Some of you may have noticed that I’m a big fan of
Elizabeth Koch. Many of you loved The World Tour Compatibility Test too, and whether it was her raw, honest prose or her exotic destinations that hooked you, you’re in luck. Koch recently went to Russia for a writing conference, and guess what? She wrote about it. You can find it at the group blog The Nervous Breakdown. I’m crossing my toes that I’ll see Elizabeth tonight at the Opium Park Lit Literary Deathmatch. If you’re in New York and you like live storytelling, or enfants terrible, or The Crier, or atypical readings, or sack races, maybe I’ll see you too.

In bigger news, YouTube is making history again, and this time it ain’t just for rolling in moola. This week, the Democratic presidential candidates answered questions submitted by webcam. In September, the Republicans will do the same. Now, I’ve been known to gush about the internet’s democratization of media, but usually I just mean that any schlub with a numa numa song and a dream can find an audience. This is actual democratization of democracy, and it makes me unabashedly (if inarticulately) giddy. Next time Granny derides those crazy kids and their MySpace, ask her the last time she was invited to ask a question at a presidential debate.