Writing In The Mountains

Mom Writer's Literary Magazine and Mamapalooza, Inc. Merge To Form Mamazina Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:09:00 +0000

Check out the press release here.

Mom Writer's Literary Magazine will be producing a partial Fall/Winter on-line issue as they ease into the transition of becoming Mamazina. Find it here.

There will be a full print and on-line issue for Spring/Summer '10 under the name of Mamazina.

And-hey!-I have a column in this issue! Check that out here.

Mama Says Zine is on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:22:00 +0000

For those of you who are fans of the Zine, head on over to Facebook and friend us!

The finishing touches are being made on the new issue and should be out soon. In the meantime, check out the blog and back issues. There is a fabulous post on the H1N1 vaccine up at the blog. Please check it out.

Neil Gaiman's Library and Other Things

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:19:00 +0000

This is just awesome. It's enviable. If I had the room, I would love do something like this. Other posts on his library here and here.

In other related news-Michael Lukas is Unpacking his girlfriend's library, musing upon Kindles, digital books and physical libraries at the VQR Blog:

But no matter how bad my eyes get, no matter how strained my back and the foundation of any house I may own in the future, I would have a difficult time giving up on my library. Surrounded by my books, even in boxes on the floor, I feel a sense of physical comfort and assurance that no reading device could ever offer.

I couldn't agree more. I don't know what it is, but being surrounded by mounds of books is comforting. There is something so satisfying about the physicality of a books: holding it in your hand, turning the pages. I could never give up my physical library for a Kindle.

A couple years ago, I cataloged all my books here on this blog. There have been many additions since then, obviously, through reviews, etc. And yes, I have read them all! Really, I have. What I have for shelves is not adequate enough by far to house these books. They spill out onto every other surface available. The shelves themselves are literally bursting at the seams. I would love to have some decent storage for my books-shiny, new and lovely. Perhaps that will be my next investment....after all the other more necessary ones, you know, like food and clothes....heh.

Just Received......

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:07:00 +0000

Just recieved The Black Death (A Personal History) by John Hatcher in the mail today.
Finally!
That sounds a little weird...I got the BOOK in the mail.
This received great reviews. Can't wait to read it. Sure to be graphic and realistic.
Set up: A day in the life type of story, blending fact with fiction, of ordinary villagers who lived in that time.

Link Round Up Mashup

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:28:00 +0000

Haven't done this in a long time....

English language gets one millionth word. (via KR Blog and CNN, respectively)

Also from KR Blog: JD Salinger More Salinger here.

How to use sticky posts in blogger at The Urban Muse.

Health Care Reform Will Benefit the Arts (via VQR)

New Post at Imperfect Blog: Suleman

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:41:00 +0000

I have another post over at The Imperfect Parent Blog. Octomom, aka Nadya Suleman, signs a deal for a reality show and a "autobiographical" book.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m a little burnt-out on the big-family-I-Gave-Birth-To-A-Million-Kids shows. It’s losing its appeal, its freshness, its ability to cause morbid fascination. At least for me.

Want to read more?
Take a look at my previous posts
Did you catch the live blogging of the Jon & Kate season premiere? It's fun.

Mama Says Event: Full Moon Tea Party

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:14:00 +0000

If you are in the Central Vermont area, check out the Full Moon Tea Party in Montpelier, June 5th.

Support local Mama-owned businesses

Meet local mamas, doulas and midwives

More details here.

Two Other Posts at Imperfect Parent

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:03:00 +0000

Another effect of Hurricane Ike that wasn't quite....expected.

Chicago Says No To BPA.

See the rest of my posts here.

Sweet! Mani Niall, Review

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Sweet! From Agave to Turbinado, Home Baking With Every Kind of Natural Sugar and Sweetener
Mani Niall
Da Capo/Lifelong Books
288pgs. $18.95
ISBN: 978-1-60094-0

I knew there was a reason I loved Da Capo/Lifelong Books. It's the cookbooks. They have some of the best I've come across. One being Sweet!, a mouthwatering collection of recipes using every kind of natural sugar and sweetener. It's not just cupcakes and cookies we're talking about here, either (although, they are yummy too!). Even the cover and pictures inside are gorgeous and delectable!

The book also features recipes for candy as well as Maple-Chile Salmon, Banana Upside-Down Muffins and Maple Pecan Sticky Buns. YUM! All using the traditional and alternative sweeteners some of us might not be so familiar with: turbinado, muscovado and demerara.

