We often have moments where big questions about life and the way the world operates cross our mind. I know, I do. But what do we really do with those questions? File them in the back of our minds--or put them on the back burner? Well, I do (most of the time!). That's why I like Malcolm Gladwell - he takes those questions and goes out looking for answers.

Writer, hipster, and intellectural, Gladwell, 42, has been a staff writer for the New Yorker since 1996, but most of us didn't know about him until his bestselling book "The Tipping Point" hit the stands. It asks the simple yet probing question: What makes some ideas stick and spread like wildfire while other ideas fall flat on their face?

Last Saturday, I had a chance to go hear Gladwell speak at the New Yorker Festival. It was amazing.

Some time ago, inventor Jay Kahmi’s family went to go see Napoleon Dynamite. The movie had almost nothing going for it. It was set in a suburban Idaho high school. The main character, Napoleon, delivers his lines in a maddeningly slow monotone. His lip always droops slightly to the right. As the family sat uncomfortably in their theater seats, Napoleon walked up to a girl in the cafeteria and said: “I see your drinking 1%, is that because you think you’re fat?”

 Kahmi’s wife walked out of the theater.

This weekend, I attended The New Yorker Festival in New York City. There were many wonderful events and one could not possibly see them all. Especially since they were all over town at different venues and overlapping times. I can't speak about the authors/artists/musicians that I didn't see, but if they had anywhere near the entertainment value as the ones I did, then I can say with assurance that the Festival was a raging success.

My Events:
Friday night – Stephen King & Michael Chabon
Saturday night – Tracy Chapman
Sunday afternoon – Wallace & Gromit – The Curse of the Were Rabbit

As stated on The New Yorker Festival's Web site, the sixth annual festival planned to be "a celebratory weekend of public discourse on arts and ideas." How exciting! I really don't get enough culture in life. And this was the perfect example of one of those things that I should be doing more of. I've been excited for it ever since mid-August when a co-worker first presented it to me.

Friday night, my friend and I fought the horrible rush hour traffic to rush into Manhattan. In retrospect, we probably should have taken a train but hindsight (as they say) is 20/20. We arrived at the Directors Guild of America Theater about 15 minutes before the show. Now that it was finally here, I was beside myself with jubilance.

Me - Hey, how's it goin'?
Jubilance - Holy cow, man! I mean Wow! Check it out! Look where you are! Yah! Yah! Yah!
Me - Settle down, dude. Keep cool. Act professional.
Jubilance - Oh, you're no fun. I'm going to run around in circles for a little bit.
Me - Um, I'll see you in there.
Jubilance - Ohhhh yeahhhh dude! ... I'm dizzy.

Friday night was the pinnacle of the weekend. It was a little strange being that it was the first event--pinnacles usually come later in the story--but it worked out well. It was what it was. It was Stephen King and Michael Chabon.

I've been a big fan of Mr. King and Mr. Chabon for a long time. I was first introduced to Chabon in college. I was in an Independent Study class (which basically means you get to work on a project of some sort one on one with a professor). I was writing a book (or trying to anyway) and my professor gave me The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. It was Chabon’s first book, one he wrote while attending the University of California, and pursuing his own M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts). My professor told me that my writing style was somewhat similar to Chabon’s and that I could learn a lot from him. While I don’t imagine myself to be anywhere near Chabon's talent, he did teach me a thing or two.

Friday night was literature. Saturday night was music. I don't know how many of our readers know who Tracy Chapman is. Probably not many. If that is the case, I highly recommend you check her out. She is a prolific singer/musician/songwriter who's been on the scene since the early '80s. Often, her lyrics tell a story and she pours everything into the writing of them. I'm not exactly a huge fan, but seeing her perform Saturday night brought me closer.

Friday night was literature. Saturday night was music. Sunday afternoon was film. How does one begin to describe the wacky and loveable Wallace and Gromit? Well, for starters, they are made out of clay.

