read by myfanwy

Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.

2009-07-13T11:37:00.002-05:00

I worried through the entirety of my pregnancy. How, I fretted, could I bring a child into this world? How could I protect him? What did he have to look forward to but melting ice caps, tsunamis, wild fires, genocide, floods, hurricanes, drought, war, war, war, serial killers, crazed gunmen in schools, bullies, etc. Now that I am a parent, I realize I can't protect him from these things. I can only protect him from what I can control, and even then I am often left powerless.

We will do as we wish, we humans.

Ron Currie's daring, humorous, poignant, heart-wrenching, and, ultimately, joyful second novel, Everything Matters! also addresses the question of how can one bring a child into a troubled world. Most importantly, though, it follows the life of Junior, who not only knows how he will end, but knows how the world will end as well.

It is from there, his foreknowledge, that we witness the choices he makes in his life--when does he choose to give up and when does he choose to push beyond his limits. When does he choose to live and accept all of the beauty that life has to offer him even though he knows it will one day be taken away.

Yes, on the surface this is a book about mass destruction, but it's not about hopelessness. Rather, it's about what we wake up and choose to do each day--put one foot ahead of the other and move forward even though we know that one day we will cease to be. We are all brave to live, to choose to live.

Some books you read to be entertained, others to learn something, and some you read to change your life. Everything Matters! was all of these books for me. I finished it just as my two-year-old was waking up from his nap. I was crying as I picked him up from his crib, not because I was sad, but because I was so happy and grateful that he was alive in this beautiful world where everything matters.

long time no see

2009-06-22T07:20:00.004-05:00

Clearly, I have not been blogging much lately. No excuses. Just distracted by life.

Here and now, I'd like to bring your attention to the following:

1) Narrative's Spring 2009 Story Contest is on. Go and submit a story, why don't you? In other Narrative news, I've taken a bit of a sabbatical from reading subs. I still love Narrative like a brother, just need a breather.

2) Speaking of contests... the awesome Flatmancrooked is holding a contest of their own and it's a good one! Submit!

3) Just a reminder about the DZANC book creative writing sessions. A great way to receive critique and support an independent publisher.

Okay, that's it. Bye.

new at wigleaf

2009-03-01T11:27:00.001-05:00

Two beautiful new stories at wigleaf:

Peace, by Katrina Denza

&

Swicks Rule!, by Kathy Fish

A real deal -- Make A Scene

2009-02-26T11:32:00.001-05:00

Jordan Rosenfeld has posted an awesome offer on her blog--here are the details:

I’ll ship you up to three copies with no shipping charge, at only $12/copy. They’re regularly $14.95 plus tax and shipping.

My book is good for the beginner or intermediate writer, since it offers not only refreshers on simple scene architecture, but detailed information on scene types.

To take advantage of this deal–I’ve only got 22 copies left–email me: jordansmuse (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject “Make a Scene deal” and tell me how many you want. We can work out the mailing/payment details from there.

BONUS DEAL: Add a copy of my book with Rebecca Lawton, Write Free: Attracting the Creative Life, and I’ll send you both books for $20, plus FREE shipping.

Big World, by Mary Miller

2009-02-16T11:01:00.006-05:00

I first encountered the work of Mary Mill when I was guest editor for SmokeLong Quarterly and my friend Katrina Denza suggested I check out her writing. I did and asked her to submit for the issue. She sent us this: A Blind Dog Named Killer and a Colony of Bees.

All this is to say that before I even cracked the spine of Big World I had a feeling that I'd love reading it.

And that feeling was right on. Miller can write the hell out of a story. Most (if not all--I think there may have been one in 3rd person) of the stories within the book are written in 1st person, told from the point-of-view of a self-conscious and yet feisty female narrator. These are women who understand precisely where they are on the food chain and sometimes they like just where they are, but more often than not, they'd rather be elsewhere:

She prayed to St. Jude, she told me, the patron saint of lost and hopeless causes, and I didn't mind being lost but hopeless bothered me. Hopeless was going too far. Someone was going to have to tell her.

These women are bar flies and usually they are in bad relationships. Or these aren't women at all, they're lost little girls, wanting love, comfort, something. Whoever and whatever they are, the story that pulls together the common threads of this collection, is the gloriously painful title story, "Big World":

You want it too much, I told her. You want it so much no one's ever going to give it to you. We were tipsy and someone was dead and I was under the impression we could be honest.

