Vooks (no, this isn't a typo)

As children, we may have fought the transition to reading books without pictures. Thanks to the vook, that childhood joy has returned.

To quote Vook.com, “A vook is a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story.” Imagine video trailers for books, documentary-esque footnotes within the pages, interviews with the author, and social media connections with other readers. As I type this, I feel like I’m channeling H. G. Wells, but this is no futuristic world. The release of the iPad has only furthered the possibilities for this new publishing medium.

I’ll admit my hesitancy. What about the loss of imagination here? Haven’t we all read a book and then seen the movie, realizing that the director’s vision of a character looked nothing like the image in our own heads? Should we let the videos dictate this detail for us? That takes away the glory of reading a book in my opinion, letting the world of film take over the beauty and simplicity of the written word.

However, imagine the new readers that may be pulled in with this multi-media glory. Imagine the total package of story, history, creation, and connection. If books are too old and dusty for some who crave more, vooks could bridge the gap creating larger reading audiences.

So while admitting my wavering, I’m still in favor of this swing. I think when I have my chance at the vook, though, my characters will all appear in silhouette to keep their faces in the imagination of the reader.

We all know people who are starting to speak up – no longer in a whisper – saying that they really love reading on their Kindle. Will the vook be the next revolution? The world is changing my word weaving friends, and it is in our best interest to keep up with it.

I wanted to end with some examples of video book trailers done really well. Not all were created for the vook, but they get the idea across:

(Nonfiction) Dean King’s Unbound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DajDNsF9lOU

(YA) Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldyMb9cneAQ&feature=related

(Thriller) Katherine Neville’s The Fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-0UCRdxSEg

If you know of others, please comment and add them. What do you think? Is the world ready for the vook?

Google and Bookswim Aren't Enough

Netflix will send movies to your door, so that you can avoid that pesky drive across town to the video rental store. With the appearance of Bookswim, that same convenience can be delivered in book form. Who wants to peruse shelves full of imagination and possibility at a local library, search out hidden mysteries, or mess with the Dewey Decimal system anyway? (Speak up now, bibliophiles!)

Perhaps I am a voice in the minority here in the twenty-first century, but I love libraries. I have since I was a child and my mother took my brother and me to find our summer reading list books. Posters of Winner the Pooh and The Cat and the Hat pulled me into a world of wonder that I still feel every time I walk in those familiar doors.

But here we are in 2010, and Bookswim isn’t nearly our only issue. State budgets are in crisis, and hard decisions need to be made. Libraries, with their dusty, relaxed, modest ways, are becoming easy targets of elimination.

The cozy, intriguing aspects of libraries are important, true, but the loss of that facet is not the worst problem at hand. Students are no longer learning to sift through research, to peruse others’ ideas, to evaluate, to analyze, to make up their own minds. Why not? I’ll give you a one word answer. Google. I am a huge fan of Google, myself. I fully admit this. However, if internet search engines become society’s only research tool, superficial knowledge and amateur scholars will be the norm.

Losing local libraries means losing a valuable resource for bookworms and lovers of the written word, but we aren’t the ones who will stop reading. Literacy, curiosity, and analysis skills of future generations will be the casualties.

For that reason, while Bookswim has its appeal, I will stay true to my local library. You should all do the same.

Falling into Wonderland again

This week, my husband and I went to see the latest Alice in Wonderland, and through its quirks, Tim Burton’s darkness, and its twists of the original story, I can say without a hesitation that Lewis Carroll would have been pleased with the result. The Wonderland story isn’t one that should be told with a straight face and a solemn disposition.

For a writer who created a brave heroine in an age where the only female protagonists were princesses, Charles Dodgson, who we all know by his pen name, Lewis Carroll, was a man beyond his era. What else could you expect from a man who claimed the hobbies of a mathematician, a philosopher, and a writer? So many critics have deemed his writings ‘nonsense,’ but contrariwise (to quote Tweedle-Dee – or perhaps Tweedle-Dum, who can keep them straight?) I hold he was one of the more brilliant writers of his age.

Tim Burton’s latest project is definitely an interesting take on the well-loved tale. Its oddness, which sometimes crosses into silliness and at other times the grotesque, may repel some audiences. Yet Machiavellian questions are raised, as are queries of fate, of obligation, as well as the classic riddle, “how is a raven like a writing desk?” None are directly answered, though the audience definitely can come up with their own ideas by the end of the film.

I believe audiences should always take the opportunity to chase the white rabbit whenever they can.

