Category Archives: New Yorker

Your Guide to the New Yorker’s AMSE Nominees

Martin Schneider writes:
Today we present the New Yorker nominees for the National Magazine Awards in a way that is easier to peruse, followed by some comments about the picks.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE, Circulation 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
The New Yorker was nominated for the issues of February 11 & 18, 2008; May 26, 2008; and November 17, 2008.
REPORTING: Ryan Lizza on how Chicago shaped Barack Obama: “Making It,” July 21, 2008.
FEATURE WRITING: Nick Paumgarten on the lives of elevators: “Up and Then Down,” April 21, 2008
ESSAYS: Roger Rosenblatt on death and family: “Making Toast,” December 15, 2008
COLUMNS and COMMENTARY: Hendrik Hertzberg, Comments on Barack Obama’s visit abroad (“Foreigners,” August 4, 2008), on McCain supporters calling Obama a socialist (“Like, Socialism,” November 3, 2008), and on the passing of Proposition 8 in California (“Eight is Enough,” December 1, 2008)
REVIEWS and CRITICISM: James Wood, Books, on Richard Price and the art of dialogue (“Say What?,” April 7, 2008), on Marilynne Robinson and religion (“The Homecoming,” September 8, 2008), and on the life of V.S. Naipaul (“Wounder and Wounded,” December 1, 2008)
FICTION: Annie Proulx, “Them Old Cowboy Songs,” May 5, 2008; Aleksandar Hemon, “The Noble Truths of Suffering,” September 22, 2008; Roberto Bolaño, “Clara,” August 4, 2008; Joshua Ferris, “The Dinner Party,” August 11, 2008
LEISURE INTERESTS: Patricia Marx, On and Off the Avenue, on shopping in China (“Buy Shanghai!” July 21, 2008), on buying shoes in New York (“Sole Sisters,” September 1, 2008), and on going discount (“The Price is Right,” December 8, 2008)
PHOTO PORTFOLIO: Platon, photographs of the men and women who volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families: “Service,” September 29, 2008
It’s a resonant bunch of nominees, ones that found their way into our posts a few times, not to mention our lives. We mentioned Ryan Lizza’s article on Obama’s Chicago years here. I didn’t write about it, but at the New Yorker Festival in 2008, ASME nominee James Wood spoke at length about the nuances of ASME nominee Hendrik Hertzberg’s August 4, 2008, column about Obama’s trip abroad. We discussed Roger Rosenblatt’s essay here (Jonathan and I loved it; Benjamin didn’t); The Platon portfolio made news when Gen. Colin Powell referenced it (without naming the photographer or the magazine) during his Meet the Press endorsement of Barack Obama; we discussed the event here.

Natasha Richardson in The New Yorker

Martin Schneider writes:
One day after the passing of Natasha Richardson, we present a list of her mentions in the magazine.
January 12, 1998: John Lahr, a showcase on Richardson
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
(Max Vadukul’s picture is magnificent.)
April 6, 1998: Nancy Franklin reviews “Cabaret”
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
May 18, 1998: Lillian Ross “Talk of the Town” item
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
April 5, 1999: John Lahr review of “Closer”
Digital Edition, website (abstract)
June 11, 2001: Dana Goodyear “Talk of the Town” item
Digital Edition, website
March 28, 2005: Lillian Ross “Talk of the Town” item
Digital Edition, website
May 9, 2005: John Lahr, review of “A Streetcar Named Desire”
Digital Edition, website
August 22, 2005: Anthony Lane, review of “Asylum”
Digital Edition, website
There’s also this interesting search of the archives, hits include a lot of random material from the “Goings On About Town” section. In a sense, you get a more accurate picture of her career as an actress by clicking on these (subscription to the magazine required).

