Interview with Jason Cook:
How did Ampersand Books begin? Was it epic like the birth of Zeus or was it inevitable as the butterfly effect?
How do you define “good” writing?
How did Ampersand Books begin? Was it epic like the birth of Zeus or was it inevitable as the butterfly effect?
How do you define “good” writing?
If you were a super hero what would your name be?
SomethingMan
What super power would you have and why?
The ability to alter MLA guidelines and the OED at will and without the knowledge of others, thus bending worldwide advertising and signage to my taste in grammar and syntax. This new, constantly changing style of entropic reorganization would be known as LA MODE, an anagrammatic tribute to the two newly-toppled systems. It would be that until it changed.
Also, I would be able to fly and read without translation, ever.
What great literary crime would you fight against?
Excessive paragraph breaks and/or the tagging of dialogue. Punctuation used as a crutch instead of a tool. Arguments that use the Dadaists or Abstract Expressionists as chief examples. Categorization. The canonization of David Foster Wallace (especially by those whom only have the tennis essay as a basis, even though that’s the best thing he did). Someone’s attempt to sell my book for $86.42 on alibris (http://bit.ly/a24n8n), Applecare. MFA programs that teach only out of Updike’s 100 Short Stories. MFA programs that don’t teach anything out of Updike’s 100 Short Stories. The cost of tuition for arts programs. The American lack of Irish writer’s grants. The typos in the first edition of Do Something! Do Something! Do Something!. Ellipses. The deus ex machina. People who comment more than write. Gchats as art. Arguments about the meaning of art. Brooklyn as Mecca. Moleskines. People who hate Bolano for being too similar to Borges (it’s a good thing!). The ability to tell how many books you’ve sold by checking SPD’s website. My anxieties. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear. My fear…
Joseph Riippi’s book Do Somthing, Do Something, Do Something can be ordered here: Ampersand Books