fade theory

fade theory is back up. It takes forever to load, so I’m trying to figure out what the deal is with that. In addition to upgrading WordPress, it’s been moved to a new server. I actually wasn’t intending the server move, but when my upgrade failed and shut down the site for a week, I figured I should just get everything done at once. I’m also in the process of checking out new plugins and such, so I can make all of this function smoother and more beautifully.

One of my huge hopes for fade theory is regular posts and more reviews. And now that I’m tweeting with a bit more frequency, I’ll have a twitter post at least once a week.

I’m attempting to upgrade WordPress today. So if fade theory disappears, you’ll know why.

I’m a bad blog mama. fade theory turned 4 on June 1st, and I completely forgot! ft has waxed and waned and changed focus (slightly) a few times, but I’m glad it’s still here. I’ve met some amazing people (yes, I’m talking about YOU) through this blog, and it’s been a fun journey. Here’s to 4+ more years!

Yeah, that’s right. The fade theory book club. It sounds a bit silly, but a dear friend and I have decided we want to read and discuss a book together and thought it would be nice to open it up to fade theory readers. Even if you don’t want to read and respond, you’ll be able to read our discussion here on the blog. We haven’t set a date yet, but it will probably be the end of July.

So, the book. We’ve chosen Living to Tell the Tale, the autobiography by Gabriel García Márquez. You’ll be happy to know Oprah played no role whatsoever in our decision. We picked this book for two… no, three reasons. One, we’re seriously considering the new García Márquez biography for our fall book club read. Two, I already have this one on my bookshelf and it ain’t always easy to get books in English here in Tallinn. Three, we love García Márquez.

Please join us!

visit Domy’s flickr page

When I was in Austin last December, my brother took me to a bookstore around the corner from where he lives. It was called Domy Books. I had driven past it plenty of times, but it was my first time going in. My brother and I started browsing the titles (arranged in small stacks on a table or on the wall). After a little while, a guy came over to explain the layout of the store (pop culture here, graphic novels and comics there, design books that way). His name was Russell and I think he’s the owner. His card says he’s the manager. Super friendly, and of course ridiculously cool to be part of a store like Domy.

But Domy isn’t just a store:

Domy is a progressive bookstore with a focus on editioned books, periodicals, video, and product lines that concentrate on national and international contemporary art and culture.

Additionally, Domy will produce exhibitions and events that highlight the store’s intersecting ideas through a variety of media, including: works on paper, video, music, design and printed matter.

There were so many books I wanted to buy, but with most of my time in the US ahead of me, I couldn’t buy much. I finally picked a graphic novel: Book Hunter by Shiga (seems the whole thing can also be read online?). As I was checking out, I had a nice conversation with Russell about fiction, Estonia, Unbridled Books, and FC2. I neglected to mention fade theory. I said I would email him with fiction recommendations (he’s a visual guy, so he said he’s usually at a loss for what fiction to stock), but I have yet to do so.

Aside from perusing all the unfamiliar titles, it was especially cool to see Peacay’s BibliOdyssey: Amazing Archival Images from the Internet on the shelf.

So, if you’re ever in Austin or Houston, check out Domy Books. It is without a doubt one of the coolest bookstores I’ve ever been to. And to prove how amazing they are (if you don’t already believe), Chip Kidd will be at their Houston location tomorrow. Seriously. Chip Kidd.

pencil talk is a blog. About pencils. It’s been around since November 2005, and somehow I’ve only just come across it. Fortunately I can troll the archives, and I’ve already added pencils, papers, and notebooks to my wishlist. For the record, though, my favorite pencil is still California Republic’s Palomino pencil. And not just because it’s orange. They do seem to be rather popular pencils. That is a real tattoo in the photo, and there’s a fan club called Palomino riders. I’m going to join on facebook.

Anyway, back to my original point, check out pencil talk!

Strunk and White’s Elements of Style turned 50 recently. I have to admit I am a bit saddened that Geoffrey K. Pullum’s article in The Chronicle Review, “50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice,” has received more attention than the actual anniversary (not that I’m helping things).

The latest issue of Bonefolder is now up and ready for download!

In our digital age, what does the future hold for books?

“I think the future of the book is exceedingly healthy. Its value is not in its physical form, but in the effects it has on its readers.”

Some bibliophiles, who adore the book as a tangible object — its smell, its marking out of its owner’s reading history — rue the revolution.

In Praise of the American Short Story:

It is easy, perhaps irresistible, to wax nostalgic for those days. But if the golden age of American magazines is long gone, the short story itself has shown remarkable durability, and may even be poised for a resurgence. Wells Tower’s “Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned” provides the most vivid recent example of the way a good story, or a solid collection of them, can do more than a novel to illuminate the textures of ordinary life and the possibilities of language.

