The turmoil at Harper’s continues. Last week, the Harper’s Union held an online fundraiser that they say raised $50,000 dollars to help keep the magazine from losing staff. (It's been reported that publisher John R. MacArthur is undecided whether to accept the money, telling Forbes "I don’t want to take money from people of modest incomes, and I certainly don’t want to accept corporate or foundation money that, too often, comes with strings attached.") Yesterday, Harper’s associate editor Theodore Ross announced on his blog, Dadwagon, that he had accepted a severance package after six years on the job. Ross writes: “I will say that Harper’s problems are hardly original among its publishing peers: the challenges it faces are structural, others stem from poor luck and an inability to plan; most, however, are clearly self-inflicted.” There's been no public word yet on the fate of Ben Metcalf, the literary editor also said to be slated for a layoff, a fight whose outcome may be the most telling indicator of the magazine’s future direction.
The Telegraph has accused The Guardian of releasing alleged Wikileaks source Bradley Manning’s name to the media, as The Guardian has just published its account of L’affaire Assange in a new book, WIKILEAKS: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy. The Guardian responds to The Telegraph’s charge: “The whole world knows [Manning] is alleged to be the source. So to accuse us of somehow naming him looks at best like a piece of mischief and at worst something more unpleasant.”
In 1988, thirty-six year old Karla Eoff received a phone call from a friend asking if she wanted to be Susan Sontag’s assistant. Newly arrived in New York, Eoff decided that it would be good to at least meet the legendary author. Soon after, Eoff was hired, and discovered that “with Susan, you’re either on the ride or you’re not. For a few amazing years, I was on it. And it was quite a ride.” (Via Vol. I Brooklyn).
Tonight at BookCourt in Brooklyn, Paula Bomer reads from her short story collection Baby & Other Stories, along with Jessica Anya Blau, and Susan Henderson.