They are telling the truth about all of their pain, sharing it openly, wielding it like a weapon:

I liked to say things to shock him, the truth. Like my father, he had sent me out into the big world all alone and I was going to show him how ugly it was.

You might think this book sounds bleak, but I promise it's not. It's funny and, at times, hopeful about the future. As it is rooted in a sense of reality, this book doesn't try to show us a beautiful, sugar-coated world. Does not strive to show us an optimistic and wonderful world. Instead it offers us a big, ugly, real world and even then, it's still one well worth living and surviving in.

Read this book.

Last Night at the Lobster, by Stewart O'Nan

2009-01-01T11:43:00.004-05:00

It's not surprising to me that I loved Steward O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster; he's one of my favorite writers, after all, and this books stands out for me among the many books of his I love. It's not only a book with a lot of heart; it's also a book that is timely--as 2009 is said to be the year that many in retail and service lose their jobs, the year that many malls and shops and restaurants turn out their lights for good.

On the surface it's a book about a day in the life of Manny, a Red Lobster manager whose restaurant is closing. Beneath, there is much more going on. Manny is a good guy who genuinely loves his job and tries to do well by the folks who work for him. He's far from perfect, though. His girlfriend is pregnant and he cannot commit to her. Not because he doesn't want to do the right thing, but because he loves another.

That beloved is one of his staff, a beautiful waitress, who along with a few others of the motley crew, shows up for the Lobster's last night--not because she cares about her job, but because she cares about Manny.

I'd venture to say that anyone who has ever worked minimum wage, worked service industry, worked retail, worked in a restaurant, will find themselves within this book. You will understand the frustration, the ribbing, the improbable love. You will remember customers who were a pain in the ass, the dysfunctional relationships between coworkers. You will remember the times you laughed with the odd-ball group of people who became family to you.

From a merely human standpoint, this is a book about yearning--hope for a more beautiful future, desire to relive the past. For me, it was the perfect way to spend New Year's Eve: surveying the past, living in the present, and looking forward.

page 56

2008-12-07T08:20:00.002-05:00

Was just tagged by the most awesome Susan Henderson of Litpark.

And here are the rules...

RULE ONE, I have to grab one of the books closest to me, go to page 56, type the fifth line and the next two to five lines that follow.

The book closest to me is MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (third edition (!!!) which tells you how long it's been since I used it. I need to get the newest edition very soon. Anyone have a copy they want to unload?). And now for the scintillating quote:

"In general, a quotation--whether a word, phrase, sentence, or more--should correspond exactly to its source in spelling, capitalization, and interior punctuation. If you change it in any way, make the alteration clear to the reader, following the rules and recommendations explained below."

RULE TWO, I have to pick five people who love books. My five picks are:

Katrina Denza
Ellen Meister
Maryanne Stahl
Susan DiPlacido
Don Capone

The Gathering, by Anne Enright

2008-11-24T09:47:00.003-05:00

I read Anne Enright's The Gathering (Man Booker Prize)
slowly. I had to. If I had not, the pain would have been insurmountable. Even so, the pain was there, a dull throb.

If you have ever grieved (which we nearly all have or will at some point in our lives), then this book will speak to you. Directly, honestly. If you have ever grieved a family member, one you remembered as a child, then this book will speak to you. If your family has secrets, then this book will speak to you. If you have loved and lost, then this book will speak to you.

Basically, I can't imagine an adult who would read this book and not find some connection within. Can't imagine who would not experience a moment of "ah ha" as she read.

On the surface, it's a book about grief (a sister for her brother), but beneath there is a lifetime of grieving. Veronica has witnessed much and even that which she has not witnessed, she feels she knows. As she moves through the layers of her life, she shows us how her family fell apart, came back together, fell apart, came back together. For what else is there in a family but the pushing away and the pulling back close?

And in Veronica's large family, we are able to see our own:

There is always a drunk. There is always someone who has been interfered with, as a child. There is always a colossal success, with several houses in various countries to which no one is ever invited. There is a mysterious sister. These are just trends, of course, and, like trends they shift. Because our families contain everything and, late at night, everything makes sense. We pity our mothers, what they had to put up with in bed or in the kitchen, and we hate them or we worship them, but we always cry for them - at least I do. The imponderable pain of my mother, against which I have hardened my heart. Just one glass over the odds and I will thump the table, like the rest of them, and howl for her too.

Maybe I'm wrong and this book will make no sense to you. Even so, the writing is a glory to behold as is the story it uncovers.