Niall gives us a short introduction to the history and use of these sugars as well as a great resources section for finding all the different sugars.

The recipes are easy to follow, quick to make and delicious to eat. What an absolutely creative and tasty detour from run of the mill deserts!

For more information, visit
the Da Capo Site
&
Mani's Test Kitchen

Reading "Hate List", Jennifer Brown

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sat, 16 May 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Hate List
Jennifer Brown
Little, Brown Publishing
408 pgs., $16.99
ARC ISBN: 978-0-316-06848-2

Recently, I had the opportunity to grab an Advanced Reading Copy of Jennifer Brown's book, Hate List (due out in September 2009 from Little, Brown Publishing). The premise of the book concerns Valerie Leftman who, with her boyfriend Nick, created a 'hate list'-a list of all things and people she and Nick hated. Eventually and somewhat unexpectedly, the boyfriend opens fire in the high school cafeteria using the Hate List as inspiration and Valerie thus lives and deals with the consequences of the shooting in the months afterward.

I found the story to be quite timely, especially with the recent stories of bullying in the news and it's consequences.

I was quite impressed by the book. Even though it is intended for young adults and is marketed as such, I think it has the ability to cross genres. The language of the book captures that of being in high school and is intelligent. The seriousness of the book and its subject is a departure from what Jennifer Brown is most known for: humor; and lets the reader know of her versatility as a writer.

Be sure to grab your own copy when it becomes available in September 09. It'll be worth it.

By the way, I said I'd give a truthful review, whether it was good or bad. I truly enjoyed the book-I'm not just saying I did because she's a colleague of mine!

Happy Mother's Day & The Launch of Mama Says Zine Blog

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sun, 10 May 2009 13:57:00 +0000

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to all the Mamas out there.

I am now working on /with Mama Says Zine as the blog administrator.

Mama Says is a forum for expression, education, and dialogue; it is a collective of the voices of our community.
Mama Says began as a newsletter in Montpelier, Vermont and has evolved into a Zine. It was created to trace the personal evolution of ourselves as parents. Now Mama Says, Inc is a community network organized around improving the lives of families through support, education, advocacy and communication. We are affiliated with Parents Rising, (MoveOn.org's Moms Rising group) and Vermont Birth Network.

The blog is still a work in progress, but keep checking in the next few weeks for mama writing, Zine updates and submission information. If you are in the Vermont area, consider joining the Mama Says yahoo newsgroup for upcoming events, childcare ads, classifieds, questions and political action information.

Now Reading This

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:48:00 +0000

More info at DaCapo Press
50 pages into it right now. Pick up a copy of this book.

Couple Changes

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:13:00 +0000

The Moms Speak Up site is up and running, but the site itself is quite different and has a different look. I have opted not to contribute to this reincarnation for personal reasons. The original site, unfortunately, crashed and all the information on it is irretrievable. However, the new site is up and ready.

It saddens me to say that MotherVerse Magazine may be shutting down publication until further notice. As it is, issue #9 will not be published due to financial constraints. You will be missed!

Two Other Posts at Imperfect Parent

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:54:00 +0000

So Barbie's getting tattooed. So what. It's not as bad as crazy pregnant Barbie....baby falling out of her stomach and all....

With the economic crisis, permanent birth control becomes something to consider for many...and the abortion rate goes up....how about cheaper birth control?

New Book From Da Capo Press

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:36:00 +0000

More info at the Da Capo Site

Review to follow soon.

Two New Posts at Imperfect Parent

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Yes! I have two *new* posts over at the Imperfect Parent Blog!

Talking about the Pope banning condoms in Africa. This is a fine example of religious views overtaking basic common sense. Just let the people have condoms!

Also, Nadya Suleman, infamous Octo-mom, influences proposed bill in Georgia that would limit embryo implantation for in-vitro procedures. Yes, there should definitely be a limit in my opinion!

For further reading, some of my other posts at Imperfect Parent.

How To Refine Your Writing: Keep A Journal

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Have you ever thought of starting a journal but just don't know where to start? Maybe you find there isn't enough time in the day, or perhaps you find yourself faced with the question: What would I even write about??

A journal is something that is personal, a place where you can let it all out, stuff that you would never share with other people, let alone the world, or a place where you can work through personal issues (definitely much cheaper than a psychiatrist!). It can also be as impersonal or informal as you like, more as an exercise in writing, a list of ideas rather than a therapy session.

