Atlantic debut, new book, cool illuminated Bible project + Gatsby soundtrack

You know things have been a bit crazy of late when you can take a three-hour nap on Sunday and still sleep fine that night. And I did.

Not all my recent writing has been published yet, but the biggest piece has: my debut on The Atlantic website. Coming this fall, I also have a somewhat related essay in the anthology Talking Taboo, in which 40 Christian women under 40 explore the taboos that remain in 21st century churches. To help give the book a solid pre-order start, the editors launched an Indiegogo campaign today, to raise $14,700 for production and marketing costs, internet advertising and so on. You can support the book for as little as $7, but $20 or more secures your pre-order copy.

I confess I was a little confused at first why a book with a publisher still needed to fundraise like this, but when I think back on all I could have done to better market my book -- each part of which would have involved money -- it makes more sense.

Lastly, while this does not entail a full-fledged article, I also my first appearance in the print edition of Christianity Today last month: My top 5 books on singleness. On a related note, Mako Fujimura shared his top 5 books on creativity earlier this year. They feature a new list every issue, covering topics that range as widely as Dickens, North Korea and consumerism.

Don't miss the great short-story serialization below! And the Great Gatsby soundtrack probably won't be a first listen for long.

:: call for submissions ::

• One of the more interesting projects I heard about at the Festival of Faith and Music was a New York-based effort to create the largest multi-disciplinary illumination of the Bible, organized by Spark and Echo Arts. As you might imagine, it's a pretty immense undertaking, but also a tremendous and very exciting opportunity. Learn more about the project.
• Christianity Today seeks essays telling Christians' common-good stories -- and 10 winners will each get $1,000 for their story. The top essay will also be featured in the print edition of Christianity Today. Deadline is Friday, June 15; ideal length: 1,000-2,500 words. Learn how to enter.

:: events ::

• From the Grotto: ZYZZYVA release - MAY 17 @ Diesel bookstore in Rockridge, 7 p.m. ZYZZYVA, the award-winning West Coast literary journal, celebrates the publication of the spring/summer issue. With Molly Giles (Iron Shoes), Alexandra Teague (Mortal Geography) and Aaron Jae-Ho Shin. Wine and snacks, of course. Editors Laura Cogan and Oscar Villalon hosting. ZYZYYVA release parties are always a good time—come early to get a seat and hang out.
• Song Reader sightreading party: we're now tentatively looking at sometime in June for this low-key performance of Beck's latest album. Let me know if you'd be interested in learning part of a few songs to help us bring the album to life.
• Author NoViolet Bulawayo will be speaking in San Francisco, May 21 at the Lone Palm (details and tickets here). An award-winning writer, her debut novel We Need New Names is due out next month. Read the first chapter, released as a short story called "Hitting Budapest" that went on to win the Caine prize.

:: your stuff ::

• Painter Jenn Leighton is showing work at zocalo coffeeshop in San Leandro this month. She'll have a small reception there on Saturday, May 18, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Later this summer, she'll be exhibiting at Blue Door Beads in Piedmont (reception, Aug. 15, 6-9 p.m., as part of Piedmont artwalk).

:: tunes ::

• In case you missed their recent Oakland show, Tom Waits played "Little Red Rooster" with the Rolling Stones. Paste has a video clip (better sound than visual quality).
• Baz Luhrman discusses his use of rap in The Great Gatsby. Hear the soundtrack on First Listen.
  

:: film & visual art ::

• This video from two Liberty University students has gone viral -- and with good reason. "How Animals Eat Their Food": short and funny.
• This focuses less on art, more on its collectors, but I thought the contrast in how men and women buy art -- and why -- was interesting.

:: reading / food for thought ::

• This series first debuted in January, but I must confess I don't read The New Yorker that often. So great, though. At a mere 28, the author is a precocious talent, lately of the Bay Area. as this New York Times profile shows.
  
• Simon's Sell Out, Part One - One day an immigrant pickle-factory worker falls into the brine ... for a long, long time. When he escapes, the world has changed.
• Part Two - Herschel grows restless depending on his great grandson for sustenance, and dreams of acquiring land.
• Part Three: Herschel must find a place to store pickles jars for his expanding business, so he joins an exclusive artist commune.
• Part Four: Herschel expands the business, sells it to Walmart and helps his great-grandson pray.
• Keep your day job: a look at how other writers have balanced their art with paying the bills.
• This is almost a month old, but the the death of storied reporter and legendary stylist McCandlish Philips prompted an unusual obituary in the New York Times. The Wall Street Journal had more on his unusual career. If I didn't actually meet Philips , I remember him from a Gegrapha meeting I once attended in Manhattan. Even then, meeting organizer Tony Carnes' esteem for Philips was evident. Read Carnes' remembrance of his friend and mentor. I must say, in reading the various tributes to him, I was really struck by Philips' work ethic and the care he put into even the seemingly dullest assignments. 
• While most writing advice is at least somewhat helpful, I really like the succinctness and visual of this list, in which 14 authors wrote writing advice on their hands and then photographed it. Fun to see how people's personalities came through.
• Looking to read some fiction this summer? This list of 15 "essential" novels about New York piqued my interest, though I'm still early on in the book-world whodunnits of John Dunning.