New Yorker Blog Roundup: 03.19.09

Martin Schneider writes:
It’s about time we added to that Britney Spears keyword up there. Click it, you’ll see she’s come up before.
(This content is taken directly from the left nav bar on the magazine’s website.)
James Surowiecki overhears someone wishing they’d bought Citigroup.
Steve Coll considers Clay Shirky’s take on the collapse of newspapers.
Elizabeth Kolbert on who’s donating to climate-change deniers.
Evan Osnos marvels at which American movies make it to China.
News Desk: Pre-register for the New Yorker Summit.
Hendrik Hertzberg on why Paul Krugman is right about Europe’s economy.
The Front Row: Almodóvar’s latest, “Nightmare Alley.”
George Packer recommends a photography exhibit of the war in Congo.
Sasha Frere-Jones sees Britney Spears and feels like he’s at a theme restaurant.
The Book Bench: Millard Kaufman, collecting trees, Paul Muldoon to music.
The Cartoon Lounge: Dispatches from SXSW.
Goings On: The N.C.A.A. Men’s Basketball tournament, a John Lennon biopic.
Ask the Author: Submit a question to Keith Gessen about the Politkovskaya murder trial.

Call for Information / Opinion: Lyll Becerra de Jenkins

Martin Schneider writes:
On one of our most popular pages (it attracts a lot of search engine traffic), a reader called Arya Breton contributes a terrific bit of context for a mentioned writer:

Lyll Becerra de Jenkins was an extraordinary journalist, writer of fiction and teacher of writing. She wrote three books—The Honorable Prison, Celebrating the Hero, and So Loud a Silence. Her short stories, such as Tyranny, which later evolved into the prize-winning YA fiction, The Honorable Prison, were masterful. During a time when everyone from Latin America was writing in the style of the magical realists, she set herself apart. A resident of New Canaan, Connecticut, where she emigrated with her North American husband and five children, she seeped herself in the writing of the Brits and North Americans and developed her own distinct voice and approach to story-telling. Frances Kiernan of The New Yorker, who was her editor in the 70s, said her writing had “unique tension,” a flamenco style.

Sounds fascinating! I notice my public library has copies of The Honorable Prison and Celebrating the Hero. I’d be happy to spark a Lyll Becerra de Jenkins revival. If you are a fan or simply know something about her, please write in. And that includes you, Arya Breton!

New Yorker Nominated for a Bunch of National Magazine Awards!

Emily Gordon writes:
Quoting from the American Society of Magazine Editors website, the most relevant and, for Emdashes writers and readers, exciting bits (OK, I’m also very happy for my own magazine, Print):
• The New Yorker leads the list of finalists with a total of 10 nominations, including General Excellence, Reporting and Feature Writing. The New Yorker is the most honored magazine in the history of the awards, having received 187 nominations and 47 Ellies.
GENERAL EXCELLENCE: Recognizes overall excellence in magazines in six circulation categories. The award honors the effectiveness with which writing, reporting, editing and design work together to command readers attention and fulfill the magazine’s unique editorial mission.
Circulation 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
Bon Appétit; Field & Stream; The New Yorker; Popular Science; Vogue

[The New Yorker was nominated for the issues of February 11 & 18, 2008; May 26, 2008; and November 17, 2008.]
REPORTING: This category recognizes excellence in reporting. It honors the enterprise, exclusive reporting and intelligent analysis that a magazine exhibits in covering an event, a situation or a problem of contemporary interest and significance.
Fast Company; GQ (2 nominations); The New York Times Magazine; The New Yorker
[Ryan Lizza on how Chicago shaped Barack Obama: “Making It,” July 21, 2008]
FEATURE WRITING: This category recognizes excellence in feature writing. The award honors the stylishness, flair and originality with which the author treats his or her subject.
The Atlantic; Esquire; GQ; Harper’s Magazine; The New Yorker
[Nick Paumgarten on the lives of elevators: “Up and Then Down,” April 21, 2008]
ESSAYS: This category recognizes excellence in essay writing on topics ranging from the personal to the political. Whatever the subject, the award honors the author’s eloquence, perspective, fresh thinking and unique voice.
The Antioch Review; Backpacker; Glamour; Harper’s Magazine; The New Yorker

