From the In Box: What the Hell? IV
I just came across the letters you sent to the American Journal of Print. Funny, because after the journal-release party in May, I sent an extensive e-mail to Scott Korb saying, in essence, the exact same thing: I like the content generally, it's great to see the journal, you've gotta watch the blatant McSweeney's idolatry. You should have seen the press release advertising the event -- or for that matter, the event itself, featuring a high-school gospel choir. Which was good, actually.

The reading in May was cool. Readings are almost never cool, with the exception of (you guessed it) the McSweeney's readings. This AJoP reading, in addition to the aforementioned high school choir (a little too "Is this meant to be ironic or is it earnest?" chin-scratcher-y to me), took place in a dark bar that usually hosts avant garde music, and the agglomeration of pieces read felt sorta like a "This American Life" sans the soapy Sarah Vowell-esque "This is what America is really like," feeling. They had bands. It seemed improvised (mainly because they forgot I was supposed to read, and they shoehorned me back in at the last minute).

And it was interesting to be seen as a link in a great literary chain, though I have never met Eggers (I have been to three or four of his events, though, and I randomly ran into Sara Stewart at one of them. ... She works for Razorfish (well, "worked," probably) and blew me off when I told her that I was surprised Neal Pollack turned out so un-twerpy-looking, considering how he looked when he was a Daily columnist).

I was wondering who would come across the AJoP. That answers that. -- Jeremy Simon

I didn't know "agglomeration" was a word. Now I do. Thanks, Jeremy.