Wednesday's Writerly Happenings

Wake up and smell the politics. That’s what we’ve done this Wednesday. And for good reason, too, as writers all over the Web are dashing out articles concerning the latest and greatest in political intrigue. To begin, Obama’s reverence for Lincoln spurs debate over the 16th President’s legacy. The discussion on gay rights continues in the New York Review of Books, we take a look back at the troubles that lurked on Ellis Island during the early 20th century, and Cass Sunstein addresses extremism. But Wednesday is not dedicated to political drama only. Chuck Klosterman has a book out and he wants you to know that it is not about him, thanks very much. Penguin has developed an online publishing channel, and Bloomberg pays respect to Steve Wilstein, the great sportswriter who broke the news about Mark McGwire’s steroid use. – Kevin Murphy

– “In the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America”. — Lincoln in the Times Online

– Just four years ago, political pundits were blaming gay rights activists and the Massachusetts Supreme Court for costing Democrats the 2004 presidential election. In 2003, the Massachusetts court had declared, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, that denying marriage to same-sex couples violated that state’s constitution, marking the first time a state supreme court recognized the right of same-sex couples to marry. — Gay Rights in the New York Review of Books

– Williams was the controversial head gatekeeper at Ellis Island during the opening years of the 20th century, a time when newcomers with strange names, foods and ideas were transforming the nation’s cities and threatening America’s long-held self-image as an Anglo-Saxon, Protestant nation. — Immigration in the Wall Street Journal

– Penguin Group (USA), where authors include Nora Roberts and Khaled Hosseini, has launched “From the Publisher’s Office,” an in-house network of online channels that includes video interviews and readings, audio discussions of classic literature and audio and text excerpts from new releases. — Online Publishers in the Seattle Times

– Steve Wilstein, the reporter who broke the story of Mark McGwire’s drug use, might be in the Baseball Hall of Fame before the 12-time All-Star. The retired sportswriter was among those nominated for the Hall of Fame’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award, 11 years after noticing the supplement androstenedione in McGwire’s locker and getting him to acknowledge his use of the product, which already had been banned in Olympic sports. – Steve Wilstein in Bloomberg

– I don’t think the characters are very much like me. One is a kid who hates rock music. One is a woman. One is a very old man. So I didn’t worry about putting too much (or too little) of myself into any of those characters. — Chuck Klosterman in Lit Mob

Video of Chuck Klosterman Reading