We'll Be the Last Ones to Let You Down

MN Book Award nominations

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Look! One of my besties is in the same category as me for MN Book Award nominations.

Go, Becky, go! And you all--read Chasing Allie Cat. You must. It's brilliant.

We beg to differ

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:27:00 +0000

My pal, Karen Babine, wrote a thoughtful response to the Huffington Post "critic" Anis Shivani, who calls creative writing "therapy" and not literature, among other slights and insults. Read her excellent post here.

What can you do with 100,000 pushpins?

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:40:00 +0000

This image is from the documentary ART AND COPY. It's in an advertising agency office and was created with 100,000 clear pushpins. A good motto, no?

Research, revolutionized

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:45:00 +0000

I'm deep into research for my latest Capstone assignment about earthquakes. I continue to be amazed at how technology makes research easier and easier each year.

Today I'm researching information about the March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake/tsunami. I like to use books as my primary sources for these Capstone assignments. I still view edited books as having the most reliable information, though I obviously use vetted government and education Web sites as well.

Up until a year or so ago, it would have been difficult to find books about events that happened only in the previous few months. But I went on Amazon.com today and found a couple of books about the Japan quake that have been published by traditional publishers. However, better than that, now there's a few Kindle books that were published after the quake. The quality of these may not all be fantastic, but I found a couple of first-person accounts that are promising. Before the advent of e-books, these authors could have put their thoughts and writings on the Web. But for me to find that information would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. On Amazon, these Kindle books show up with all the other books about the quake. And in about 10 seconds, I can have the book on my iPhone, whereas I had to submit an interlibrary loan request for the hard-copy books.

What do you like best about e-books?

John Irving interview

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:09:00 +0000

I read an interview last night with John Irving. I'm looking forward to his new book in May, IN ONE PERSON, about a bisexual man struggling through life. Irving says some awesome things in this interview, mostly about how he's irritated with this obsession people have with asking or assuming his writing is autobiographical. He says readers have less imagination these days; they are less likely to take that leap with an author into a fictional realm.

Do you agree? I admit I fall into that trap while reading a novel--wondering what is drawn from real life and what is completely fictional. It's almost like a game to me.

I don't agree with Irving when he says that real life and events can be improved upon through fiction, or that memoir lacks the imagination of novels. But I love how writers all have different perspectives on how to tell a story. Some will choose to tell it through nonfiction, others will choose to completely fictionalize it.

A messy process

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:49:00 +0000

The writing process is messy. Therefore, I have decided my office should reflect that process. Here it is, in all its glory. You know what? I don't even really feel like cleaning it up. I'm in the throes of one book revision, and getting the urge to start writing another project that's been on the back-burner. Revision is messy; crafting new material is messy, too.

I know where everything is in this office. Rest assured my entire home doesn't look like this. My office is upstairs, walled off from the rest of the room. Clutter does tend to creep up in other parts of the home, but in the more used areas I do a fairly good job of keeping it under control. Today I cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed and cleaned the kitchen, so if my office is messy so be it.

What does your writing/creative area look like? Can you work amid clutter, or do you need everything in its place?

Adventure book recommendations

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:44:00 +0000

In my January Mankato Magazine column, I wrote about my favorite outdoor adventure books. I included Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, Wilfred Thesiger's Arabian Sands, and Paul Schurke and Will Steger's North to the Pole.

What are your favorite outdoor adventure books?

Writing resolutions

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:41:00 +0000

My awesome, successful writer friend Kirstin Cronn-Mills inspired me to come up with my own list of writing resolutions for 2012. The pressure is on!

Writing resolution #1: Do something writing-related every day. This doesn’t necessarily have to mean writing. It can involve reading a blog post, reading writing tips, reading in general, connecting with a writer via Twitter/LinkedIn, finding an agent/publisher to add to my list, scribbling an idea on an index card. Keep a daily journal to track these things.

Writing resolution #2: Write things down! Often I think of ideas in my head and I let them live there. Sometimes I capture them, but other times they’re lost to the wind. Start scribbling things down, especially as they relate to new ideas for books/essays.

Writing resolution #3: Read about creativity, inspiration, intention. I already have tackled a couple of books in this realm: How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, by Michael Gelb, and Write It Down, Make It Happen, by Henriette Anne Klauser. If anyone has any other recommendations, please let me know!

Wish me luck!

A best books of 2011 list we can all appreciate

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:38:00 +0000

Thank you, National Book Critics Circle, for posting a "best of the small presses" list for 2011. Small presses is where it's happening. It's a joy to see beautiful writing get wider recognition.

View the list here.

