Llalan Fowler is all over the Weekly Dig these days, stirring up quite the tizzy with her incisive view about femininity and a taste for good beer. Check out her column, “Extra Special and Bitter,” and weigh in on the issue of good taste and bad stereotypes– or just add your two cents to the amazing comment Llalan received.

A Master’s Student at Emerson in Publishing and Writing, Llalan is rapidly developing a reputation as a beer snob and brewing correspondent extraordinaire. Her other recently malted writing includes an exclusive new look at the Publick House Provisions specialty shop in The Weekly Dig. When not testing brews or jonesing for one during class, Llalan works at The Globe Corner Bookstore, a travel bookstore in Harvard Square, where she reads travel narratives, makes fun of the passersby, and points out the Tuscany shelf 15 times a day.


Akshay Ahuja, an Emerson MFA student in fiction, thought he had made it good when Guernica published his essay, “Death Metal and the Indian Identity.” Little did he know that his name was about to be catapulted into the public eye. Recently, Salon.com linked to the story (see here, to increase traffic and help Akshay’s chances of being published in the end of the year Salon anthology), and now, Ahuja is practically a household name. It’s a great essay– I highly recommend you check it out.

Other hot Boston literary news and events this week include, but are not limited to:

Notable Readings/Author Events
On Tues, 5/20, John Harwood and Gerald Seib will come to the Harvard Bookstore to discuss their new book about behind-the-scenes political processes, Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power. I saw John Harwood talk to John Stewart on the Daily Show about this book, and he was surprisingly funny. It sounds like a good time.

At 7pm on Thurs, 5/22, Barbara Walters (yes, you heard me) is coming to the Brookline Booksmith to sign her new book, Audition: A Memoir. (Apparently you have to buy the book there; but the Booksmith rocks so it’s definitely worth it.)

Dialogue Writing Contest
Nathan Bransford, one of my favorite literary agents and bloggers, is hosting a “Preposterously Magnificent Dialogue Challenge,” in which readers (and writers, one may hope) are invited to post 250 words or less of dialogue and supporting description as a comment to his post. He will be judging the contest (although to me, this sounds like a quite hideous task) to pick finalists, and readers can vote on the winner. At stake is a query critique by Nathan, a partial critique, or another otherwise helpful interaction with Nathan’s experienced-agent prowess, and the knowledge that your dialogue truly rocks. Also at stake I suppose, is public embarrassment at having distinctly sub-par dialogue sitting in a comments box for a week or two, under the scrutiny of other contestants. The choice of whether to enter is yours. Good luck.

Thanks for reading Pub Buzz this week, and congrats to our “Masters” from Emerson who are graduating today! And as always, don’t forget to send us your news, events, or literary wit to share with the Boston community. Without you, there wouldn’t be Pub Buzz.

Tags:   author readings · emerson MA · emerson MFA · nonfiction · This Week in PublishingNo Comments