Smatterings, Thursday Edition

The newest issue of The Quarterly Conversation is now up, and there are loads of goodies to check out from a host of good people including Scott Esposito, Garth Hallberg, Anne Fernald, Callie Miller, Antoine Wilson and some crime fiction blogger or another.

The latest issue of Hardluck Stories has a Five Star-centric theme to mark the publishing imprint’s 10th anniversary.

Bookslut’s September issue has an interview with Junot “Rutgers Boy” Diaz, a profile of R.N. Morris and mystery-related reviews from Clayton Moore and Colleen Mondor.

Mike Ripley’s newest column is now available at SHOTS.

Newsday’s Laurie Muchnick sits down with Kate Christensen and talks of food, unreliable narrators and THE GREAT MAN.

Scott Timberg finds out why Roger Corman’s daughter Catherine is obsessed with Joseph Cornell.

The Really Terrible Orchestra coming to the US? I am *so* there. (via.)

And finally, RIP, Pavarotti. At his prime, his tenor voice was nothing short of stupendous.