OK. So I may have been a little long winded in these entries but it is only because I enjoyed myself so much this weekend! Each event was entertaining in its own way and I relished every minute.

Jubilance - I'm exhausted.
Me - Me too.
Jubilance - But that was awesome.
Me - Yeah. Yeah it was.

Check out www.newyorker.com to learn more about the magazine that put together this wonderful celebration of the arts.

The King of Scary Stories, Stephen King, turns 58 today. I came into work
this morning to an email from The Writer's Almanac, in which I learned some cool facts about the incredible author whom we will be featuring in the October issues of WRITING and READ magazines. (Check back with us in October for more about that!)

Did you know?

1) King's father was a merchant seaman who left home when his son was just 2 years old. One day, King found a box full of his father's sci-fi and fantasy books. It was this box that inspired him to start writing horror stories.

2) King wrote his earliest stories in the furnace room of his trailer home. (Maybe that's the inspiration behind the original opening lines he contributed to The Weekly Writer. You can help him finish the story!)

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Summer is coming to an end. There aren't many beautiful days left. That is, unless of course, you live out in sunshiney California. For the rest of us, we must make do with the gorgeous time that we have. Not everything has to be about reading and writing. Anyone who holds themselves in a room with their computer and/or book all day long should seriously reconsider their options.

Here is the difference between ideas and art. Ideas just happen. Art does not just happen. Art requires work. To illustrate this, consider this situation involving a giant Pink Bunny.

Sometimes when I'm stuck and can't think of anything to write, I take a few steps from my comfy, red couch over to my bookshelf. I close my eyes and run my fingers along the spines of all my books and pick one (without peeking, of course!). Then I open the book to the first chapter and read the first line. 

   That, I decide, is going to be my inspiration.

Today is "Blame Somebody Else Day." Well, actually, I just googled it and found a bunch of sites saying that it's celebrated on April 14th. Contrariwise, I also found a bunch of sites confirming today. Who knows? In honor of the day, let me say that an editor that shall remain nameless (hint: not Melanie), told me about it.

It's not my fault! Ha.

Publisher's Note: The following blog entry contains graphic details about the wonderful game of tennis. Please read all the way to the end for the writing tip.

I love tennis. I love it. I do. And Andre Agassi has always been "my guy." These days, he's an old man in the tennis world. At 35, you have to begin to realize that retirement is in your near future. But last night in the Quarterfinals match at the U.S. Open, Agassi was young and brilliant again... and I missed it.

 One of the things I like best about traveling is the chance it gives me to make surprising discoveries.

I can't stop thinking about Hurricane Katrina. I can't stop thinking about the helpless victims, the tragic loss of life, and the thousands of stranded inhabitants of New Orleans who are struggling to survive in a city that has no electricity, no running water, and a broken network of communications. It's heartbreaking.

 

I'm also saddened by the devastation that has struck the Crescent City (as New Orleans is also known). Its vibrant neighborhoods, lush gardens, and bustling bistros are now drowning like Lego blocks in a bathtub full of water from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. What future awaits this beautiful city and its rich architectural and literary trails?

I changed my contacts today. It's the first of the month. I always change my contacts on the first of the month. I'm somewhat of a stickler when it comes to that kind of stuff. They're actually two-week disposables but I like to stretch that out because it just feels great when I discard the murky, old ones and replace them with clean, fresh, crystal-clear eyes. That's what I have now. It's a wonderful new perspective. Anywho ...

We, the editors of READ and WRITING magazines cheerfully welcome you to WORD. Come on in! Have a seat! Would you like a cup of hot chocolate? Or are you drinking coffee these days? What is your beverage of choice when you curl up with a good book? What goes through your head when you're writing a story, an essay, or a poem? We want to know. Our goal has always been to aid you in your writing and get you excited about the printed word. Now you have a venue to speak to us. Our eyes are open and clear. This blog is here for you.