:: food ::

• Toward the end of a recent trip, I got sick, which had me graving chicken soup soon after my return. I've never liked the taste of traditional chicken noodle soup, but this more Italian take from Rachael Ray, which adds mushrooms, stewed tomatoes and gnocchi is delicious. Even my Grandpa, a notoriously picky eater, liked it! When I have less time, I also turn to a Greek chicken soup, avgolemono.

Ebert, upcoming concerts (M&S!) + a young poetry fan

Posters my friend made for
her school's Austism
Awareness Month observance.
Read more below.

No new articles this time, but I'm nearing the end of reading for a book review on online dating, after which I turn to Mary Roach's Gulp.

We're still working out the details for the Songreader sight-reading party I mentioned last time, but if you're interested in participating, you might want to get your copy now. At $34 for 20 lavishly detailed song charts, it's pretty reasonably priced. The album includes parts for piano, guitar, ukelele, several voices (at least one song has harmony) and a few wind instruments that I'll have to double-check when I'm home. Order it from McSweeney's or, if you don't mind a trip to the Richmond District, pick up a copy from Green Apple Books. They had several in stock when I stopped by. The Pirate Store at 826 Valencia might also have a few, but call first to be sure.

:: Concerts ::

Notable shows in the next several weeks:

• Tonight! David Wilcox at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley
• April 24: Little Willies (a Norah Jones project) at Great American Music Hall -- I'm really hoping to go; will probably try to buy tickets before my trip next week. Let me know if you want to come with!
• May 29-31: Mumford & Sons at the Greek in Berkeley. You can save about $10/ticket by shopping the on-campus box office (hours here).

:: National Poetry Month ::

3-year-old recites Billy Collins' poem "Litany": Somehow I missed this video when it first circulated three years ago, but it's deservedly the sensation it became. HuffPo notes that the boy, Samuel Chelpka, has also:

• Recited Collins' "Walking Across the Atlantic"
• Performed Tennyson's "The Eagle"
• Recited Fannie Stearns Davis's "Moon Folly" at TEDxPhoenix

A commenter on the NYT blog post about the video shares more about Samuel's exposure to poetry. Here's the text of Collins' poem. I'm chagrined to say I didn't know much about his work until this video, but I certainly plan to read more now. "Litany" is wonderful.

:: tunes ::

• The NYT recently ran this interview with Emmylou Harris, which included two delightful tracks from her recent duet album with longtime friend Rodney Crowell. Perhaps because my two maternal grandparents are in their early 90s, her comments on aging -- especially as she observes it with her 92-year-old mother -- really resonated with me.
• One of the songs featured in that story also made Paste editor Josh Jackson's recent list of the year's 25 best songs so far, which includes several from albums NPR has featured on First Listen.
• Gym-music sweet spot: to maximize the impact of your playlist's workout impact, WSJ says you should pick songs within a certain tempo range
• I don't know a lot about this musician, but Audrey Assad's interview with Christianity Today caught my eye because she gets into communal singing, which has been on my mind a lot lately. She discusses why she's switched from making albums for people to play in their cars or on their stereos to a project more focused on congregational singing

:: visual art & film ::

• Just one day after announcing he was taking a break from writing again, Rogert Ebert has died. Even with my media-light upbringing (no TV until high school), I knew his name by adolescence. The New York Times obit includes a nice slideshow, but the Sun Times tribute is probably the most thorough. A couple pieces of his that were shared on Twitter today:
• His review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (recommended by NPR's culture writer, Linda Holmes)
• I do not fear death (on Salon)
• Portraits of centenarians: pictures of 100-year-old people might not sound that interesting or attractive, but these are really wonderful. Every now and then, I encounter an artistic project -- a friend's three-person play I saw years ago comes to mind -- that rises to the level of medium-defending art. As in, you see it and think, This is why ___ [art form] exists. Nothing else can do quite this. For me, these portraits rise to that level. The photographer did such a great job capturing each person's life, vitality and personality. I liked the side shots less, but perhaps those people were more shy about direct eye contact and that, too, showed part of who they are.
• A while back, I shared a photography project focused on people with albinism. A friend's recent effort to change the Autism Awareness Month posters at her school reminded me of that. Read the whole story on her blog. I'm so proud of Robyn.

:: the Keller corner ::

• Work: What is it Good For? I haven't seen this video yet, but it's an hour-long discussion between Keller and his co-author Katherine Leary Alsdorf, who only recently stepped down from leading Redeemer's Center for Faith and Work.

:: food ::

• For Easter dinner, I tried a new side this year, partly to use up some home-grown sage my aunt let me snip from her garden before I left Washington. The result: a mash-up of these two recipes for mashed sweet potatoes with sage (to which I also added some garlic). Very tasty, rich in eye-nourishing vitamin A and no gravy-making required.