I got my first journal as a birthday present when I was twelve and have been writing ever since. Those first few are quite painful to read now, fifteen years on. However, a little further down the line, I can see how my writing has developed, how it has helped honed my skills as a writer. Journaling can be quite useful for writing material as well or giving your writing that much needed kick start.

Here are a few essentials to get you going:

1. Find a journal you would enjoy writing in. It could be a simple hardback book, one made of leather, cloth or plain notebook. There are so many choices. Try ClaireFontaine for simple designs or the legendary Molskine brand for a sleek leather look. You can always stop in your local bookstore and browse!

2. Writing Utensils. What do you like to write with? Pen, pencil, blue, black or multicolored ink? Fine tip or something a little heavier? I use the Uniball Vision finepoint. It's water-proof and fade-proof, very essential qualities if you journal for a few years.

3. Carve out some space and time to write. This may be impossible for most of us, especially if there are young children running around. Let me just say Naptimes and Bedtimes: prime time for writing! On the go all the time? Take it with you for quick, jotting ideas. Try getting on a journaling schedule if you can-set aside some time, perhaps ten minutes to start, before you go to bed to write and reflect upon the day or early in the morning to start the day.

4. What to write. The subject(s) of which you write in your journal can be as varied as you want. It's truly up to you. To start, record the events of the day. What did you do? Was there a specific story on the news that affected you? Write about it. How and why did it affect you? Writing can be incredibly therapeutic. Got some issues you're trying to work through? Write about those in the journal. Just get through a break-up, a divorce? Write about it! Like I said earlier, it's much cheaper than a psychiatrist. You'll be amazed at what a little free writing can do.

5. Stay Inspired. Read, read and read some more. Read everything you can get your hands on: magazines, newspapers, other people's writing and their journals. There are plenty of published journals of writers and others available. Get to the library and check out Virginia Woolf's journals, or Sylvia Plath's. Anais Nin, Tennessee Williams, or Frida Kahlo.
Out of ideas? There are plenty of places around the web to find writing prompts. A few to try: Literary Mama Prompts and Gwendolyn Gross' The Other Mother -For Moms Who Write . Both of these offer mother-centered writing prompts as well as general writing prompts. Another general writing prompt site to try is creativewritingprompts.com.

Interview with Caroline Grant & Elrena Evans of Mama PhD

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:31:00 +0000

*Note: Preview from MotherVerse Magazine #9*

A Conversation With Caroline Grant and Elrena Evans, Authors of Mama Phd: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic Life

I had the chance to catch up with Mama, PhD authors Caroline Grant and Elrena Evans recently to chat about the book, motherhood and future projects. There are so many stories and experiences here that are sure to resonate deeply with everyone, Mama PhD, or not.

Elrena made a statement about how the book started off as a conversation and grew and continued as the readers began to participate at book tours, etc. I find this so appropriate-don't all books start off as some sort of conversation? To oneself, the reader, whoever?

It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience doing this and I hope you, the reader, find it equally enjoyable.

For more information on Mama PhD ( including tour dates, readings, and reviews) visit the website: http://www.mamaphd.com/. Caroline Grant can be found at Food For Thought http://foodthought.org/ and at Literary Mama writing her column, Mama at the Movies http://www.literarymama.com/columns/mamaatthemovies/.

Elrena Evans can be found at http://www.elrenaevans.com/ as well as at Literary Mama's Me and My House column: http://www.literarymama.com/columns/meandmyhouse/

Be sure to check out the MotherTalk review of Mama PhD as well!

MV: How did Mama PhD get from IDEA to PUBLICATION?

Caroline: Well, it took nearly two years—how much space do you have?! But the gradual process worked for us—it let us each move houses and have more kids and start two of them in school—we tinkered away at the book slowly sometimes, when the schedule allowed; but when we had deadlines, we stayed up past our bedtimes and typed while nursing and read while nursing and thought about edits and contracts and marketing plans while we were driving carpool or playing trains or cooking dinner.

But that's not quite what you asked, is it?! That's how we fit the work in to our mothering. The writer's answer is that the idea came up while we were emailing about Elrena's Literary Mama submission, and then we made sure the book didn't exist already, and then we started to brainstorm what we wanted the book to be, wrote up a call for submissions, and sent it to all the writers we knew. Once we had a good group of essays, we prepared a proposal with a selection of essays, the table of contents, our introduction and other materials, and sent that around to about a dozen publishers. We had two offers for the book, and made our decision based on a number of factors: our correspondence with the editor who wanted to acquire the book, the publisher's assurance that they would price the book under $20, and their ability to get it into the hands of our academic readers.

