A Further Guide To Productive Time-Wasting

While I'm busy doing shout outs, I figure I should throw one in the direction of Flavorwire (despite their use of the bastardised American spelling of flavour). Lately, they've been posting fantastic lit-related stuff, making for a splendid way to pass those few minutes between finishing one book and starting the next. Two in particular stand out:

For those of us fascinated by the early lives of our favourite authors, this series of childhood/teen photos is a must. Some give a strong indication of the subject's future (Samuel Beckett, Flannery O'Connor, Martin Amis), some are just plain wacky (Allen Ginsberg, Mark Twain, Margaret Atwood) and some... well... I'll just say that Toni Morrison and Mary Karr were absolutely stunning in their younger years! Now I figure I can trawl Awkward Family Photos and find my next favourite author.

If you've ever dreamed of learning from the greats, you will be intrigued to read some recollections from those who actually did. Students of Vladimir Nabokov, David Foster Wallace, W. G. Sebald and a whole bunch more reminisce about the good (and sometimes bad) ol' school days here. Just be sure to leave your green eyes at the door. (I should confess here that I strongly considered relocating to Adelaide when J.M. Coetzee moved there in 2002. The only thing that stopped me was finding out that he wasn't taking undergraduate students. Tempted as I was to be one of those fawning sycophants that chased him around campus, I suspected I'd be edging dangerously close to stalking so I left it be. A shame, really.)