A MAJOR
PUBLISHING EVENT.
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We don't bust out titles like that too often, and in fact we vow to do so no more than three times this year, but we feel it's appropriate here. The book in question is Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences. The author in question is Lawrence Weschler, who has appeared in more issues of McSweeney's than any person alive. The man is a whirling dervish of giddy curiosity, a legend of creative nonfiction, and Everything That Rises is without a doubt the most Weschlerian book of all time.
Everything That Rises is a lavishly illustrated, full-color, clothbound compendium of convergences: surprising visual rhymes, unlikely connections that get even stranger the deeper you dig. Weschler has been collecting these enchanting alignments for years, and it all culminates here; Velázquez and Van Halen, Albert Einstein and Newt Gingrich, all are woven together amid Weschler's sparkling spinouts. It's a beautiful book, a brilliant book, an inspired and even inspirational creation.
Weschler's tour (working tour title: Everything Rising—2006!) will include events with Ira Glass, Errol Morris, Ricky Jay, and Walter Murch. These legendary voices sing in unison with one command: read this book. If you don't like any of these people, maybe the book isn't for you. If you are a sensible individual, however, you might want to do as they say. For the next two weeks, Everything That Rises will be available through this site only; in February, it'll be in stores everywhere. (McSweeney's Book Release Club members should be receiving their copies soon.)
To celebrate the occasion, we are launching an extravagant new contest: A Convergence of Convergences. Submit your own convergence—an unlikely, striking pair of images, along with a paragraph or three exploring the deeper resonances. The best contributions will be posted on the site, along with responding commentary from Weschler, and each winner will receive a signed copy of the book. (For those of you who still aren't quite clear on this "convergence" concept, it's kind of like Celebrity Look-Alikes, except instead of Nick Nolte and Gary Busey, it's a cuneiform tablet and the Chicago city jail, followed by a series of brilliant, spiraling ruminations. Or, for a more intelligent analysis, read this sneak preview of the book, written by a genuine graduate student.) Please send your submissions to everything@mcsweeneys.net—if your images are attachments (rather than links), please keep them under 1 megabyte.
To review, here are the key links for the moment:
MORE ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT RISES
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OTHER McSWEENEY'S FEATURES:
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A Major Publishing Event
History's Most Lopsided Trades, as Renegotiated by Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane By Teddy Wayne
The Real Behind the Music By Joe John
Like It or Not, You're No Bob Costas By Sarah Walker
A Place of Danger: Alone and Adrift in Toronto Over Christmas Break By Jenny Traig and Stephen Elliott
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