"My heart is filled with love for this country"

2008-11-04T11:47:00.004-05:00

Next week, on November 12th, I will go to my local immigration office for my test and interview. This is the final step to see if I will be granted the privilege of becoming an American citizen. I did not make the decision lightly to file papers to become a citizen of this country I love and now that it is so close, I am filled with a great sense of relief and joy.

And today this joy is quadrupled. But first I must get through the test and hope that Immigration believes I am a good candidate for citizenship.

One of the possible test questions I will be asked is: What is the most important right of American citizens?

This correct answer is: The right to vote

And so today I wear my Obama MAMA t-shirt, but I cannot vote. Not yet.

But my husband voted and while he filled out his ballot, I read aloud to our son from the final paragraphs of Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage):

And in that place, I think about America and those who built it. The nation's founders, who somehow rose above petty ambitions and narrow calculations to imagine a nation unfurling across a continent. And those like Lincoln and King, who ultimately laid down their lives in the service of perfecting an imperfect union. And all the faceless, nameless men and women, slaves and soldiers and tailors and butchers, constructing lives for themselves and their children and grandchildren, brick by brick, rail by rail, calloused hand by calloused hand, to fill the landscape of our collective dreams.

It is that process I wish to be a part of.

My heart is filled with love for this country.

What not to wear

2008-10-23T11:24:00.005-05:00

September 3rd was the first day that the consignment store I frequent was taking in winter clothes. I've been going there for a while now as both a consignor and a shopper. Never have I seen the place so packed. The line to drop off consignment items snaked through the store.

Ever since that day whenever they are open to take consignments (which is less frequently now--they are so overrun), you must call ahead to make sure they will still do so.

What's beautiful is that so many new people are now recycling clothes, toys, and books.

But what's got me wondering is why so many new people all of a sudden?

You don't have to be a genius to figure it out. People are desperate or have been living outside of their means or need a new way to make money. Basically, it seems that people are their either because they have been fucked by the shitty economy or are legitimately interested in recycling or both.

Whatever the reason, the fact is there are a shitload more people in my area who are now recycling and buying recycled clothes and items for their children. It's a good thing. I wore hand-me-downs and my husband wore hand-me-downs and our son will, too. He will learn that what you wear does not make who you are (Sorry, Stacy and Clinton--I do love you!).

Given these economic hard times and the hard times ahead, to read about the Palin $150,000 clothes shopping spree was shocking to say the least. I understand she is a public figure and has to look put together, but people are struggling. People are wondering how they will heat their homes. Basically, if you spend $150,000 on clothes, I would say you are woefully out of touch with what is going on in America. Not only that, you are insensitive to the struggles of working people.

Ask the folks in the line at the consignment store whether any of them have spent $295 on a onesie. Can you guess what the answer would be?

counting down

2008-10-14T11:16:00.000-05:00

Countdown To

was researching potty training and stumbled across this gem

2008-10-05T07:26:00.001-05:00

I feel like the morning star

2008-09-27T13:41:00.003-05:00

It's easy to lose hope these days. Easy to sink into the belief that all is lost. The economy is failing. War carries on with no end in sight.

The planet rages on, fighting for its life. (I read the other day that carbon emissions were up 3% in 2007, putting us on track for the worst case scenario for global warming.)

People are shooting each other.

Babies are sick and dying in China.

People in the south east US are hoarding gas.

Hurricanes. Flooding. Food shortages. Don't even get me started on water.

The election has people at odds, fueling an already angry nation into rage.

But.

Every Wednesday my son and I go to Music Together. For 45 minutes we come together--caregivers and children of different religious and political views--and we sing and dance and model behavior for each others children. We are a community in those 45 minutes, giving to our children and each other. I wish everyone could share this experience with us.

Instead, what I am offering you is this: no matter how dark these days may seem to you, please know that in a small town in New Hampshire for 45 minutes each Wednesday morning there is a group of women and children who are lighting up the world with their joy.

"we should be guided by what works"

2008-09-17T07:30:00.005-05:00

These are dark times--scary times--as we teeter on the brink of a Depression, something I did not believe I would see in my lifetime. My mother and father were children of The Great Depression and I'm sure they never thought their own children would face the hardships they faced. I'm guessing they prayed that the opposite would be true--that we would only know economic certainty.

And we did for a time. Remember back in the 90s when gas was a buck a gallon and everyone I knew had jobs? Good times, good times.

Now, as my infant son naps in the other room, I plot how we might cut back on our expenses just in case we need the cash at hand. And what of the cash at hand? Should it really be at hand? Should we pull all of our money out of investments and bank accounts and store it in the mattress?

