Glorying in the road trip

The New York Times’ Paper Cuts blog has a Q&A today with San Francisco writer Sean Wilsey, who talks about his current project, a book called State by State. Wilsey explains: “It’s a patriotic/overwhelming undertaking that involves 50 writers writing original essays on the 50 states… The inspiration comes from the great WPA guides to the United States… The Federal Writers’ Project, sent out our best writers to write about the country, and, largely, its roads. The government sent thousands of writers on road trips. In the course of driving around the country they documented flora and fauna, took down oral histories, compiled regional histories, codified folklore, designed driving tours.” Read more.

Next Vegas visit

I’ve never been to the Pinball Hall of Fame. But I wanna go after reading Derek Powazek’s review of the airline magazine he devoured on a flight to Phoenix. 
Derek writes, “My favorite story in the issue was “Sure Played a Mean Pinball” by Spirit editor Jay Heinrichs. It was part personal confessional, part history of the game, part review of the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, and part interview with the iconoclastic proprietor of the museum. Very entertaining with an elegant NY Times Magazine-style design.”