Harvey Pekar: 1939-2010
In today’s news, say goodbye to comic book legend Harvey Pekar, pick up some handy writing tips, and discover the hot new lit blog in town. (Yes, “hot” and “lit blog” in the same sentence.) Don’t miss it!
- Comic book fans are mourning Harvey Pekar, who died Monday at the age of 70. Pekar is best known for his autobiographical comic series American Splendor, which chronicled the everyday conflicts and comedy in his 9-to-5 job. With the series, Pekar and illustrator Robert Crumb brought realism and everyday life to the comic book scene. As Shelf Life says, “Harvey Pekar was one of the most important, idiosyncratic, and eccentric writers that the comics medium has ever produced.” Pekar is also remembered in The Guardian.
- Because we can always use more tips on writing, novelist Janet Fitch (White Oleander; Paint it Black) gives Jacket Copy her “10 Rules for Writers.” The rules, which include things like “Pick a better verb” and “Kill the cliche,” are aimed at fiction writers, but most of them also apply to things like essays, blogs, articles, even lengthy emails. So go ahead and forward it to the cliche-dependent emailers in your life.
- And in case you’re looking for more to read, Publishers Weekly has launched a blog covering literary news. The blog, PWxyz, is a nice alternative to PW daily emails that may have cluttered your inbox through the years. Just yesterday, it featured twelve new posts! You’ll never have to read another lit blog again. (Except for this one. Obviously.)
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