Have you read any? Which ones do you want to read? I'll go with Bonnie Nadzam's LAMB. Sounds like an intriguing story, and Nadzam went to Carleton College in Northfield. And since I'm a narrative nonfiction fan, I'm putting LAST DAY ON EARTH by David Vann on the list.

Update to December Mankato Magazine column

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:56:00 +0000

My latest gig is writing an outdoors column in the winter months for Mankato Magazine. (Columns not available online; the magazine comes with some subscriptions to The Free Press or can be bought at Barnes and Noble). In December, I wrote about the sometimes odd shoes that outdoor enthusiasts collect. I ended the column with a wish for Bontrager cycling shoes, and I'm happy to report I received them for my birthday! Well, they were a birthday present to myself, along with this:

Her name is QR. Isn't she pretty?

Using social media wisely

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:19:00 +0000

Do you want to be that annoying Facebook or Twitter person? Or do you want people to truly admire you, respect you, think highly of you? If the latter, read the first part of this Chronicle of Higher Education blog post. I'm not sure I've seen it articulated so well.

First paragraph:

"I have two colleagues who are extraordinarily talented and highly visible. While both are recognized for their drive, intelligence, and expertise, people tend to find one of them charming and the other one annoying. What accounts for the difference? It’s really pretty simple. One promotes ideas, while the other promotes herself. One shares information and the other shares what can only be characterized as personal press releases. One celebrates the accomplishments of her colleagues, while the other thanks her colleagues for making her success possible."

So wise, Allison M. Vaillancourt!

My book is taking a nap

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:10:00 +0000

I’ve been working seriously on my memoir (on and off) for about six years. In that time, it’s been through many drafts. I completed Draft 5 in early 2010. I was happy with it, I got a few leads from agents and editors, but ultimately nothing came of it. So I put it to bed. It’s been napping ever since.

It’s been a long nap. The book was tired. It had been working awfully hard. Early in the morning, late at night. It got fussy. I got impatient.

But now, I can hear it stirring. It’s not a full-out wailing or crying, but I can tell it’s awake. It’s cooing and babbling to itself. It’s like the baby who’s content in the crib, playing with its feet, or hands batting the mobile.

I want to go to it. I want to see its face, to play with it. I’ve missed it. I’ve been productive while it napped, took care of what needed to be done around here.

But it’s so happily content that for now, I will leave it be. I know it’s awake, and it would welcome arms that would pick it up. But I will wait. I will wait until it squalls, its face burning red. I will wait until I cannot ignore it anymore. It will take some soothing, some love, but it will eventually quiet down and let me work with it.

My book was taking a nap, but now it’s awake.

1493

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:24:00 +0000

I heard part of Terry Gross' interview with Charles Mann on "Fresh Air" the other day. I learned so much in 15 minutes!

* No domesticated animals (including horses) lived in North America until Columbus and other Europeans arrived.
* Likewise, earthworms were nonexistent on this continent. I was pleased to find out that some forests in Minnesota are still free from earthworm damage and scientists are working hard to protect that habitat before it is irrevocably changed by earthworms.
* Europeans not only brought disease to this continent, but also wreaked environmental havoc.

I probably will get this book, hopefully soon.

Next on my reading list

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:09:00 +0000

I put Jess Goodell's SHADE IT BLACK on my wish list today. I heard her incredible interview with Terry Gross on June 21. Working the mortuary in Iraq. Wow.

A nice review of one of my books

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:09:00 +0000

Here's a nice review of my upcoming kids' nonfiction book on Antarctica.

Six memoir recommendations by Dinty Moore

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:54:00 +0000

I love this idea--pick six memoirs that you think showcase the range of the genre. I'm inspired to create my own list! Stay tuned.

Dinty W. Moore on Memoir: HTML Giant

2011 New Delta Review nonfiction contest

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Tue, 10 May 2011 21:56:00 +0000

I'm pleased to report that my two entries to the New Delta Review 2011 creative nonfiction contest were chosen as co-winners (blind judging by Eula Biss). Topics ranged from worms and dirt to Frida Kahlo and dead women.

The elusive creature

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:08:00 +0000

Tuesday, May 3, I spotted one of the most elusive creatures in these parts of late: a tractor. The incredibly chilly and wet weather has prevented farmers from getting into the fields.

On Monday, while out for a run, I finally noticed it: the silence. Usually spring runs and bike rides--as early as March and most definitely always April--mean sharing the countryside with the planting machines and the friendly farmers within who always are eager to give a wave. While running down the gravel road on Monday, I felt lonely and the missing tractors were the reason.