Elrena: I’ll add to that by saying that, for me at least, it was very much a learn-as-you-go process. The Literary Mama submission Caroline referenced was the first piece of writing I’d ever submitted (despite holding an MFA in creative writing!) so I couldn’t have been much more of a neophyte. And all of a sudden we were talking about a book. I remember thinking that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I was at a transitional point in my life anyway, so…why not? Then at each stage in the process we’d do some research—what should a call for submissions look like? what needs to be included in a proposal?—and then turn right around and apply it to the book. It wasn’t until people started asking us for help on other book proposals and we heard how much we had to say that we started to realize just how much we had learned.

MV: In culling through the essays, was there any one in particular that affected you personally?

Caroline: When people ask me how we chose the essays, I always say that we chose the essays that made us cry, and the ones that made us laugh. And I have read these essays many, many times now, and they still touch me the way they did when I first put each one in the "Yes" pile. Leah Bradshaw writes about falling asleep nursing her daughter, and waking to find that a window has blown open and they are dusted with snow— it's an image of the universal absorption and exhaustion of new motherhood that has stayed with me. I quote the title of Libby Gruner's essay, "I Am Not A Head On A Stick," all the time, since it sums up so succinctly the prevailing attitude women are challenging in academia. And I love the affirmations in the essay "Momifesto;" there are two in particular that thrum through my head, depending on my mood: "You are maternally beautiful" and "You can promote motherhood professionally, and it is a political statement."

Elrena: I read through the bulk of our submissions in the first few days after my son was born, (don’t ask me why, it seemed like a good idea at the time!) so I was pretty affected by anyone writing about having a baby, or nursing, or anything else I could even remotely apply to my situation. What I found, though, was that I saw bits and pieces in each essay we ultimately chose that spoke directly to me. Now, these essays have embedded themselves so deeply in my brain that I often find myself thinking of passages—kind of like the way that song lyrics off of a really good album stick in your mind. Rosemarie Emanuele writes about other mothers helping her to see that her child was not a “behavioral outlier,” I think of that phrase when my children have tantrums; Anjalee Deshpande Nadkarni writes of her life that “every day is a risk and a possibility,” I think that’s a great quote first thing in the morning!

As Caroline and I have been touring around the country promoting the book we’ve had the privilege to meet several of our contributors, and hear them read their pieces. This has affected me deeply—there’s something about hearing the essays in their author’s voices that I find incredibly moving. I realized this when we were giving a reading in New York and I was slated to read after Susan O’Doherty—just reading her essay as text on a page undoes me, and I realized (too late!) that listening to her read it was going to be even more emotional. So I’m sitting there crying, and thinking there was no way I was going to be able to get up and read after her, and of course I didn’t have any tissues…fortunately, Caroline was sitting next to me and she did have tissues! And I pulled myself together and was (mostly) fine, but it’s really incredible, not only to read the stories our contributors have shared, but to hear them in their voices.

Caroline: This has been the best, most unanticipated bonus of doing readings for me, too: hearing our contributors read their essays has been revelatory. The funny anecdotes are funnier, and the moving sections are all the more poignant when the words are embodied.

MV: How has the response been to the book generally?

Caroline: It's been wonderful—and by that I mean not simply that people are praising the book (though they are), but that people are really reading it carefully, and asking good questions about issues raised in the book. It's been tremendously gratifying to do readings at bookstores and on campuses, and I find I read less and less of my own essay, to allow more time for discussion.

Elrena: I’ll second that—we’ve begun each event by saying that this book started out as a conversation, a conversation that’s now continuing and growing as our readers get a chance to participate. Hearing these stories, hearing what other women—and men!—have to bring to the table, has been wonderful.

MV: You've both been busy promoting this book via blog tours, readings, etc. What sort of responses are you getting at the readings from the crowd? Anything surprising or particularly memorable? What kind of people are you attracting?

Caroline: In New York City, a woman came to our reading with her partner and their baby. I noticed them because the couple was taking turns holding the baby, walking him out of the room when he needed, and they were generally making it look very easy to attend a quiet reading with a little baby, and I wanted to compliment them—because I know that often when parenting looks easy, it's because the parents are working pretty hard! So I spoke to them after the reading, and the baby's mother told me she is a graduate student in a program where she's felt the need to keep her baby a secret. And I'm still so sad about this. We think things are changing for women in higher education, but we have a long, long way to go.

