CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE: I attended the Lydia Davis reading/conversation at Richard Hugo House, as well as Davis' talk on translating Proust at the UW a few days before that, and I thought both events were enthralling [Nightstand, April 17]. Anyone who has read any of Lydia Davis' work ought to recognize that she is perhaps the most careful writer alive; as such, a discussion of her use of punctuation, syntax, and other writing mechanics is not only appropriate, but a hell of a lot more interesting than abstract questions about What It Means to Be a Woman Writer, etc., of which many reading attendees and undergraduate English professors are so fond.

Like J. D. (who wrote one of the stupidest letters I have ever seen [April 24], and clearly misunderstood Davis' joke about politicians answering questions), I have attended a lot of readings in Seattle, and I have heard that idiot who asks authors questions at the University Bookstore, for instance, squander a lot of opportunities to ask great writers about the actual craft of writing. I have heard audiences ask such questions as "Who are your favorite authors?" "What time do you like to write?" and "What do you think of that article on you in the New York Times?" way more times than I ever needed to. For once, an audience got to overhear an actual discussion about the words on the page (Matthew Stadler brought overheads!), with one of the greatest writers alive. Though I didn't see any "large groups of people," as JD writes, "staggering... to the exit," anyone who did leave is clearly a complete dumbass.

Lisa, via e-mail

STRANGER: Hey, I've got an idea for a quickie column. A can't-lose proposition. Here's my big idea: pick a simple subject that everybody can agree on, and then bitch about it to make myself look cool and get paid doing it. I'll pick the subject of late-night munchies, and then scapegoat a local business [Five to Four, April 24].

What's that? A no-brainer, you say? Totally obvious? What's the big deal, you ask?

I'll tell you what the big deal is: This basic concept does exist in Seattle. The most annoying thing I've ever seen in this town was an article in the otherwise inviting local publication The Stranger. The column was a bunch of negative crap, and its author: Josh Feit.

The Stranger went to the trashcan, but the offending journalist, Josh Feit, still has a job bitching about everything and doing nothing.

Like anyone who's ever read through Seattle's premier alternative magazine hungry for a decent work of journalism or, shockingly enough, an article that isn't filled with pointless bitching and a know-it-all attitude, I'm appalled to report that there's no getting your fix.

For me, the Josh Feit column pretty much summed up everything that's wrong with The Stranger. A city with theater, a cool music scene, tons of local venues, diversity, tolerance, tons of small locally owned shops, cool people--gay, straight, whatever--and basically all the things that allow a magazine like The Stranger to stay in business is also a town where the local rag can get away with needlessly and irresponsibly bitch-bitch-bitching about everything under the sun instead of giving us intelligent journalism.

Sorry to be so serious about this, but here in Seattle we have become a culture of shit-talkers. Damn if it isn't every other second someone is talking trash about something or someone. Dude this, dude that--fuck, man, this sucks. People out there know of what I speak; it is evil to constantly talk shit and be negative. Positive words. Positive scene. Positive journalism. Seems related.

I can't do much about Josh Feit's bad journalism, but I can hold The Stranger accountable for all the shit they talk. I think a good business plan would be to start an alternative parody mag called Why The Stranger Sucks. I don't need a tech buddy, because countless people would contribute articles for free after years of putting up with The Stranger's abuse.

In fact, forget about me renting across the street--I may just slip my crew into The Stranger after they close. And then there's the Seattle Weekly, downtown. I don't know anything about them, but maybe I'll talk shit about them too.

David Nelson, Hot Mama's Pizza

STRANGER: I really enjoyed the article about Mohammad al-Madani ["The Outsider," Sandeep Kaushik, April 24]. I do have one critical concern. When you claim that America marginalizes and co-opts its intellectuals in order to shunt them into positions where they have little or no political clout, I don't disagree. However, I don't think it is solely a function of the lack of space or the political discomfort regarding radical ideas among the American public. It is my experience that many intellectuals who propose counter-status-quo ideas choose small colleges and universities because they feel their efforts are better rewarded there; they serve as mentors for small groups of students rather than submitting to lives as marionettes in an enormously resistant, frustrating power struggle of corruption. Their ideas have a greater chance of gaining exposure if they engage them on the academic playing field, which also allows these people to live more peaceful lives.

Susan, via e-mail