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Friday, April 16, 2010

A Fish Swims in...Ireland



Jacob Appel strikes again...this time in Europe. (He's tres cosmopolitan, isn't he? Man, I love that guy in an unnatural way.) So, anyway, listen, it's about time to award a new GAK to someone both kind and heroic. I have listed the following nominees with some thoughts about each, but I'm going to let you have your say.

And the nominees are....

  • Jacob Appel (the guy who wins when you lose): I know, I know; he already won a GAK, but he just keeps impressing the hell out of me with his kind and humble emails and his incredible literary drive. Also, I think it would be funny to have him win two in a row.
  • Betsy Lerner (agent/writer): I know, I know; she's an agent, and therefore a controversial choice, but she is considering our number one nominee for representation, which is more than most agents reading this blog would do. Also, she's a writer; that has to be worth something. After reading her blog, you may think "kindness" is a stretch. But she's vaguely amusing for an agent, no?
  • Bill Shapiro (writer/editor/sympathetic dude): I know, I know; you think he wrote the book I should have written, but I have no interest in all that; I'm strictly literary (kiss of death). Bill has done a fine and respectful job promoting our cause; plus he's a super nice guy.
If you'd like to have a write-in ballot, feel free to nominate your own candidate, or yourself, but make sure to say why you deserve a GAK. Otherwise, cast your vote in the comments section, and make a plea for the candidate of your choice, if you are so inclined. I'll make a final decision sometime next week, and we'll all get our tuxes out for the award ceremony.

UPDATE: I had a brief email exchange with Appel who (get this) casts his vote for Bill Shapiro because, he writes, "his book is brilliant and, from everything I've heard of him, he's an extremely classy human being."  Take note all you cynics: his vote is not for himself or for the agent who may still take him on as a client. (He will let us know when that deed is done, he promises.) If that's not integrity, I don't know what is.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

bill shapiro seems like a nice dude indeed. as for appel, i am mostly familiar with his writings on bio ethics, and many of his pieces give me the creeps. betsy lerner, i can't glean anything about her character good or bad. so i vote bill.

heynonnynonymous said...

Lerner says she "hates" everything and acts like she's a big bad wench. But if you read enough of her blog posts, it seems more like a tick, some kind of armory against her too tender heart. I think she's okay. But I vote for Appel. You could call it GAK2.

anonybanana said...

Anon: I haven't read J. Appel's bio ethics essays, just his fiction. What about it gives you the creeps? Just curious.

Anonymous said...

As a member of the LROD Academy, I must vote for Mr. Appel.

E. said...

Appel.

Anonymous said...

According to the Fish website, the aim of their writing competitions is to get NEW authors and poets into print.

I think Mr. Appel must be disqualified from GAK.... Not nice.

Anonymous said...

I vote Bill Sha*PIE*ro...even though he says his name funny.

Lit J said...

Appel should NOT win again. He is not nice, he's just a literary contest leech.

Bill Shapiro should win. A book of rejections? That's right up this blog's alley.