Elrena: At one of the readings there was a young man in the room, whom I noticed right away because he was the only guy there. He asked a question at the end of our discussion time about balancing fatherhood and a PhD, two things he felt might also be complicated by the fact that he was a minority, and someone with a disability. I listened to him talk and was really touched—he was neither a father nor a PhD student, but he was thinking ahead, wanting to be both, and wondering how he was going to make it all work given his particular circumstances. I wanted more than anything to be able to say to him yes, you can make this all work, and the academy will be on your side all the way…but I knew I couldn’t. I’m hoping through books like Mama, PhD and through all the conversations and work being done on these issues, he and so many others like him will indeed be able to make it all work.

Caroline: And this reminds me of another man who came to a reading, who said his wife was a graduate student; he told us that hearing the essays made him understand for the first time her hesitancy about starting a family, and that he was looking forward to reading the book with her and talking it over. I certainly don't want anyone not to have the family they want because of the stories in the book, but I was grateful for his thoughtful reaction, and his willingness to understand the particular challenges that women face.

MV: The one thing that sticks in my head after reading the book is this passage from Susan O'Doherty's The Wire Mother: "One elderly male gynecologist had admonished me, 'You career girls do this to yourselves. You want to do everything men do—maybe you want to be men. When you're ready to grow up and be a mother, you won't have this problem.' "

Unfortunately, this opinion isn't just confined to elderly male gynecologists. Do you think we will ever get beyond this type of thinking as a society?

Elrena: In a recent interview that Caroline and I did with Andrea O’Reilly of the Association for Research on Mothering, we talked about the need to change our cultural view of motherhood. This kind of thinking that you cite, I believe, is rooted in a fundamental inequality that perceives men and men’s (traditional) work as “more than” and women and women’s(traditional) work as “less than.” If we could move past that, if we could learn to see both conventional paid employment and the often unpaid work of care-giving as two halves of the same whole, I think we could start to move past this notion of women wanting to do men’s work (or vice-versa) and begin to see all people, as we say in our introduction, “working out as we go along how to be whole people.”

Caroline: And perhaps, though this is going to make me sound more capitalist than I really am, we need to seriously investigate paying women for their mothering by contributing to Social Security during the years that they opt out of the work force to raise their children. Miriam Peskowitz, who wrote the foreword to Mama, PhD, writes about this idea in her book, The Truth Behind the Mommy Wars; I read this not long after I had received my first Social Security statement which had a big zero in the earnings column, and I have the passage in Miriam's book underlined and starred.

MV: What was the best/worst advice you received as a Mama-to-be-PhD?

Caroline: I tell this anecdote in my essay for the book, but a colleague told me to read Naomi Wolf's Misconceptions. And it might have been fine advice, maybe, but because she suggested this while tapping on my pregnant belly and quizzing me about my OB's c-section rate, I'll just never be able to read the book. I can't.

The best advice I got when I was pregnant was to put my feet up.

Elrena: The worst “advice” I received when I was pregnant in graduate school wasn’t so much one person’s advice, but more of an overriding, tacit expectation that I felt from the university culture at large—that the baby wouldn’t interfere with my studies. That my pregnant body wouldn’t interfere with my brain, that my pregnancy complications didn’t merit so much as an extension on a paper, that I’d be able to keep on once the baby was born, as if she wasn’t even there, or obviously there was something wrong with me.

The best advice I’ve received—not as a PhD student, but from Caroline, while working on this book!—is to really acknowledge the physicality of pregnancy and childbearing and nursing and mothering. “You are growing a person with your body,” Caroline’s reminded me several times, and when I really stop to think about it, that’s amazing. Leslie Leyland Fields also writes about this in her essay in the book, how her cells “furiously conjure out of my own body’s matter another whole spirit, mind, body.” I think that puts everything into perspective when my brain is fuzzy or I’m frustrated with myself for being tired—I am growing, nourishing, sustaining, people.

Caroline: I should add, that reminder comes from my husband, Tony, who started saying that to me when I was pregnant with our older son, Ben, and commuting two hours a day to teach at Stanford, and fretting about whether I would manage to stay in my job long enough (six months, or 2 weeks before my due date) to earn maternity leave and wondering whether I would even return to teaching after my leave. I was exhausted and emotional and overwhelmed, and Tony would sit me down and look me in the eyes and remind me of the central thing—this person growing inside me—and for a moment or two everything else would really fall away.

