Mr. Crowley gave a dishy, gritty reading last night from his next novel--very enjoyable.  He read with Marilynne Robinson, who has--rightly IMO-- become a literary superstar since Gilead.  Both readings were equally--although differently--delightful, and I thought the pairing made for a rich night of literature.

One of my favorite moments included ( Read more... )

http://www.strindbergandhelium.com/

From Elizabeth Bowen's essay  "Notes on Writing a Novel" at Narrative Magazine.

My favorite:  "...it must, therefore, contain uncontradictable truth, to warrant the original lie."

"Plot.-Essential. The Pre-Essential. Plot might seem to be a matter of choice. It is not. The particular plot is something the novelist is driven to. It is what is left ( Read more... )

Stupid University Job
by Sharon Mesmer

Your loveliest of sway-backs;
of mine I was once ashamed,
and my uni-brow and crooked teeth,
and red hair my mother never let me wash
all winter,
afraid I'd catch a draft.
She wouldn't let me bathe, either,
which made gym class a horror.
I thought I had it bad
until I met that handsome Scottish man
whose parents tried to ( Read more... )

An excellent collection, I recommend whole-heartedly.  Knopf says it's just been released in paperback too.
One for all you writers out there.

Publication Date

One of the few pleasures of writing
is the thought of one's book in the hands of a kindhearted
intelligent person somewhere. I can't remember what the others
        are right now.
I just ( Read more... )

Not sure how I feel about the attempt to organize poetry
into a national month, but that being said,
more poetry is rarely a bad thing!

So. For anyone who wants a poem a day for the next 30 days, here's a link:

http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/poetry/poemaday/

It's a ( Read more... )

The site:
http://www.thesheepmarket.com/

Youtube video about the project:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mmb5aSscck

Thanks to Steve Hendrickson for the links!

Found via F&SF's blog.

Whittle away.

As far as my answer goes, I should be so lucky! But I do love her work. And who doesn't like the idea of one's life being as fantastic as one's fiction?


( Read more... )

Well, folks, looks like I'll be heading to Philadelphia in a few months time.

The show is called the AGE OF AROUSAL.
You can check out a little bit about the show & theater here: http://www.wilmatheater.org/

But if you're going to be in the area between December 5 and January 6, let me

Welcome to my minimalist journal.

Feel free to post a comment if by some miracle you've found your way here.