Fittingly, Kunkel and others seem to have perfected the formula just as critic circles have written off “lad lit”. I mean sure, every school must deal with 9/11–new sets, new characters to populate them, old themes in new clothes (ref Wolfe, DeLillo, Roth, others)–but is the current wave simply grasping for excuses to rewrite Bright Lights, Big City? I say slack’s here to stay. Death, taxes, and slack.
“Chicago” is 15!
Now featuring coverage of electronic publishing as well as a grammar and usage chapter all its own, the Chicago Manual of Style is in its 15th edition. Buy it. Read it. Mind the gaps. Perhaps most importantly, remember to (as Linda Halvorson, chief editor, puts it) “break or bend” rules as your needs dictate.
From the Archives: David Allen, Guru of Weird Time
David Allen: Here’s a bright man who wrote a bright book (consider the audio version, and listen in the car!) of bright ideas: not the least of which is the concept of levels. Allen says we could view daily projects and grinds at 10,000 feet. At 20,000 we view roles; at 30,000 the near future and 40,000 the further out. Finally, we wax philosophical at around 50,000 feet and weigh our very existence. So when prioritizing what’s on your plate, ask yourself at what level you want to answer that question—even weigh your 10,000 foot answer against your 50,000 foot underpinnings. Are they reconciled?
