Morning Bites: Lovecraft turns 120, Grossman and the Woolfs, Finnish Bellow, and more

Tomorrow, August 20th, is the 120th birthday of H.P. Lovecraft.

• Lev Grossman talks some Virginia Woolf.  Remember last year when he wrote about Virginia’s husband in The Believer?  (We’re just trying to give you things to read this weekend.)

• The short list is announced for the St. Francis literary prize. The writers and their nominated books are: Kevin Brockmeier, The Illumination; Joshua Cohen, Witz; Jonathan Dee, The Privileges; Yiyun Li, Gold Boy Emerald Girl; Marlene van Niekerk, Agaat; and Brad Watson, Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives.

• The Finnish Saul Bellow?

• Vanessa Veselka is considered a “hipster” and “buzzworthy.”

• Free the West Memphis Three look like they’re getting sprung.

• If you needed any more incentive to see Jeff Mangum do Neutral Milk Hotel songs, here you go.