What happens to a "Talk of the Town" piece deferred? Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun? Or does it just sit on a hard drive, taking up space, a daily reminder that the author will never amount to anything, ever?

Not anymore, it doesn't - thanks to a group of TOTT aficionados, who love those pieces so damn much they couldn't possibly get enough. So they've taken matters into their own hands with the first-ever "Talk of the Town" tribute site, "Silence of the City" - the very finest in rejected TOTT pieces.

Like a more-targeted version of "The Rejection Show" - okay, a lot more targeted (nein, "Shouts and Murmurs," nein!) - the folks behind SOTC figure that anyone who thinks they've got a shot at getting in the New Yorker has to be pretty good. It is not for us to opine here either way, just to look forward to reading even more quirky, offbeat little stories about what makes this city so rockin'.

SOTC is up and running, but it needs YOU to make it happen - you and and your written work that isn't good enough for a five-time Ellie-winning magazine. So go to their submission page and, well, be submissive. That's hot.

TOTT [New Yorker]
SOTC [SOTC]