[Roger Rosenblatt on death and family: “Making Toast,” December 15, 2008]
COLUMNS and COMMENTARY: This category recognizes excellence in short-form political, social, economic or humorous commentary. The award honors the eloquence, force of argument and succinctness with which the writer presents his or her views.
Automobile; The Nation; The New Republic; The New Yorker; Sports Illustrated
[Hendrik Hertzberg, Comments on Barack Obama’s visit abroad (“Foreigners,” August 4, 2008), on McCain supporters calling Obama a socialist (“Like, Socialism,” November 3, 2008), and on the passing of Proposition 8 in California (“Eight is Enough,” December 1, 2008)]
REVIEWS and CRITICISM: This category recognizes excellence in criticism of art, books, movies, television, theater, music, dance, food, dining, fashion, products and the like. The award honors the knowledge, persuasiveness and original voice that the critic brings to his or her reviews.
The Atlantic; The Nation; New York (2 nominations); The New Yorker
[James Wood, Books, on Richard Price and the art of dialogue (“Say What?,” April 7, 2008), on Marilynne Robinson and religion (“The Homecoming,” September 8, 2008), and on the life of V.S. Naipaul (“Wounder and Wounded,” December 1, 2008)]
FICTION: This category recognizes excellence in magazine fiction writing. The award honors the quality of a publication’s literary selections.
The American Scholar; The New Yorker (2 nominations); The Paris Review; The Virginia Quarterly Review
[Annie Proulx, “Them Old Cowboy Songs,” May 5, 2008; Aleksandar Hemon, “The Noble Truths of Suffering,” September 22, 2008; Roberto Bolaño, “Clara,” August 4, 2008; Joshua Ferris, “The Dinner Party,” August 11, 2008]
LEISURE INTERESTS: This category recognizes excellent service journalism about leisure-time pursuits. The practical advice or instruction presented should help readers enjoy hobbies or other recreational interests.
Esquire (2 nominations); Field & Stream; The New Yorker; Texas Monthly
[Patricia Marx, On and Off the Avenue, on shopping in China (“Buy Shanghai!” July 21, 2008), on buying shoes in New York (“Sole Sisters,” September 1, 2008), and on going discount (“The Price is Right,” December 8, 2008)]
PHOTO PORTFOLIO: This category honors creative photography and photo illustration (including portraiture or specially produced layouts on fashion, food, decorating, travel, design, the arts, etc.).
Bon Appétit; GQ; Gourmet; The New Yorker; W
[Platon, photographs of the men and women who volunteered to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families: “Service,” September 29, 2008]

Readers “Ask the Author”; Queries Yield Pith!

Martin Schneider writes:
For months now, The New Yorker has been asking its feature writers and critics to make themselves available on the website to answer readers’ questions about specific articles.
I suppose it’s a cliche that New Yorker employees are aloof, snobby, and unapproachable. Not if you judge by the website, they aren’t! These days, the magazine is all about reaching out. Spend three minutes clicking on the “online-only” section of the website and explain how the staff and its contributors are insulated or unwilling to confront readers and critics. I don’t think it’s true.
Right now, Keith Gessen is up, ready to answer your questions about the trial of the alleged killers of the Russian journalist Anna Polikovskaya. Why don’t you go over and ask him something? While you decide what to ask, here are a few quotations from the “Ask the Author” online feature that caught my attention.
Atul Gawande: “The most important transformation going on in health care worldwide, I think, is that the complexity of medical know-how has exceeded the abilities of individuals.”
D.T. Max: “I think of Wallace’s depression as so intense that living, let alone writing, would have been impossible without treatment. As he described it, it had no component of sadness or wistfulness or affectlessness. It was more like an excruciating physical pain, a buzz saw cutting through his body again and again.”
Ryan Lizza: “I think right now Obama may be on the cusp of overplaying his hand. ”
Peter Schjeldahl: “Having great dead people looking over one’s shoulder is a haunting familiar to all who nurture creative or intellectual ambitions.”
Sasha Frere-Jones: “I like being able to ask [interview subjects] ‘Where are you from? What did your Dad do?’ in person, even if they find it annoying.”
John Lahr: “I always ask for a script, which is now a matter of course for all critics; thirty years ago, this was a demand that I think I started.”
Jill Lepore: “At this particular moment in history, our culture of work and our culture of family life are more or less opposed to one another.”
Deborah Treisman: “Some of the writers published in the magazine in recent years who came to us entirely unsolicited and unagented are Uwem Akpan, David Hoon Kim, Gina Ochsner, and Rebecca Curtis.”
Alex Ross: “If Bernstein had miraculously lived another two decades and been able to carry on composing, I’d guess he would indeed have written some kind of gay opera.”