Elrena: Your comment about Tony makes me think that if I was going to give advice to a Mama-to-be-PhD, it would be to have a good partner! My husband, Bill, is currently baking brownies with my children while I write….

MV: What is your opinion on the forthcoming Obama administration? Do you think the issues of women, children and family will take more precedence/receive more positive attention in Obama's administration? Do you think that attention will be enough to repair damages done by the current administration?

Caroline: I'm hoping Obama has 8 years in office, because he has a lot of work to do, and I'm discouraged that he's inherited an economic disaster which is going to make his job so much harder. Still, I think family issues have to get more notice now, from all of us, because for the first time in so long we have a young family in the White House. But honestly, although I won't downplay the president's importance, the kinds of small changes we are talking about (standardized benefits policies for graduate students, for example) can be enacted by university administrators. And the kinds of big changes we are talking about – recognizing and valuing the work that mothers do for our society– are cultural changes that come slowly. So I think it's important that we all keep doing the work we do, and making sure our children understand how valuable it is, and society will come around. Luckily I have learned from my children how to be patient.

Elrena: I agree that all change happens best if it occurs simultaneously from the top down, and from the ground up. Family-friendly policies are wonderful, but if the culture doesn’t value the work that parents do, if the culture doesn’t value its own children, those policies won’t take us very far. I'm hoping for a much better future, for my children, for all children. Libby Gruner has a line in her essay where she says “I’m an Episcopalian: the only kind of change I really believe in is incremental”— I’m an Episcopalian, too, but hopeful that incremental changes for the better won’t move too slowly.

MV: Any projects you're working on that you'd care to talk about?

Caroline: Why, yes! I'm working on a project with Mama, PhD contributor Lisa Harper, an anthology called Learning to Eat, which is a collection of essays about how we learn—and re-learn—to eat, and how we teach our kids about food and develop a community around the table. It's not a how-to—I'm not very good at advice-giving—but a series of pieces that consider the daily habits and practices that make up family food culture, and reflect on what food means in our lives and for our families. And it does include recipes, because I have always secretly wanted to write a cookbook. Maybe someday I will, but for now it's an anthology of sharp, funny and poignant essays, with a set of very personal, quirky recipes.

Elrena: I’m finishing up final edits on a short story collection called This Crowded Night, forthcoming from DreamSeeker Books. The collection tells the stories of ten women from the New Testament Gospels—some of whom are mentioned in the Gospel texts, some of whom are my own invention—as they encounter Christ. My idea when I began writing the stories was to try and show something of the full range of experiences I imagine women having with these encounters; for some, meeting Christ is a life-changing experience, for others, it’s a soon-forgotten blip on the screen, for still others, they end up openly resenting the experience. What I realized as I wrote is that so many of the issues my characters face, in this radically different time and place, aren’t all that different from the issues women are still facing today.

Caroline: I think reading Elrena's stories puts our book in a nice historical context; there are some universal challenges mothers will always face, but when it comes down to it, I know I have more opportunities available to me than my grandmother did. I can't help but be optimistic about the future.

Books Received

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:42:00 +0000

When Asia Was The World-already read a few chapters of this and....I expected more. Will get a review up soon.

The Letters of Allen Ginsberg (review and thoughts here)

The Man Who Outshone the Sun King

Sweet!-This just looks absolutely YUMMY and I cannot wait to try the recipes in this book. Even the cover of the book makes my mouth water. Click on over and see for yourself.

Pow Wow: A Century of American Short Stories From the Many Americas/Ishmael Reed & Clara Blank. Looking forward to reading this, but is a thick book. It may take a bit to get a review up on this one.

The Second Nine Months, Viki Glembocki (paperback) (I received the hardback edition of this last year and did an interview with the author at MotherVerse Magazine (Issue # 8, May 2008)

Reading Ginsberg's Letters

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 21:11:00 +0000

The Letters of Allen Ginsberg
Da Capo Press, 2008

I was never quite interested in Ginsberg and the Beat poets. Or, I should say, I was once interested in that era and its poets and poetry, but the poetry has not held my interest over the years. It's not something I revisit again and again. Ferlinghetti, Kerouac, Ginsberg himself, Burroughs-I've read all their work at some point, but it never fully grabbed me the way Plath and Sexton have; Yeats, Kevin Young, A.E. Stallings, Rilke, Roethke, to name a few more.
I'd be more interested in reading about the women of the Beat Generation-the spouses, muses, poets. That book by Brenda Knight come to mind-Women Of the Beat Generation-, but it barely even cracks the surface of that subject. It offers enough information, though, to make you look a bit harder for these women elsewhere.