Of course this is not what we will do, but I don't think you can be raised by Depression-era parents and not have some of that fear-based thinking ingrained.

What about the election? What does economic collapse mean to us in looking at our candidates? Well, for me it means I'm even more determined to see a Democrat in office. In my reading from Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream last night, I came across this bit:

For the most part, though, the Republican economic agenda under President Bush has been devoted to tax cuts, reduced regulation, the privatization of government services--and more tax cuts. Administration officials call this the Ownership Society, but most of its central tenets have been staples of laissez-faire economics since at least the 1930s: a belief that a sharp reduction--or in some cases, elimination--of taxes on incomes, large estates, capital gains, and dividends will encourage capital formation, higher savings rates, more business investment, and great economic growth; a belief that government regulation inhibits and distorts the efficient working of the market; and a belief that government entitlement programs are inherently inefficient, breed dependency, and reduce individual responsibility, initiative, and choice.

And:

But our history should give us confidence that we don't have to choose between an oppressive, government-run economy and a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism. It tells us that we can emerge from great economic upheavals strong, not weaker. Like those who came before us, we should be asking ourselves what mix of policies will lead to a dynamic free market and widespread economic security, entrepreneurial innovation and upward mobility. And we can be guided throughout by Lincoln's simple maxim: that we will do collectively, through our government, only those things that we cannot do as well or at all individually and privately.

In other words, we should be guided by what works.

What is frighteningly obvious is that what's been going on for the past eight years does not work.

How do you think that would make you feel?

2008-09-14T07:23:00.007-05:00

What impresses me so much about Barack Obama is his ability to put himself in someone else's shoes. Such an ability to empathize, I believe, is what makes a great leader, particularly in a country as diverse (and seemingly divided) as this one. We don't need us vs them, we need us. We need to know what common ground we share--because there is a lot of it, common ground. But then I know this already from my family: We do not all share the same political views, but we manage to love each other and to find that common ground.

More from The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream:

Like most of my values, I learned about empathy from my mother. She disdained any kind of cruelty or thoughtlessness or abuse of power, whether it expressed itself in the form of racial prejudice or bullying in the schoolyard or workers being underpaid. Whenever she saw even a hint of such behavior in me she would look me square in the eyes and ask, "How do you think that would make you feel?"

And:

But for those of us who believe that government has a role to play in promoting opportunity and prosperity for all Americans, a polarized electorate isn't good enough. Eking out a bare Democratic majority isn't good enough. What's needed is a broad majority of Americans--Democrats, Republicans, and independents of goodwill--who are reengaged in the project of national renewal, and who see their own self-interest as inextricably linked to the interests of others.

Basically, Obama has given me a new way to look at this country. He has lifted me up out of my fear of them, and shown me how there can be an us.

taking a deep breath

2008-09-10T07:38:00.003-05:00

Was feeling quite depressed last night about the polls, about the women at open play at the library gushing over she-who-shall-not-be-named-vp-candidate, about the non-stop news coverage of she-who-shall-not-be-named, about the state of the economy, education, and health care in this country. ETC!

Then I picked up The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream again and read this:

When Democrats rush up to me at events and insist that we live in the worst of political times, that a creeping fascism is closing its grip around our throats, I may mention the internment of Japanese Americans under FDR, the Alien and Sedition Acts under John Adams, or a hundred years of lynching under several dozen administrations as having been possibly worse, and suggest we all take a deep breath.

And so I did it. I took a deep breath and I feel much better. Still determined. Still fighting. But not beaten.

The Silver Linings Playbook, by Matthew Quick

2008-09-10T07:18:00.002-05:00

Philadelphia is not only the home of the quintessentially American Liberty Bell, cheese steak, and Rocky, but now Philadelphia offers us another American original: Pat Peoples, the neurologically-damaged, ex-wife pining, mother-loving, uber Eagles fan protagonist of Matthew Quick's dazzling debut novel The Silver Linings Playbook.

You might think that a book about a guy who has lost so much--his wife, his home, his job, and many years of his life in a mental health facility--would be depressing. Far from it. In fact, this book is uplifting. For what Quick offers us is not just the brutality of life--a father who won't talk to his son, a cheating wife, many violent tempers--but also the beauty of it--finding love in unexpected people. Basically, Quick shows us that no matter how far down you fall, there are people willing to help you pick yourself back up. Quick gives us hope.