Revealing History

It was great meeting so many of you at the Chesterfield County Library Writers Workshop. I had a few people ask if I could post the major notes of my session, so I added the major highlights here:

Research: How do you find it?

Always keep an eye out, because history surrounds us, from historic markers on the sides of roads to ‘history’ tabs on businesses’ or organizations’ websites. Outside of general awareness, here are some ideas:

1. Museums, Societies, Non-profits, and Clubs

We often don’t realize how many organizations exist that specialize in our research areas, and moreover, how willing so many people are to help with a project.

The museums themselves are full of information. I highly encouraging visiting as you begin your research, but their archives and staff can also hold secrets.

Richmond area:

-Virginia Historic Society (http://www.vahistorical.org)

-Richmond History Center (http://richmondhistorycenter.com)

-Wilton House Museum (http://www.wiltonhousemuseum.org/

-Museum of the Confederacy (http://moc.org)

-John Marshall House (http://www.preservationvirginia.org/marshall)

-Virginia Holocaust Museum (http://www.va-holocaust.com/)

-Edgar Allan Poe Museum (http://poemuseum.org)

-Virginia Aviation Museum (http://www.vam.smv.org/)

Washington, D.C. area:

-Smithsonian Institution (http://www.si.edu/) – covering 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo

-International Spy Museum (http://www.spymuseum.org/)

-National Museum of Crime and Punishment (http://www.crimemuseum.org/)

-National Museum of Women in the Arts (http://www.nmwa.org/facility/)

-National Postal Museum (http://postalmuseum.si.edu/)

-Cold War Museum (http://www.coldwar.org/)

-Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/index.html)

-National Building Museum (http://www.nbm.org/)

This is by no means a full list of the historical institutions in these cities; however it’s a good start.

2. Online resources

When so many of us are curious, we turn to Google and Wikipedia. Both have their merits, of course, but there are certain resources that can save you the time of slogging through that website made by a 4th grader in Wisconsin, and that blog of unknown reliability. Museum archives are great places to start. Here are some other recommendations:

- Virginia Genealogical Society (http://www.vgs.org) - Organized in 1960 to foster interest in genealogical, biographical, and historical research

-WWW Virtual Library: History Center Catalog - (http://vlib.iue.it/history/index.html) – A premier meta-site for all history across regions, cultures, and time.

- (www.besthistorysites.net) – This site audience is K-12 teachers, but is a great guide to reputable websites for anyone beginning their research.

-Bedford/St. Martin’s History Site (http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/hel/newhistorylinks) – Created by a reputable textbook company, this site is comprehensive.

3. Resources at Colleges and Universities

We live in an area with many college and universities. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this proximity. University libraries have special collections and archives as well as access to great amounts of materials for the use of their researching faculty and students. Even if you are not a member of that school’s community, you can join with a non-affiliate registration or as a community borrower.

Also realize that the faculty of these institutions are a large base of experts on a large variety of topics. I would encourage you to examine course listings within departments to see professors' specializations. If you find someone who could be helpful, don’t hesistate to send an email. In the worst case scenario, you will not get a response; however, nine times out of ten these local experts will be excited to help someone fascinated by their area of expertise.

4. Resources at Other Libraries

Be it the Chesterfield County Library (http://www.library.chesterfield.gov/) or the Library of Virginia (http://www.lva.virginia.gov/), our local libraries of full of resources, databases, research tools, and perhaps most significantly, hard working librarians who are wonderful guides to the research process.

From microfiche films of newspapers or magazines that have not yet been digitized to programs and events held weekly, libraries are wonderful launching points for research.

Especially do not forget the digital collections and research possibilities on the Library of Virginia website, including their guides and archives.

Researching: What should you look for?

1. Think about your research focus, and then broaden it.

For example if you’re researching the Dooleys and Maymont, you don’t just want to think about the historic figures. You’ll also want to think about politics in Richmond; the architecture of Virginia, of Italy, and of Japan; the social implications of not having children; issues in Richmond/Virginia/the United States at that time; Victorian thought processes, etc…

No matter how you will be using your research, having the surrounding details can only help.

2. Follow Tangents

Sometimes the most exciting research finds come from wandering away from your research focus. If something on the side interests you, follow that lead and see where it takes you.

3. Definitions/Explanations

Remember all of the pieces that go into quality research. Knowing how that car works may be just as important as knowing that it existed at a certain time. Also, you want to make sure your terminology is correct.

4. Use primary sources when ever possible.

Other people’s second hand or third hand accounts can be fine, but you’ll be able to feel the history if you’re looking at diary entries, personal correspondence, or other types of primary evidence.

