Lit Lyfe

Courtney Algeo writes about all things literary and awesome in the Twin Cities—from books to blogs to (intellectual) brawls.

Cartoonist Zak Sally: From the band Low to "Sammy the Mouse"

By Courtney Algeo, Lit Lyfe

I remember working at a tiny, slummy little record store in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania located across the street from the Kunzler hot dog factory, listening to Low’s The Curtain Hits the Cast, never once, not even for a second, thinking I’d ever meet anyone in that band. And now here’s an interview I conducted with former Low bassist, current comic book author, illustrator, publisher—and now friend to my little family, Zak Sally. (Sally was my husband’s mentor while my husband was getting his MFA from MCAD.) The world moves us in strange ways.

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Book It: The Party, where the library becomes a place to drink, jam, and play

By Courtney Algeo, Lit Lyfe
Jay Gabler

You know what the worst part about living in the Twin Cities is? The separation between Minneapolis and St. Paul. When I first moved here I had heard all sorts of talk about how Minneapolis is for the young and St. Paul is for the old, or those who act like they’re old. And while maybe it’s that I’m three years older than I was when I arrived in this fair city, but St. Paul is starting to look pretty good, especially with the light rail plans well underway. St. Paul is kicking up its game lately, and all of the awesome haps at the St. Paul Public Library make it pretty clear that the city is a fun force to be reckoned with.

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Book reviewers explain it all, Part 3: Self-publishing, where "you get the whole dang slush pile"

By Courtney Algeo, Lit Lyfe

As more and more people start publishing their own books, using print-on-demand models and simple e-book creation techniques, sometimes I worry that finding the good books is going to be a struggle in the future. Of course, like many of the fears I’ve admitted to in these columns, the prospect of not finding good books in a sea of mediocrity is likely not something to worry about, because not every self-published book is going to make its way into more than a few hands. As a writer, and someone who supports emerging writers, I wonder how people are going to hear about self-published books if the books aren’t going through a publishing house with a marketing team. It seems that this is where book reviewers should step in and help the world pan for literary gold in the dregs of the publishing arena—but as I learned in talking with professional book critics, that’s just not going to happen.

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Book reviewers explain it all, Part 2: Negative reviews

By Courtney Algeo, Lit Lyfe

One crazy thing about book reviewing at my level (“my level” meaning that books get sent to me and I read them, and it’s not usually so many that I have to choose among them, but rather I take what’s given and if it’s good, then that’s fantastic) is considering how to deal with negative reviews. While generally the books I have read for this column have been good, and in some cases supremely great, others haven’t been what I had hoped. Dealing with books in that situation has been tough. Should I give a substantive criticism about the book, mainly for the author’s sake, should I eviscerate the book, or should I try my best to put a good spin on the book for fear of hurting anyone’s feelings?

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"Words at WAM" unites Hazel & Wren and the Weisman Art Museum

By Courtney Algeo, Lit Lyfe

On February 22 the literary community in Minneapolis finally got to taste the fruits of the collaboration between Hazel & Wren and the Weisman Art Collective. Words at WAM marked what I hope is the start of, as they say, a beautiful friendship between the Weisman Art Museum and various literary organizations in the Twin Cities. As it stands, I am so impressed with the decision of WAM to reach out to an organization like Hazel & Wren to offer them some of that good old Minneapolis hospitality.

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