Pittsburgh, Truro and Lynchburg

An Ode to Industrial Dinosaurs

If you're into romance this side of economic despoliation, award-winning online journal Triple Canopy has an incredible photo essay by Adam Davies, an ode to American cities abandoned due to the demise of their mainstay industries. Issue 6 has several other interesting articles on urban development (which I highlighted here) with the exception of "Gypsy Mansions," the derogatory tone of which undercut its sexy title and whimsical illustrations and kind of turned me off. But all else is very cool.

Olja Ivanjicki

1931-2009

Olja Ivanjicki: a painter, poet and thinker without parallel. You will be greatly missed.

Arthur Jones will Illustrate Your One-Sentence Story

Friend and very talented animator Arthur Jones has a new project. He's illustrating one-sentence stories. All you have to do is send him your one-liner and he'll whip up an Original Jones Post-It Note illustration. He's done some really fantastic animation and illustration that was the subject of one of my earliest posts for The Rumpus, which you can view here, and an interview I conducted with Jones is upcoming on The Rumpus, so keep an eye out. Send him your stories! This really is a unique opportunity. One day you will say, "I had my story illustrated by Arthur way back when..."

Cecil Woolf est Tres Charmant

A couple of weeks ago Cecil Woolf, publisher and nephew of Leonard and Virginia Woolf, was in New York for the Woolf in the City Conference. I arranged for Sasha Graybosch to interview him for The Rumpus, and she did a fantastic interview and write-up. Mr. Woolf, who says he has the "family face," talks openly Virginia and Leonard at home, Virginia's breakdowns and his inspiration for starting the monograph series Bloomsbury Heritage. And it turns out, according to Mr. Woolf's website, The Rumpus was the only venue to respond to the opportunity to interview Mr. Woolf!!!

"Put that one in the man trap with him."

My first work in The Believer about wing chairs and the witchery that it works on the people who sit in them; an interview with Ryan Manning for Thunk.