Natasha Richardson: Our Best Hopes Go Out to You

Martin Schneider writes:
The actress Natasha Richardson suffered a severe head injury today while skiing in Canada; she is in criticial condition. I saw Ms. Richardson perform very ably in Patrick Marber’s play Closer some years ago. She’s always been a radiant presence in the world of theater, TV, and film, and I hope that remains true for many years to come.
Richard Brody also registers his heartfelt reaction.

New Yorker Summit: Brzezinski, Naomi Klein Also to Appear

Martin Schneider writes:
Today The New Yorker posted information about the New Yorker Summit ($350, May 5) on its website. (We had the basics for you yesterday.)
This seems an important bit of business: Tickets go on sale March 23, but you can pre-register. Here’s the text, straight from the horse’s mouth: “Tickets go on sale March 23rd at 12 noon E.T. You can pre-register now by calling 212-286-5753 or e-mailing Phyllis_Stambolian@newyorker.com.”
Yesterday we reported that Robert Shiller, Malcolm Gladwell, Richard Holbrooke, Geoffrey Canada, Neera Tanden, Howard Dean, and Nassim N. Taleb were on the bill. Today we learn that the attendees also include: Zbigniew Brzezinski, Esther Duflo, David Kilcullen, Naomi Klein, Robert Kuttner, Jeffrey Sachs, and R. James Woolsey. New Yorker-affiliated people to take part include John Cassidy, Malcolm Gladwell, Elizabeth Kolbert, Ryan Lizza, Jane Mayer, David Remnick, and James Surowiecki.
New Yorker description:
With a new President in office, our country is in a period of immense challenges, from unprecedented economic tumult to a worldwide environmental crisis. With more at stake than at any time in recent memory, we are compelled to put forward new solutions and new thinking.
In this spirit, The New Yorker Summit: The Next 100 Days will gather economic heavyweights and national-policy voices to look at the formative days of the new Administration, and to explore what lies ahead in the next hundred days. The event will feature a keynote address by the New Yorker staff writer Malcolm Gladwell, the author of “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers.”
Program Schedule
Programming will begin at 9 A.M. and conclude at 6 P.M. Breakfast and lunch will be included.
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
New York University
566 LaGuardia Place
at the corner of LaGuardia Place and Washington Square South
Tickets
Tickets are $350 (breakfast and lunch included). Tickets go on sale March 23rd at 12 noon E.T. To pre-order your tickets and for more information, call 212-286-5753.

Hark! and Attend the Song of the Twitscape

Martin Schneider writes:
The term “Twitscape” is an invention of Jon Stewart and his staff, and I hope it catches on! Anyone copyright it yet?
jzhang07 Finished Adam Gopnik’s Angels and Ages. A really good & fun book and reads like a 200 page New Yorker article.
(followed by….)
jasonjsiu @jzhang07 200 pages of the new yorker is not my idea of fun…
falameufilho wired magazine is like the new yorker and vanity fair mated and had a retarded son
doctorsreview “Travel is the sherbet between courses of reality” (from a cartoon by Victoria Roberts in The New Yorker) http://tiny.cc/sherbet
odeisel sometimes a cover is just a cover. Please stop overreacting to everything. The Michelle Obama New Yorker cover is fine. Christ
Thandelike if the new yorker mag goes under i will know the world has truly changed. damn those reluctant advertisers of canoes and cat bracelets
janetmock Once again surprised by a long ass profile in the New Yorker that I was initially not going to read; it was on writer-director Tony Gilroy
davidlebovitz If someone could come over and read the stack of New Yorkers on my coffee table, then summarize them for me, that’d be great.
(followed by….)
theveggiequeen @davidlebovitz Maybe you can get George Bush’s reader to it, now that he or she is out of a job. You want New Yorker Cliff Notes?
heidiharu “I want someone whose inner pain is totally hot,” Thank you, The New Yorker. [Hint]
melissagira I never thought of the place my parents lived when I was first born as “a run-down section of Boston.” Thanks, page 53 of the New Yorker.
martinjen Just read the new yorker and kinda wishing I was a Van Dyke.
ksauer7 Thank you, New Yorker, for your insight on similes. You’re as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel-food cake.