Overall, though, the letters were interesting to read, just to get a glimpse into Ginsberg's life and the inner workings of his rambling mind. I found much humor throughout but also alot of self-inflicted pathos which made the pages turn a bit faster.

However, he certainly holds his place in literary history, there's no question about that.

Short Comments on Two Different Books

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Finished some books recently. The Chekhov Letters book and Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me (basically a life etiquette book).

Just a few comments:

On Chekhov: I always enjoy reading artists/writers/poets letters and journals. I love the intimacy of it. I have to admit, I never did read any of Chekhov's work, but I enjoyed the letters. Enjoyed the language used.

On Things I Wish.....
I wish I didn't read it. It was a little ridiculous to me and I don't see how any of it would be pertinent to my life. But that's just me.

Am reading Allen Ginsberg's letters now and it is far more enjoyable than the etiquette book...

Taking A Break

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:37:00 +0000

I have come to the conclusion that I need to cut down on my writing commitments. There are far too many things going on right now in life that need my immediate attention. I'd rather not get too specific here because the reasons are quite personal. I'll just say things need to change.

This blog will still stay up for readers to enjoy, but I most likely won't be posting here much, with the exception of the occasional book review.

I just want to say thanks to all who supported and read this blog (all 20 of you ;) ) as well as those who read my work elsewhere. I hope to resume my writing sometime in the very near future.

See you later.

Reading Between the Covers....

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:39:00 +0000

Between the Covers: The Book Babes' Guide to a Woman's Reading Pleasures
Ellen Heltzel & Margo Hammond
US $16.95/CAN $18.50
DaCapo Press/Lifelong Books/Nov 10, 2008
Paperback/282 pgs.
ISBN: 9780738212296
ISBN-10: 0738212296

I just finished Between the Covers, the book babes' guide to a woman's reading pleasures. The entire book is one huge recommendation list, and a good one, at that. It is comprised of lists, fifty- five in all, ten books to each list. They are then further divided into sections such as "Babes We Love", "Ages &Stages", "Family & Friends" and "Babes in the World", etc..

In going through the book, I found many familiar books, ones that I have read and re-read many times over (Le Mariage/Diane Johnson, Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay/Nancy Milford and Letters to a Young Poet/Rilke, among so many others) and ones that have been added to my ever-growing 'To Read List' (The Road/Cormac McCarthy, Women's Letters: America From the Revolutionary War to the Present/Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler and Frida Kahlo: The Paintings/Hayden Herrera to name a few).

If you are looking for something to read, non-fiction or fiction, even poetry, pick up this book. You are sure to find something that strikes your interest. It also makes a great gift list for the book lovers in your circle of friends and family.

Visit the Da Capo Press site
Visit The Book Babes themselves!

After 2 months, I Checked My PO Box And Found...

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:26:00 +0000

After about 2 months, I finally checked my PO Box-well, I had somebody go check it for me, since I still am afflicted with the crazy pain of Sciatica and am rendered somewhat inoperable. Another story in itself.

I got the usual sludge of holiday catalogues, promotionals for various organizations and causes. But there was some pretty fun stuff in there too.

Like this really cool create-your-own pop-up book for The Girl. She says its her FAVORITE game.

And of course, the books:

How To Write Like Chekhov: Advice and Inspiration, Straight from His Own Letters and Work

Between the Covers: The Book Babes' Guide to a Woman's Reading Pleasures

The Agony and the Agony: Raising Your Teenager without Losing Your Mind (I'm not there quite yet!)

Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me: A Guide to Living with Impeccable Grace and Style

New Posts & Other Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (KrisUnderwood) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:08:00 +0000

Two other posts are up at The Imperfect Blog. Turns out Black Friday was indeed dark for at least one family with the trampling death of a Wal-mart worker.

Burger King may be going with less sodium in their menu items, but that certainly doesn't entice me to grab a Whopper and fries.

Found this cool site (Literary Rejections on Display) ....on rejection letters

I'm reading Parenting, Inc. by Pamela Paul. Loving it!