Category Archives: college

February 05, 2016   Amy Bishop   Amy, books, categories, classics, college  
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Tell the truth about your reading!

At one point or another in our lives, we’ve probably all lied about reading a particular book—whether it’s because we were trying to not get in trouble with a teacher or professor, pretending we’re up to date with pop culture, or just trying to not sound dumb in front of friends or colleagues. Indeed, the Telegraph has posted a list of the books that people have lied most about having read. (No, it’s actually not Ulysses.)

But have you ever lied about having never read a certain book? I ran with self-professed book nerds in high school and college, and because we were all judgy teenagers, there were books that we simply avoided out of ignorance or because everyone else was reading them. For example, there was a time (for a while, until I got caught) that I denied reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer because most of my friends made fun of it (even though I looooooved that series as a preteen).

Working at DGLM, my reading tastes have broadened considerably. You read everything so you can recognize good writing or storytelling when you see it, no matter what the genre is. As an example, I’ve discovered that I really like picking up a romance at the end of a long week. theceo(I just finished Nancy Herkness’s The CEO Buys In, which I couldn’t put down!) Not that long ago I’d never read an adult romance novel—I had just wrongly assumed that I wouldn’t like them.

I’m grateful for the chance to open myself up to new kinds of writing and get rid of some of the preconceived notions I’d had as a young reader! How have your reading tastes changed over the years? Are there books you love now that you wouldn’t have five, ten, or twenty years ago?

April 21, 2015   sharon   college, conferences, inspiration, travel  
0

Real live agents!

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with students at the University of Tulsa. The screenwriting program organizes this Agents’ Summit biannually to give students, faculty, and interested community members the chance to meet agents  – real live agents! – and learn about the ins and outs of finding representation for your book, screenplay, or theatrical play.

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It’s the most important part of any conference…the COFFEE

Or, as the coordinating professor told me, “Now our students get to see that you aren’t scary!”

He continued, “We want them to take their work seriously and understand its potential. We want them to realize they can apply for internships! We want them to keep writing!”

The visit was a very inspiring experience – the campus was beautiful, downtown Tulsa is full of amazing coffeeshops and interesting museums, and most importantly, the students were so bright, interested, and creative. They asked smart, thoughtful questions, like “What one quality are you looking for most in a query?”* and “How much should I change my book to fit what is popular right now?”**

It was a great reminder that in the daily grind of answering emails, reviewing contracts, and evaluating proposals, I also get to work with gifted writers who love putting stories on paper and sharing them with readers. Even when it’s hard or lonely work, even when they have to be brave enough to share the results of that work with “not scary” agents like me! And it’s exciting to know that there are a bunch of young writers out there getting ready to follow in their footsteps.

What questions have you always wanted to ask a “real live agent”? What keeps you motivated to work on your writing when you get discouraged? 

 

*We all said things on the variety of “Voice!” and “Characters we can’t forget about.” 

**Not at all! It’s important to be familiar with your category and think about where you would find your readers…but it’s also important to write the best book you can write, based on the inspiration that’s driving you. Don’t chase the market – it might be gone by the time you get there, and then you’ll be stuck with a book you aren’t invested in. 

May 10, 2012   Michael   college, Michael, recommendations, suggestions  
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Livin’ in the 90s

Yesterday, a friend asked for a list of favorite songs from the 90s, which sent me into a nostalgia spiral. I think I’d forgotten about the 90s, really. I’m not sure how.  I spent all of high school and college in the 90s, so you’d think I’d be more invested in them. But my heart has always belonged to the 80s, with New Wave, and Star Wars (the good ones), and Atari, and Bunnicula. I guess I’m more nostalgic for my childhood than my teen years.

But thinking about 90s music got me to thinking about 90s books. Being in school at the time, much of my reading was focused on coursework and classics, so I’m not as familiar with the contemporary literature of the time. I distinctly remember reading The Bean Trees, High Fidelity, Memoirs of a Geisha, Angela’s Ashes, She’s Come Undone, Naked and, of course, The Secret History in college, and I know I read some Crichton, King and Grisham, though I’d be hard pressed to tell you which books. Now I’m starting to wonder which books I missed, and I’m thinking it’s time to put together a list so I can start catching up (what, with all that free time I have for reading!). So, what 90s books do I need to put on the list? Any favorites of yours that I can’t be missed?

September 07, 2011   Miriam   authors, canon, college, culture, fun, great books, Miriam, opinion, reading  
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Syllabi

Yesterday, as I headed north on Broadway toward the 125th street entrance to the West Side Highway in a downpour not seen since, well, last week when gregarious Irene was paying a visit to the entire East Coast, I found myself stopped at a light in front of the main gates of Columbia University, my alma mater.  The street was teeming with rain and fresh faced freshmen looking vaguely shellshocked.  Watching them hurry to cross the street before the light changed and the homicidal cabbie in the next lane hit the gas, their overstuffed backpacks and grim expressions sent me into a reverie about my long ago school days.

One of the reasons I chose Columbia was its mandatory humanities courses—philosophy, literature, music, and art survey courses composed of the “canon” of great works.  As those of you who read this blog regularly know, most of us here at DGLM love a reading list and what better reason to go into thousands of dollars worth of debt than to emerge with a reading list full of masterpieces chosen by…old white guys, reflecting the ideology and intellectual tradition of…old white guys.  Wait!  Even with the occasional nod to a woman or person of color the canon really was rather limited and limiting in its choice of authors. All these years later, it still is.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved many if not most of those canonical choices, but I wonder what I would have changed in that syllabus for my lit hum class.  Instead of the Iliad, perhaps One Thousand and One Nights?  Borges instead of Dreiser?  Zora Neale Hurston instead of F. Scott Fitzgerald?  How about genre literature?  I know I would’ve traded a great mystery novel for the millions of pages on whaling by the esteemed Mr. Melville in a heartbeat.

Obviously, there’s no right list of classics, but if the idea is to shape young minds that will then go out and shape the world, what would your reading list include?

August 23, 2010   DG&B   college, feedback, Jane, nonfiction, reading  
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Letting go

by Jane

One of the really nice customs in publishing is that when an agent is invited to lunch by an editor or a publisher, the editor or publisher usually brings along a book or two from their list for the agent. Sometimes the books are bestsellers, sometimes they represent new voices the publisher is proud of and wants to show off.

Recently, though, an old friend, an editor with a major publishing house, gave me a particularly thoughtful book at our lunch, The iConnected Parent: Staying Close to Your Kids in College(and Beyond)While Letting Them Grow Up.  The book was written with research done at Middlebury and The University of Michigan and discusses how much or little parents should stay connected to their children as they leave the nest. 

The book was a particularly lovely gift as my son is going off to the University of Michigan next week where he will begin his college career. It has been difficult contemplating this separation even though my husband and I of course knew it was coming. Having friends and colleagues who are as thoughtful as this editor was at this time is helping us all to get through this experience far more smoothly.

I have no doubt that reading The iConnected Parent will be instructional and comforting and I am looking forward to it. I wonder if you have any other suggestions for books to help us empty nesters move forward.