Jennifer Howard

The Collagist is a new online magazine published by Dzanc Books and edited by the writer Matt Bell. I have a flash-fiction threesome (“Twenty Questions,” “It’s Me,” “It’s You”) in the Decmeber issue. Please take a look if you have a chance. You can also read an interview with me here. It feels good to be writing fiction again. The December Collagist has a bunch of flash fiction on offer, and it’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of the short-short form or want a good introduction to it. In his editor’s note, Matt Bell argues that flash fiction… Read more...

I was down in New Orleans late last month to give a talk at the Society of Biblical Literature conference. The topic: How to Talk to the Media. It was useful for me to think about the transactions between experts and journalists. I heard some eye-opening war stories from scholars who feel that they have gotten burned by media folk, especially by film-and-TV people in search of a quick sound bite about the Lost Tomb of Jesus or whatever the sensational find of the moment is. My message was simple, obvious, and worth repeating: Journalists are not necessarily the problem…. Read more...

In no particular order of magnitude or irksomeness: The Tiger Woods non-story The White House party crashers barely-a-story story Malcolm Gladwell-bashing Kindle sales-figure updates Pronouncements about The Future of News The rise of the memoir genre “The Nutracker” already (and it’s only Dec. 1) The word “provocative” applied to claims or assertions made by authors or essayists Most of my wardrobe Tofurkey So. What’s bugging *you* this week? Tell me all about it…. Read more...