These have been dire times for book reviews. Philadelphia Inquirer book editor Frank Wilson has detailed his woes at his fine blog Books Inq. Jerome Weeks was yet another high profile casualty of slashed arts budgets and his farewell column was widely read at Critical Mass before he started up his own blog. Readers of this blog are all too aware of the struggles faced by the rapidly shrinking Los Angeles Times Book Review.
Today word reaches us from NBCC President John Freeman that the ever diminishing amount of book column inches has just taken another body blow. The following is cross-posted from Critical Mass:
"Last week the Atlanta Journal Consitutition did a staff reorganization, eliminating its book editor position, which is demoralizing beyond speech. The AJC's section was run by long-time NBCC member and former board member Teresa Weaver, who put together one of the best-edited literary pages in the country, giving Atlanta -- which was #15 on the list of most literate cities in the U.S. (far ahead of New York(#49) -- the cultural dialogue it deserved.
Those on the NBCC board know Teresa's commitment to literature, especially novels and narrative nonfiction which meditated on America's complicated and shameful racial legacy. She was an early champion of writers like Edward P. Jones, William T. Vollmann, and Colm Toibin, not to mention Paul Hendrickson. I had the pleasure of writing for her, and I found Teresa's edits and reviewing assignments an education in and of themselves. I will miss working with her dearly.
Teresa has the opportunity to apply for a job within the company, but it's not clear what the fate of the book page will be -- whether it'll be reassigned to an existing editor, whether it will go entirely to wire copy, or whether it will be removed altogether. If you care about books, or literary events in Atlanta, or cultural discussion, this is of vital importance, especially since the paper reaches over 2.3 million readers in Atlanta per week, with over 3 million additional page views online.
If you're reading, you *can* do something, which is write to the AJC's editor Julia Wallace and the publisher, John Mellott, and advocate for the continuance of a book page in Atlanta with a diversity of voices, not simply fed by wire copy from the AP or New York Times. There are some things, I believe, that the 'all-knowing' capital markets may not place a value on, but readers do -- so it's important that they hear from you, loudly."
We support Freeman's call and urge you to drop a line to the editors in question. We're off to write our own.
This is terrible news about Teresa Weaver. What are they thinking over there? I just called my publisher after reading this post, because the novelist Sheri Joseph and I have an AJC interview with Ms. Weaver scheduled soon. It turns out that Ms. Weaver is so entirely devoted to books that she is going ahead with the interview even though she has received this undeserved blow. If I were her, I'd just say "Screw it," but she really cares about us Atlanta writers. What are we going to do without her? She ran a very smart book page.
Posted by: Jack Pendarvis | April 18, 2007 at 02:20 PM
In light of the fact that book-blogging has become rather widespread, why is it such a cause for dismay when newspaper book sections decline? I would think that the decline in column inches devoted to book coverage in newspapers, is more than offset by the rise in book coverage in blogs.
Posted by: James | April 18, 2007 at 04:52 PM
Right. What was I thinking? Hooray for "blogs"! Whoopee! Let's all clink our glasses together and dance a merry gavotte. Tra la la la la!
Posted by: Jack Pendarvis | April 18, 2007 at 05:04 PM
Now if we can just get rid of all these darn books, too, we'll have it made.
Posted by: Jack Pendarvis | April 18, 2007 at 05:08 PM
Atlanta continues to embarrass itself culturally and economically. As a writer and a nearly lifelong Atlantan, I am humiliated for my city and its "leading" newspaper. What a piece of s**t that paper has become, and no one there apparently cares. Who needs literacy, reporting, and culture when you can have contests in the paper about who has the cutest dog costume?
Posted by: Jessica Handler | April 18, 2007 at 07:01 PM
The difference, James, is that when I write an 800 word review for a newspaper, I take copious notes when reading them, meticulously organize these in a Word file, write, rewrite, and rewrite so that I sound thoughtful and reasonably clear and, if I'm lucky, get good feedback from an editor (assuming she has the time).
Whereas if I write a blog entry, it takes me twenty seconds to write, "Scarlett Thomas! Cool dudes!"
So yeah, I'd say that mourning the loss of a newspaper offering quality literary coverage, or indeed taking the time to write an email expressing why this is a foolish idea, is a pretty damn apposite thing to do right now -- until we can see some litblogging network of editors, vetters, and grammatical tweakers that can offer the same kind of quality that newspapers can. (And I say this as a litblogger and a litblog supporter.) I'm sorry I never got to write for the AJ-C and I hope that Teresa lands on her feet. She deserves it.
Posted by: ed | April 18, 2007 at 10:17 PM
Gosh, a lot of finger pointing, at everyone but the reviewers themselves. Who is really to blame if members of the general public aren't reading book review sections?
For that matter, who is to blame for the much-noted decline in readership of short stories also?
Shouldn't we point the finger at the stories and reviews themselves-- and by extension, at those who write them?
This isn't to argue for a decline in "quality."
On the contrary, it's to argue FOR quality-- for compelling writing, whether in a short story or a review, which DEMANDS to be read.
If the well-trained conformist writers who dominate literature aren't providing such work, they have no one to blame but themselves.
(Which ultimately leaves the door open for those who will provide it.)
(Or, your definition of "quality" doesn't work.)
Posted by: King Wenclas | April 19, 2007 at 02:43 PM
Your unemployment check is in the mail, King.
Posted by: ed | April 19, 2007 at 03:49 PM
Thanks, King Wenclas! I enjoy your hymn! It's one of my favorites. I'm going to take your advice and try to write some good short stories next time! Why didn't I think of it before? You're the wind beneath my wings, King Wenclas!
Posted by: Jack Pendarvis | April 19, 2007 at 05:57 PM
I just want to go ahead and apologize for being snippy with King Wenclas in my former comment. Sometimes the internet makes me all giddy with excitement and I type too rapidly and hit the "send" button with a certain vigor. We can all have our own opinions! Okay! This is my last comment ever on someone else's blog. I'm afraid I don't know how to do it right! I still like newspapers with book pages. But if there are some people who want to take up for the giant media conglomerates, good for them! Everyone needs solace. Who's going to put a tender arm around the giant news corporations? See? This is why I can't comment on blogs anymore. It comes out all wrong. Goodbye!
Posted by: Jack Pendarvis | April 19, 2007 at 06:44 PM
Mr. Pendarvis, you have the Best Blog Ever!
(My apologies to the person behind this blog for my certain breach of blog etiquette.)
Posted by: kimrenemiller | April 23, 2007 at 07:33 AM