Literary Tourism: Follow the Reader

Show Notes Episode 4

Topic: Literary Tourism (inspired by Lyndsie Manusos’ article in the June 3 Book Riot newsletter.

1. Advisory: This podcast may contain explicit language and contagious ideas. Listener discretion is advised. 

2. Welcome/Intro

Welcome to WATT, your biweekly home for all things writing instruction, analysis, inspiration, and writing news and trends. We’re sometimes irreverent, but our material is always accessible. 

 I’m Drema Drudge, author of the forthcoming novel, Victorine, from Fleur-di-Lis Press. I’m a graduate of Spalding University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program, and I’m currently a freelance writer and writing coach. You can learn more about my writing at dremadrudge.com.  

 I’m Barry Drudge, co-host and recent MFA graduate of Spalding University, former ghostwriter and a songwriter and musician who has worked with Grammy winners in Nashville. I’m writing my first novel. 

FACT CHECK: Independent bookstores in our area? 

3. News and trends: 

It’s an all-things-Atwood world right now, from Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale to The Testaments, a sequel to Handmaid, coming September 2019. Now, according to Variety, Entertainment One has picked up the rights to Margaret Atwood’s debut novel, The Edible Woman, published in 1969, to create a TV series. 

We’re happy to relay that the Poetry Foundation tells us that “The Emily Dickinson Museum, located in Amherst, MA, has received a $22 million gift as part of a larger bequest to Amherst College from the late alumnus, William McCall Vickery. "The transformative gift, the largest ever received by the museum, will be known as the 'William McCall Vickery ’57 Emily Dickinson Fund' and is specifically earmarked for the maintenance and improvement of its buildings, grounds and collections."”

It's Pride Month, so salute to all of our LGBTQ friends.  Lambda Literary, promoters and advocates of the LGBTQ literary community, recently announced the winner of the 31st Lambda Literary Awards. (Nicknamed the Lammies.) The Lambda’s Trustee Award was awarded to Alexander Chee; Masha Gessen won the Visionary Award, and lastly, the Publishing Professional Award went to Barbara Smith. These individuals helped the LGBTQ cause. Additionally, twenty-five book award winners were honored. 

4. Whatcha readin’?

La Luministe. Review on dremadrudge.com. 

Barry: Love Poems for Married Couples 

5. Topic of the episode:

Since it’s vacation time for many people, we want to continue talking about

traveling and writing: 

Today’s emphasis is Literary Tourism (From the June 3 Book Riot Newsletter, Lyndsie Manusos – recently moved to Indy. She discusses, which are in our neck of the woods, the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library; The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies.

A quick list of where we’ve been/what lit figure sites we have seen and what you gain from literary tourism. 

Writing Instruction: 

Obviously, if there is an opportunity for you to practice nearby literary tourism, that would be ideal, so seek out museums or libraries or literary locations in your own town and surroundings if possible. 

If not: Maybe you already know all about your favorite author, but if you don’t: choose your favorite author. Then google your author; read the Wikipedia article about them. Find out where your author was born and where (if they are deceased) they are interred, if they are. Then go back to your favorite book by the author and see if what you’ve learned adds another layer

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