Last night I asked Leanne Shapton about her “A Month of…” series that she used to do for The New York Times. She would illustrate one particular thing she witnessed every day for that month. She told me she basically did this series just for fun, as the financial gain was minimal. One of my favorites is “A Month of… Monday Shower Songs.” You can see more of the series here.
Leanne Shapton reading from ‘Swimming Studies,’ her very beautiful creation from memories swimming. (at Pilgrim Surf + Supply)
Girls watch artist painting picture of statue of Flemish artist in Bruges, Belgium, May 1955.
Photograph by Luis Marden, National Geographic
(via condenasttraveler)
“Although a novel takes place in the larger world, there’s always some drive in it that is entirely personal—even if you don’t know it while you’re doing it. I realized some years after A Book of Common Prayer was finished that it was about my anticipating Quintana’s growing up. I wrote it around 1975, so she would have been nine, but I was already anticipating separation and actually working through that ahead of time. So novels are also about things you’re afraid you can’t deal with.”
Joan Didion in her bedroom, from issue 176, Spring 2006.
Ernest Hemingway reading The New York Times in bed, naked – can’t cover as much with an iPad… By his side, surprisingly, a dog. Photograph by George Leavens.