But clouds and rain gave way yesterday to clear skies and warmer temps. The tractors were in the fields during the day, and even when I came home after sunset there they were, headlights on, trying to make up for lost time.

(Out of nostalgia I chose the Allis Chalmers pic, though unfortunately a sighting of one of these is the rarest of all).

Guess who's writing a memoir (May 4 edition)

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:02:00 +0000

Ah, young Levi...

According to Publisher's Marketplace:

20-year-old Levi Johnston's DEER IN THE HEADLIGHTS: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs, claiming to "tell the truth about my close relationship with the Palins, my sense of Sarah and my perplexing fall from grace -- how I feel and what I've learned," or what the publisher calls a "tale of a misunderstood boy figuring out how to be a man and a father after being thrust into the spotlight and subsequent media circus at a very young and vulnerable age," to Touchstone, for publication in fall 2011.

Steve Almond on memoir/fake memoir

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:29:00 +0000

I love Steve Almond's definition of memoir: It is a radically subjective account of events that objectively took place.

Anything else, he says (and quality nonfiction writers would agree), is fiction.

Entire post here.

Thanks to the fine folks at Brevity for passing this along.

Might I mention how much I love Steve Almond? He came to the Good Thunder Reading Series in Mankato a couple of years ago. I was teaching at a small private, conservative college at the time and offered my composition students extra credit for attending Almond's reading. Let's just say it was entirely engaging but quite "blue." My saintly conservative students were good sports! They learned a little more about the world that night!

Minnesota's literary rock stars

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:33:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of attending the Minnesota Book Awards on April 16. The emcee mentioned St. Paul ranks 7th and Minneapolis 3rd in the list of the country's most literate cities, making Minnesota the only state with two cities in the top 10. I have no doubts! Not sure what makes Minnesota so wonderfully literate--lots of theories out there about nothing to do during long, cold winters but sit inside and read and write. Works for me!

I love the Mankato contingent at the Book Awards--big this year as always! Not only writers/editors who currently live in the Mankato area, but lots of good representation of former Mankatoans (lots of MFA grads) now living and writing and teaching in other parts of the state.

Speaking of Minnesota State Mankato's MFA program, it got a major shout-out on the April 18 Huffington Post of the top-25 most underrated MFA programs. I am a proud MSU MFA program hanger-on, as I like to call myself. I've taken one class in the program but I mostly insert myself into the MFA society and pretend that I'm a candidate. I figure the atmosphere will rub off at some point.

Anyway, lots of award-winners I now must read, including VESTMENTS by John Reiminger and Lightsey Darst's poetry collection. Swati Avasthi's SPLIT did not win but I heard enough fantastic raves--including from Pete Hautmann, the actual winner--that I have to check it out, too.

I'm once again proud to be a writer and book lover in Minnesota.

Literary citizenship

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I try to live by these principles, but never thought to define it.

The world needs more of "what can I do for the community?" rather than "what's in it for me?" This applies to everyone, writers included.

Thanks, Cathy Day!

Home & Garden Show tips

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:04:00 +0000

I braved the crazy crowds to attend the Minneapolis Home & Garden Show on March 5. I talked with a variety of vendors on a wide array of products. I had some great conversations, others not so great. I thought I would share a few tips from a customer's point of view.

I'm guessing that vendors spend A LOT of money to have a space at the Home & Garden Show. I would think for that kind of money, they would want to get some business. So act like you want my business:

* Have some brochures handy. I realize that printing can be expensive, but even a simple flyer would give me some information. I don't want to stand there and hear your spiel; I want to take information with me so I have some to refer to later.
* Give me some specifics. I could work at a solar energy booth and say, "Solar energy is better for the environment and more efficient." Duh! But how does it work? What do I need to do to my house to make it work? How much will it cost? What will be my savings? At least put someone in your booth who knows something.
* But don't give me too much information. Spare me the scientific, technical mumbo jumbo. I have no idea what you're talking about. Plain English, please.

Just my opinion :)

Bygone era

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:53:00 +0000

Card catalogs. Check-out cards in the back of books. Marginalia.

For some reason, there seem to be a lot of stories out there lately about the book world of the past. It's making me nostalgic :)

MY RUBY SLIPPERS

rhanel@hickorytech.net (Rachael Hanel) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:12:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Tracy Seeley one day at lunch at the Nonfiction Now! conference in Iowa City in November. I can't wait to read her memoir, MY RUBY SLIPPERS: THE ROAD BACK TO KANSAS, published by the University of Nebraska Press. Looks like something right up my alley: Midwestern, quiet, lyrical. Long live the quiet memoir, huzzah!

Follow Tracy on Twitter: @tracy_seeley