Guest-Blogging: 5 Favorite Guest-Blogs

No guest-blogger this Wednesday, but coming up soon, I'll be running three guest-blogs by three wonderful writers with new books: by poet and translator Alexandra van de Kamp, poet and writing teacher Karen Benke, and novelist Christina Baker Kline.

Apropos of the new May 5th paperback edition of my novel, The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, I've had plenty to say about guest-blogging as a genre unto itself over at First Person Plural (the Writer's Center's blog), and then re-run in slightly different form at Christina Baker Kline's A Writing Life. Not mentioned in those guest-blogs: I've recently spotted Tracy Kidder guest-blogging for the DailyBeast and, Holy Moses, is everyone now blogging for Huffpost?

Herewith five of my favorite guest-blog posts for Madam Mayo:

Regina Leeds 5 + 1 Resources to Make a Writer Happy in an Organized Space

Joanna Smith Rakoff 5 Favorite Books of New York Stories

Marjorie Price 5 Inspiring Women Artists

Christine Boyka Kluge 5 Favorites for Hybrid Writing, Collaborations and Experimental Work

Sandra Gulland 5 Top Research Sites for Historical Novelists

Basil White Top 5 Laugh Links

More anon.

Basil White on the Flash Fiction Workshop

Here's what comedy writer (and, by the way, my fellow Writers Center faculty member) Basil White had to say about my recent "Flash Fiction" workshop." Bless you, Basil.

P.S. Check out his everything-plus-the-kitchen-itself and free on-line resource, "How Comedy Works."

More anon.

Guest- Blogger Basil White's Top 5 Laugh-Links

Copyright (c) Basil White Posted by permission. Visit www.basilwhite.com/comics to view more...
DC-based comedy writer Basil White teaches "Applying Stand-Up Comedy Writing Secrets to Poetry and Fiction," an intensive one-weekend workshop at the Writers Center (sign up here). And check out the free handout package on his website here. So, here are Basil White's top 5:

#1. Wiki's Most Revisions
What people are arguing about. Pure satire fuel.
#2. Gaping Void
How to be creative, by Hugh MacLeod. Ignore everybody. Put the hours in. Keep your day job. He's right. Accept it.
#3.Manifestation
Highlights all uses of the verb "to be" so that you can destroy them.
#4.Wiki's E-Prime
Why you should destroy all uses of the verb "to be" highlighted using the link above.
#5.Basil White's Comedy Workshop
Brain dump of everything I can explain about how the brain gets jokes.
--- Basil White

Read Madam Mayo's other guest-blog posts here.

Compare & Contrast

(1) Sony Robots
(2) The Charleston to Daft Punk's "Around the World."
(via Basil White)
(3) The Karl Rove Dance
(Be sure to note scrolling text along the bottom of the screen... the best part...)