Top 10 Holiday Gifts for the Writer in Your Family
By Julia H. Jackson
It’s barely Thanksgiving, and yet the winter holidays seem to draw nearer every year. This Friday, November 27, is known nationwide as “Black Friday,” when families around the hit the malls early in an attempt to jump-start their holiday shopping. Gift-giving has become somewhat of an American sport, with family members and friends competing to find the best gifts. There are the standard presents: toys for the kids, new electronics for the tech-savvy, clothes for the fashionistas, sports equipment for the athletes. But what do you get for the writer in your family? We have compiled a list of the Top Ten Holiday Gifts for the Writer in Your Family, ideas that might go beyond this year’s holiday season.
1. Moleskine Notebooks
These handy little notebooks belong in every writer’s back pocket. The covers are soft and durable, the paper is high-quality, and the designs are simple. There are reporter’s notebooks, artist folio books, city guides, and yearlong calendars. Who knows? Perhaps the next great American novel will begin in Moleskine notebook.
Price range: $10-30 per notebook
2. Pilot Pens
In this era of iPhones and mini-laptops, pens and pencils may seem to belong to a prehistoric age. And yet, every writer needs at least one dependable pen. Pilot designs pens for writers and artists of all kinds, including ballpoint pens, fountain pens, and gel-ink pens. Not only that, but many Pilot pens can be refilled with new ink. These pens are the perfect stocking stuffers.
Price range: $1-3 per pen
3. Gift Certificate to IndieBound.com:
You can’t decide if your bookworm cousin would rather read David Small’s new graphic novel, Stitches: A Memoir, Yiyun Li’s latest fiction best-seller The Vagrants, or Terry Teachout’s critically-acclaimed Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong. Or maybe your cousin is the Twilight type. Gift certificates are always an easy answer, but why not support an independent business while you’re at it? IndieBound.com categorizes local bookstores, music stores, and arts and craft businesses by zip code. This way, your cousin can find the book she wants while supporting the local community.
4. Audio Books from Audible.com:
Why not extend the literary experience beyond the page? Audible.com offers a wide selection of contemporary books on tape, many of whom are read by their authors. Readers pay a flat monthly rate to access audio books, which they can download and transfer to audio devices. Books on tape are a great gift for commuters, travelers, and reluctant readers who might lack the time to read during the work week. Check out the latest by David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, and Michael Chabon.
Price range: $14.95 flat monthly rate; first two weeks free
5. Subscription to The New Yorker:
There are few literary institutions more highly respected than The New Yorker, an 84-year-old magazine that features exciting contemporary writers every week. In addition to fiction, poetry, essays, memoir, and cartoons, The New Yorker often interviews up-and-coming writers, and includes a monthly fiction podcast. The writer in your family will enjoy new short stories by writers such as Junot Diaz, Sam Shepard, and Sherman Alexie.
Price: one year (47 issues) for $39.95
6. Princeton Review’s Guide to Colleges:
Every year, the Princeton Review publishes a new guide to the best American colleges. It’s never too early to start the application process, and so the 2010 guide is a great gift for high school juniors and seniors. Colleges are categorized by rank, major, admissions, eco-friendliness, and financial aid. There are also major-specific guides for aspiring doctors, lawyers, scientists, and writers.
Price: $22.95
7. Associated Press Stylebook:
This is a great resource for the budding journalist in your family. The 2009 Stylebook also has an online component with an additional “Quick Resource Guide,” including notes on acronyms, social media, the economy, and even Twitter.
Price: $18.95
8. Tickets to a Broadway Show:
Give your writer friend an opportunity to see theater in action. Okay, so not everyone lives in Los Angeles or New York, but there are many Broadway touring companies that bring such hits as Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, or Spring Awakening to towns all across the United States. This gift is not only literary; it’s an experience in itself.
Price: varies
9. Bed Desk:
We credit literary blog Written Road with this brainy idea for the writer who works from home: a desk that you can access from your desk. This is a great find for those of us who might do our work better from bed, or for students who are cramped on space.
Price: $68.95
10. Literary Action Figures:
Wouldn’t writing papers be so much more wonderful if we all had literary action figures to fully act things out? Oh, wait; we do! Take your pick of plush author dolls, anyone from Virginia Woolf to Oscar Wilder to the great William Shakespeare himself!
Price range: $10-20
Inspired? We hope these tips help you get a head start on your holiday shopping. Let us know what is on your holiday wish list!
