Halpern to Edit New Saveur Poetry Column
As an extension of Saveur's long-running Food for Thought column, which features food-related quotes from throughout history and literature, a new column, edited by poet and Ecco publisher Daniel Halpern, will feature contemporary poetry about food written by living poets. “Saveur readers appreciate both beautiful cooking and beautiful writing,” said the magazine's editor-in-chief, James Oseland, “so a column of poetry about foodis a natural fit for us.” Halpern quipped, “There’s always room at the table to elevate the edible.” The column will launch in December 2010.
Hesser to Speak at Boston Athenæum
Food52.com co-founder Amanda Hesser will be speaking at the Boston Athenæum on Thursday, November 18. She’ll discuss her latest book, The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century, in which she reflects on the history of American cooking and “the timeless hunger—for satisfying, comforting, expertly prepared food—that transcends foodie fads and restaurant trends.” Tickets are $15 ($10 for members); more info at www.bostonathenaeum.org.
Jane Smiley Cooks
Novelist and nonfiction writer Jane Smiley (pictured, right) has lately been blogging for NBC's site for boomers, Family Goes Strong, about various topics--including cooking. In a July 28 post, Smiley writes about making dinner for picky eaters (herself included). On the menu chez Smiley: chicken breast Wiener schnitzel.
Everybody's Talking About the $625 Cookbook
Modernist Cuisine sure is getting a lot of press—and not because of its scintillating title. The book’s $625 list price has garnered attention from lots of food sites over the past two weeks, with everyone from NPR (“I'll stick to recipes I can get for free off the Internet”) to the OC Weekly (“The lab equipment and other doo-dads you'll need to recreate the recipes? Good luck”) to Fortune (“[Author Nathan Myhrvold] decided to self-publish because ‘I didn't want to dumb-down the book’") trying to wrap their heads around the craziness.
Crowd-Sourced Cookbooks, Old School
Five blank cookbooks are being set loose in in the U.K., and people with a passion for food are being asked to share recipes they love and pass on the cookbooks with a hope they will travel across the world.
Read more of PW's cookbooks coverage here, and subscribe to Cooking the Books here.
