Kevin Sampsell’s New Kind of Author Appreciation

Kevin Sampsell’s commitment to indie literature runs deep. Not only does he run the small press section at Powell’s, he’s the founder and publisher of Future Tense Books. And, as you’ll learn in this essay he wrote for Beatrice, he’s willing to give out props to his heroes when he’s given the opportunity.

You know how you see kids with their backpacks or jackets all cluttered with buttons? They’re usually for their favorite bands or for some personal affirmation or political statement. Anything under the sun really—Johnny Depp, Bettie Page, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, SpongeBob SquarePants, Jesus. So why not our favorite authors? A writer’s mug pinned to a denim jacket can be just as much a signifier of a wearer’s personality as an anarchy pin. If I saw someone with a David Sedaris pin I could guess that person had a good sense of humor, or if I saw Annie Lamott’s face on someone’s lapel I could probably guess that person is thoughtful and maybe a little spiritual.

Matthew Simmons and Shya Scanlon, editors at MonkeyBicycle, a very entertaining web site and literary journal, decided it was about time to usher in this new era of pinnable fashion. Matthew sent me an email to see if I’d like to act as the first curator. Since he knows that—like him—I work at a bookstore and read constantly, he figured I’d have a few authors to champion. He told me I could pick three authors and write short essays about each one. They would be printed as bookmarks, with a short excerpt of the author’s writing on one side. Artist Ellen Forney (author of I Was Seven in ’75) was lined up to draw portraits of the chosen authors. The buttons would be the style, the bookmarks the substance: a complete package!

Here’s a list of people I could have picked for my trio: Harry Crews, A.M. Homes, Ben Marcus, Larry Brown, Michelle Tea, Dave Eggers, Mark Leyner, and Terry Southern. They’ve all affected me a great deal, perhaps twisting and shaping me into the type of writer I’ve become. But the three that stood out for me, the three that captured some elusive greatness, some pinnacle of individual style that should become a benchmark for generations to come are Gary Lutz, Sam Lipsyte, and Diane Williams.

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2 November 2005 | guest authors |

Play Along at Home!

Today I join the roster of writers who’ve contributed to the “Daily 5 Minute Writing Exercise” on C.M. Mayo’s web site. There’s a lot of fun stuff there for aspiring writers; of course, I had to go and choose a theme connected to the impending publication of The Stewardess Is Flying the Plane!

“Choose one of your favorite films. Write a scene in which a character explains what he or she loves about it to another character. Now choose one of your least favorite films, and write a scene in which one character tries to persuade another that they should watch it.”

1 November 2005 | uncategorized |