http://csteib.gather.com Recent Articles on Gather by Chris Steib en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:09:38 GMT 2010-01-03T19:09:38Z en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 http://www.gather.com/images/header/logo_gather.gif http://www.gather.com/ http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977939729 Toward the end of each year, a few friends and I start an email thread about our favorite things in about a dozen different categories from the last 50 weeks or so. Books is a fixture on our best-of . . . Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:20:32 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977939729 Chris Steib 2009-12-09T23:20:32Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977898105 Still feeling guilty about dropping $28.50 on that James Patterson hardcover at B&N? Well, earn back some of your literary cred by participating in the first annual Independent Bookstore Week in . . . Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:39:12 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977898105 Chris Steib 2009-11-12T19:39:12Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977876339 Barnes & Noble recently started showing off the Nook , their new eBook reader that merges an iPhone-like LCD touch screen and the eInk-powered monochrome reader page. Last week, AOL's tech blog, . . . Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:42:31 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977876339 Chris Steib 2009-10-29T20:42:31Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977876248 Check out the list of actively-Tweeting writers, publishers, book bloggers and booksellers I put together using Twitter's new Lists feature. It runs the gamut from international bestseller Margaret . . . Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:13:33 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977876248 Chris Steib 2009-10-29T18:13:33Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977863326 Slagging book sales, be damned! Two publishing vets banded together to launch a new bookshop this weekend in the cozy community of Fort Greene, Brooklyn. With a combined 25 years in the books biz, Jessica . . . Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:42:24 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977863326 Chris Steib 2009-10-21T14:42:24Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977855357 -- Privacy Proponents Fight Patriot Act's Exposure of Bookseller Lists -- I hope you kept your receipt for The Anarchist Cookbook , because Big Brother may indeed be watching your book-buying . . . Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:55:14 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977855357 Chris Steib 2009-10-15T20:55:14Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977827648 Photographer Kyle Cassidy always wondered if there "was a connection between the places that writers work and their work itself" -- and to answer the question, he selected 20 Science Fiction authors . . . Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:30:43 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977827648 Chris Steib 2009-09-26T22:30:43Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977825659 After getting trounced repeatedly in book sales since the onset of the downturn in late 2008, publishers are rejoicing very cautiously and quietly over July's little skip up in book sales. The Association . . . Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:42:29 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977825659 Chris Steib 2009-09-25T02:42:29Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977778995 HarperCollins announced a 20.6% drop in revenue for the quarter ending June 30, 2009, Publisher's Weekly reports . Citing -- among other things -- a decline in book sales, CEO Brian Murray admitted . . . Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:03:16 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977778995 Chris Steib 2009-08-18T23:03:16Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977770934 Necessity once again breeds invention, this time in California where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a deal to stock up classrooms with free e-books in lieu of their costly and cumbersome paper . . . Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:07:25 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977770934 Chris Steib 2009-08-12T16:07:25Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977764094 NBA's site features a visual list of the 77 fiction-prize winners over the last six decades of handing out the Award. Sadly, I've only read five of them in their entirety, and snippets of others. . . . Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:50:17 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977764094 Chris Steib 2009-08-05T21:50:17Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977761326 Feeling guilty about being an unproductive scribe? Enjoy your next coffee break(s) with this great list of 100+ Lit-Twitterers that will remind you that even the likes of Paulo Coelho  get distracted . . . Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:33:21 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977761326 Chris Steib 2009-08-03T21:33:21Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977753626 In an overdue attempt to attract more tech-wielding squatters, Barnes & Noble today announced a deal with AT&T to pump free wi-fi into its 777 locations. According to CEO Steve Riggio, . . . Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:31:29 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977753626 Chris Steib 2009-07-28T15:31:29Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977675325 Using an exacto knife and old pulp novels, American photographer/artist Thomas Allen created a series of delightful diaramas that spotlight the quirky appeal to the classic paperback genre. Shot in . . . Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:15:34 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977675325 Chris Steib 2009-07-20T18:15:34Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977702651 With the exciting announcement of a new local bookshop in the Fort Greene area of Brooklyn, NY, my love and nostalgia for the indie book shop is in full swing. During a trek down to SoHo this week . . . Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:50:54 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977702651 Chris Steib 2009-06-05T20:50:54Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977700222 Print is dead...long live print! Defying struggling book sales and a sluggish economy, two award-winning book nerds set out to open a brick-and-mortar book store. Jessica Stockton Bagnulo ( of the . . . Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:00:58 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977700222 Chris Steib 2009-06-03T15:00:58Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977675337 Anyone who has ever participated in a book club -- and especially those who failed to read the book -- will find this all-too familiar. Funny or Die (the video-comedy site from Will Ferrell , et al) . . . Thu, 28 May 2009 16:25:21 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977675337 Chris Steib 2009-05-28T16:25:21Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977693352 Here's a quick one for you: CollegeHumor.com takes a shot at the de-evolution of reading with this faux-mercial for the next-generation digital e-reader. Featuring "an exciting new visual . . . Wed, 27 May 2009 19:47:51 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977693352 Chris Steib 2009-05-27T19:47:51Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977688426 I stumbled on this self-publishing company called Lulu today (I was actually looking for LaLa.com ), and was impressed with the quality and breadth of offerings on the site. With more than a dozen . . . Thu, 21 May 2009 18:50:57 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977688426 Chris Steib 2009-05-21T18:50:57Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977685887 It can be argued that the web has done many things for literature, but one of my favorites is how the digital era has lowered the barrier of entry for conversation around books. Amazon, Shelfari, . . . Mon, 18 May 2009 20:47:05 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977685887 Chris Steib 2009-05-18T20:47:05Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977665088 Tragic story out of Arkansas this week about non-fiction author David McElyea, who committed suicide on Wednesday in a Wal-Mart in Fayetteville. Author of " When Money Grows On Trees ," . . . Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:46:28 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977665088 Chris Steib 2009-04-24T19:46:28Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977645667 April, as you literary folk know, is National Poetry Month. And who better to celebrate it with than the good people at Alfred A. Knopf Publishers (AKA Knopf Doubleday Publishers, AKA Random House, Inc., . . . Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:32:17 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977645667 Chris Steib 2009-04-03T17:32:17Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977591415 If you're anything like me, then you've always felt one critical thing was missing from Jane Austen's classic novel  Pride and Prejudice : "bone-crunching zombie action." I . . . Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:43:20 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977591415 Chris Steib 2009-02-11T20:43:20Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977577883 So let's say you're an author: you've written the book, gone through the agent-and-editor process, found distribution, and actually saw your book in print and for sale online. Now you need . . . Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:39:39 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977577883 Chris Steib 2009-01-29T00:39:39Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977576551 January 28, 2009, 2:56pm : John Updike, one of American's most prolific modern writers, lost a battle with lung cancer this morning, according to Nicholas Latimer of Alfred A. Knopf, a division . . . Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:53:56 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977576551 Chris Steib 2009-01-27T19:53:56Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977569207 And I quote....   My fellow citizens:    I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by . . . Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:51:48 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977569207 Chris Steib 2009-01-20T18:51:48Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977569127 Yale professor Elizabeth Alexander followed President Obama's inaugural address in D.C. this afternoon with an original poem, illustrating not only to "the changing sky" ahead, but . . . Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:47:34 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977569127 Chris Steib 2009-01-20T17:47:34Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977564285 Per Publisher's Weekly , it looks like Barnes & Noble is dropping the axe on 100 positions from the corporate office in NYC. In a statement on the cuts, CEO Steve Riggio said, . . . Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:55:47 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977564285 Chris Steib 2009-01-15T20:55:47Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977564039 A thread of children's notes confiscated in school -- known across the web as 'shak har boobis' -- show an unintended acumen for modern poetry. While all of the notes are worth a . . . Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:50:02 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977564039 Chris Steib 2009-01-15T16:50:02Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977562169 Blatant copyright infringement aside, I'm digging the efforts of this blogger at "Golden Gems" to bring to digital life some classic little golden (and other vintage) books. See this . . . Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:04:41 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977562169 Chris Steib 2009-01-13T19:04:41Z