National Poetry Month (and what a great month it is!), University of Saint Thomas is hosting a day of Emily Dickinson. Every poem of hers will be read––from #1 to #1,789. The event begins at 8 in the morning and is anticipated to last an exhausting total of 14 hours. If you can't attend, the University is planning to have a live stream here. But really, who wouldn't want to cozy up in a gorgeous library and listen to the mysterious lines of our good gal, Emily?

Photo via

Producing a Book

Fellow readers, have you seen this incredibly intriguing book produced by J. J. Abrams? Yes, it is produced, not authored by him. "S" is a mystery novel written by Doug Dorst. Here's a quick breakdown of it:

"S" looks like a really old copy of Ships of Theseus (Dorst wrote Ships of Theseus, it wasn't just an existing story used as a template, so it's like a fictive fiction.)

Then Dorst wrote marginalia throughout the entire book, complete with different underlining, notes, as well as scrap newspaper, post-cards, etc.

This is all subsequently "produced" by J. J. Abrams into what is a breathtaking design feat. I looked at a copy the other day and it is aesthetically beautiful. Moreover, it's intellectually stimulating, because you're considering the dialogue beyond the text.

It's a little pricey, but I'm pretty sure it's worth it. I'm so excited to eventually get my hands on it.

Photo from this great New Yorker interview with Abrams and Dorst.

{Summer Reads}...The Round House

I just finished reading The Round House by Louise Erdrich this morning; I've been going through it in stages for an online book discussion for by campus job training, but I had to read ahead late into last night. I even woke up early to finish the last couple pages that became a haze in my heavy-lidded late night read.

I first encountered Louise Erdrich in my American Indian literature class at the university, and was stunned by her beautiful story weaving in Tracks. (This is also an incredible book that I advise you to seek out.) Erdrich is a Minnesota native, and member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, part of Anishinaabe. She owns an independent book store, Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, which I'm dying to visit, and has an incredible written legacy. She has written over twelve novels, several books of poetry, and children's literature.

The Round House is a heart-breaking, thrilling, and delicate story of Joe, a young boy living on a reservation in North Dakota. The novel begins with a shattering family tragedy, shrouded in mystery; the search for truth and justice carry the rest of the novel, as readers see true family, real emotion, and the rapid maturation of a young boy burdened by sorrow and frustration.

Seriously, this is a must read! It's haunting, nail-bitting, and humorous.

Photo via

Fun Writing Tips

Hey, writers! The New Yorker blog has a fun post on writing about books! In all seriousness, this is something that I feel you can never quite perfect. (Although I think Zadie Smith might be the exception.) All you fellow English majors out there should read this puppy! It's a good time!

Happy Tuesday!

Photo via @sarahcarlsonetc Instagram