The Awl has a very entertaining history of “dirty talk” (e.g., vagina, blowjob) at the traditionally squeamish New Yorker. But take note: Contrary to the Awl’s account, the word asshole appeared in that magazine’s pages well before 1994. In an article about Artforum that appeared in the New Yorker’s October 20, 1986 issue, Janet Malcolm quotes art critic Rosalind Krauss, who describes two curators as "sounding like complete assholes.” [Update: The New Yorker has issued a handful of corrections to the Awl's history: Asshole, it turns out, appeared in 1975; blowjob in 1995.)
VIDA has released more information about gender imbalance in the publishing world, focusing this time on The Best American series.
The Lit Pub has launched. What is it? At Htmlgiant, founder Molly Gaudry describes the new website, which will select, promote, and sell independent books considered worthy by the Lit Pub powers-that-be: “TLP is a bookstore, and for an entire month it will hold front-table events on its home page for three lucky authors/publishers.”
"What you don't know about copyright, but should."
Christian Hawkey, one of our favorite poets, praises the music of Arthur Russell, confesses his obsession with Montgomery Clift, and considers how to write poetry while remaining committed to the idea of social justice.
Before Madonna scored a hit with the song “Vogue” in 1990, making the term familiar to millions, the Latino and African American communities of Harlem had been refining voguing—a combination of fashion, dance, and attitude—for years. In the forthcoming book Voguing and the Gay Balls of New York City, French photographer Chantal Regnault collects a decade and a half of photos, interviews, flyers, and ephemera from the scene, providing an intriguing document of a vibrant subculture. Anyone looking for actual footage of voguers can try the classic documentary Paris Is Burning—or watch this video of an amazing performance led by artist Rashaad Newsome at the DAP/Bookforum BEA party last week.