I decided not to quote the punchline of the article because I didn’t want to spoil it for you, but it’s great food for thought. Please read the full article!

Check out the Book Cover Archive. Love it!

Against Readings (an article by a UVa professor):

The current sophisticated critic would be unlikely to pick one master to illuminate the work at hand — he would mix and match as the occasion required. But to enact a reading means to submit one text to the terms of another; to allow one text to interrogate another — then often to try, sentence, and summarily execute it.

This is a rather long and perhaps weighty article, but you will be rewarded for your effort if you read it. It made me laugh out loud twice, nod my head many times, and long for my bygone scholarly activity.

Bonus link: Björk interviews Arvo Pärt (in Barcelona?)(on YouTube).

You’ve probably noticed things have been quiet around here. I’m not happy about that. Maybe you aren’t, either. So I’d like to conduct an informal poll. Should I:

a) indefinitely shut down fade theory and let the archives speak for themselves,

b) do one, hopefully-substantial post each week, or

c) kill myself trying to get back to my regular posting schedule?

Yeah, I’m hoping you’ll go with b. Books and publishing and text and art are still such huge and important parts of my life, and I’d really like to continue sharing what I find, think, and read. In fact, those things are perhaps even more important to me now that I have a son to share them with. Some women fear “losing their identity” when they become parents, but I’m more myself than I’ve ever been and my identity has only expanded to include motherhood. Unfortunately, that expansion also takes a lot of my time, and some things (like fade theory) needed to be pushed to the margins for a bit. And I’m mostly okay with that, but not in regards to fade theory. So, I hereby aim to post something real, not rushed, at least once per week.

Can you do me a favor? If I don’t post, shoot me a comment or an email. Yes, be a nudge. Thanks.

“Seriously, the New York Public Library has a secret room reserved for people with book contracts?”

Do you have a dedicated reading room? It looks like we’ll be moving into a larger apartment. I’ll have an office, which will have a comfy chair and a footstool to aid my reading. I can’t wait! Not quite the same as a dedicated reading room, though.

Didn’t make it to SXSW Interactive this year? Do you feel as forlorn about this as I do? Well, at least we have Mike Rohde’s Sketchnotes. Mike was the official sketchnoter for SXSW, and it’s easy to see what made him “official.” Check ‘em out!

(Click to enlarge – you’ll be taken to another site.)

This made the rounds a few weeks ago, but if you didn’t see it, I’ve got you covered. I’m tempted to make this my wallpaper, but I’m loathe to change what I have now.

The Tanselle Syllabi:

G. Thomas Tanselle’s Introduction to Bibliography: Seminar Syllabus and Introduction to Scholarly Editing: Seminar Syllabus are comprehensive guides to the literature of these two fields, including suggestions for basic reading and chronological lists of the writings on specific topics.

And UVA’s Rare Book School has made them available for free download. If you follow me on twitter (@fadetheory), then you’ve already seen this. Unless you missed it!

My jaw dropped today when I saw it’s been a month since my last post. Where does the time go? Well, lately it’s been going to work, Mo, and apartment hunting. After 2.5 years of sitting on the couch while I work, it’s just time to get a bigger place so I can have a home office (and a dining table). It’s amazing I’ve been able to get anything done! And now that I’ve got a crawling baby whose favorite thing in the whole world is my MacBook, I just can’t have it in his sight, so no more working while he plays quietly on the floor. Sigh.

Even though things have been quiet around fade theory, I’ve been a little bit better on twitter (@fadetheory, fyi). Not much, but somewhat. And I’ve certainly been coming across interesting things to share. So here’s a quick round-up:

°Apparently lots of people lie about what books they’ve read. Or at least people in the UK. 65%, according to this article. Do/have you? (As an aside, someone could ask me questions about lots of books I’ve read and I’d draw a blank on details. I read lots of classics before I was even a teenager, which was a while ago now.)

°Everyone’s favorite Oxford Etymologist asks, “Why Don’t We Know the Origin of the Word Ghetto?”

°Cologne’s archives building collapsed and many priceless documents are gone forever. I totally missed this until Angie sent me a link today. I appreciate the email, but man am I bummed.

°Check out the Copy Editor’s Lament (The Layoff Song). There really is a song for every occasion. (via Bloggasm)

The Bat Segundo Show is always a fun listen, but some episodes are of particular interest. This time it’s an interview with Azar Nafisi (BSS #260). Azar Nafisi is most recently the author of Things I’ve Been Silent About, as well as Reading Lolita in Tehran. Check it out.