5. Validity of sources

You want to fact-check yourself as you go. Seeing something once doesn’t necessarily mean that it is true. Find multiple sources that agree on key facts before you accept them and more forward.

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Feel free to email me if you have any questions or need a guide for your own research. I’m happy to help.

Happy writing and researching, everyone!

Kris

The Noir Movement

Last Thursday night, I licked my literary fingertips at the release of Richmond Noir at the New York Deli in Carytown. While a novelist has hundreds of pages to enthrall and intrigue readers, the short story writer has the unique challenge of crafting every sentence into something exquisite. When those superbly shaped lines were about our city of Richmond, the statues on Monument Avenue, the ghosts of Hollywood Cemetery, the shadows of Shockoe Bottom, and I all eavesdropped in.

In 2004, Brooklyn Noir was the first collection of beautifully startling short stories released, by local authors, on local settings. In fact two of its short stories, “When All This Was Bay Ridge" by Tim McLoughlin and "Case Closed" by Lou Manfredo, were selected for the Best American Short Stories collection of 2005.

The literary world took notice, and soon many cities followed Brooklyn’s lead. Chicago Noir, Baltimore Noir, Detroit Noir, Las Vegas Noir, New Orleans Noir, and so many others rose from the mystique of each city’s streets. The collections have crossed oceans and seas, including Dublin Noir, Paris Noir, and Havana Noir. For the full list of cities published and soon-to-be-published, click here: http://www.akashicbooks.com/noirseries.htm

Last Thursday night, the words draped the New York Deli with silence, as heads tilted to the side and clinking pint glasses hushed themselves in respect. The literary traditions of a city are usually immortalized through its past, but the Noir series exemplifies the literary greatness still present in the present.

I highly encourage you, no matter where you live, to check it out.

Another Level of Hell, Dante?

It’s a question for the teachers of the ages: how do we captivate, enthrall, and intrigue our students with books written centuries ago? Do we sneak in Shakespeare through graphic novels (http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-Fear-Shakespeare-Graphic-Novels/dp/1411498739)? Do we tell the Iliad – or a version of it – via Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom? Or how about this new idea, do we introduce Dante’s nine circles of Hell as video game levels to beat?

Electronic Arts (EA), the video game maker of Madden NFL among others, has recently released Dante’s Inferno, based on Dante Alighieri’s first book of The Divine Comedy. To quote the game’s website, players can “battle through the 9 circles of Hell facing fierce and hideous monsters, [their] own sins, and a dark past of unforgivable war crimes.” What writer of the early 1300s could have seen this coming?

While I support the idea of bringing great literature to new fan-bases, I cannot help but fear poor Dante rolling in his grave. When his allegory of Christian afterlife shaped by the viewpoint of the medieval world, largely considered one of the greatest works of world literature, is reduced to the adventure plot for some fourteen year old maniacally pressing buttons and splattering digital blood, I’m saddened. If that fourteen year old is intrigued enough to pick up the book, I’d argue otherwise, but I’m not convinced this is the goal of EA.

Exciting stories should be shared. I don’t blame EA for that. I would have no issue with video game versions of Joyce’s Ulysses (don’t get lost in this sentence!) or Kafka’s Metamorphosis (survive as a bug!) as long as they don’t become synonymous with simply thrillers of another age. There’s so much substance that would be lost if they were thought of in this way; but I suppose being thought of at all is a start.

Ferdinand Magellan, Percy Harrison Fawcett, and Me

In centuries past, when the urge struck, great explorers would set off into the darkness. Taking on the depths of the jungles and the choppy waters of the oceans, these adventurers had an addiction to discovery that no fear of death could hinder. I’m starting a new novel, and the feeing that has come over me echoes the anticipation of a sailor staring out to sea.

I know the title, the premise, and one character of my new story. The rest is yet to be discovered, but it’s out there. I can feel it’s presence like Fawcett felt the ghost of the lost city of Z.

But how will the expedition go? Do we believe Winston Churchill, who said, “Writing a book is an adventure: it begins as an amusement, then it becomes a mistress, then a master, and finally a tyrant.”

Perhaps the labor of writing holds the root of Shakespeare’s phrase “love’s labors lost,” but perhaps also Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night.” You may argue that these lines have nothing to do with writing, but I’d say they do.

This time, my adventure begins by examining my travel-mates. As I said, I have a solo character, ready to embark on this journey, but the trip will be a lonely one with just Juliska.

This week, she will find her companions. Huzzah and Tally Ho! The adventure begins once again.