Does everything turn out the way Pat wanted it to? No. But it does turn out just as it should: with two broken souls coming together, hoping, and believing in the silver lining.

In short: a gorgeous, poignant, funny and uplifting book. Read it.

hope

2008-09-04T12:03:00.003-05:00

I've begun reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. I should have read it long ago, but he wasn't my candidate in the beginning; from the start my ideals were more closely aligned with Kucinich.

But now he is my candidate and I am proud to say it. Each day I am more inspired by him and my belief in what he can accomplish as president grows. In these days leading up to the election, my hope is that reading this book will invigorate me and just a few pages in, it already has:

Not only did my encounters with voters confirm the fundamental decency of the American people, they also reminded me that at the core of the American experience are set of ideals that continue to stir our collective conscience; a common set of values that bind us together despite our differences; a running thread of hope that makes our improbable experiment in democracy work. These values and ideals find expression not just in the marble slabs of monuments or in the recitation of history books. They remain alive in the hearts and minds of most Americans--and can inspire us to pride, duty, and sacrifice.

Amen.

The Smart One, by Ellen Meister

2008-08-21T12:01:00.004-05:00

My mother always told me, "Friends may come and go, but a sister is forever." She had six sisters, so she knew what she was talking about. My father had four sisters and I have three. I grew up in a world of sisters and feel like I have a pretty good handle on sisterhood, and so does Ellen Meister.

At the core of her charming, thrilling, and often hilarious new book--The Smart One--are sisters. Three sisters to be exact--Bev, Clare, and Joey--each playing the role she thinks is expected of her. It seems the sisters hide behind these roles of smart, pretty, and wild, especially when they are together.

It is only when they bond together to try to solve a decades old mystery that they learn the truth about each other: and that is that they no longer need these labels. In fact, maybe they are all smart, pretty, and wild. What's most important is that they love each other and they are there for each other (even when irritated with each other).

Like Ellen herself, this book has a lot of heart and these characters will stick with you long after you have finished reading. Like sisters to you, they are forever.

Read this book.

I'm the guest blogger today on The Mumpsimus

2008-08-20T11:47:00.003-05:00

I am excited to be the Best of the Web Guest Blogger today on the awesome lit blog: The Mumpsimus. Please check it out if you've got some time to spare. Thanks!

A new Narrative

2008-08-20T08:02:00.001-05:00

Narrative Magazine has relaunched with a smashing new web site and news of an upcoming contest: 2008 Fall Fiction Contest:

First Prize is $3,000, Second Prize is $1,500, and Third Prize is $750. The prize winners will be announced in Narrative and will be eligible for publication. Additionally, ten finalists will receive $100 each. We’ll announce finalists in the magazine as well. All entries will be considered for publication.

The Smart One -- order your copy today!

2008-08-07T07:06:00.002-05:00

Ellen Meister is a friend of mine. I love her dearly, but I also love her books. Her newest release, The Smart One, (available now!) is no exception. I read this book in draft and loved it, but have yet to read the final version.

My copy should be arriving today or tomorrow and I will dig in immediately. Until then, I want to wish Ellen hearty congratulations on bringing another great read to the world! Keep 'em coming, Ellen!

A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness -- my review at Quick Fiction

2008-08-03T16:34:00.003-05:00

I'm delighted to direct your attention to my review of A Peculiar Feeling of Restlessness: Four Chapbooks of Short Short Fiction by Four Women over at Quick Fiction.

I loved the book and so will you. So please do order yourself a copy. I promise you will be captivated.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

2008-07-27T12:29:00.005-05:00

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

A deeply moving, unforgettable memoir of a truly hard-scrabble life. What I admire most about this book is that Jeannette Walls never paints her family as victims. Nor does she portray her unbearably narcissistic parents as evil (even though it would certainly be easy to do so--her drunken father, her childlike mother. Oh, how I was enraged in the scene where the mother hides the candy bar she's eating from her starving children!!!). Instead, she shows the world as she saw it growing up: the good, the bad, the hideously ugly.

But mostly this is a book about hope and strength and finding the courage to overcome.

In a nutshell, this book will haunt me for a long time.

Surprise Valley Writers' Conference

2008-07-25T07:41:00.002-05:00

Here's your chance to workshop and mingle with some fine writers in California's beautiful high desert. The excellent workshop staff includes one of my favorite writers, Pia Z. Ehrhardt. Sign up today and don't miss this excellent opportunity. Here's the info: Surprise Valley Writers' Conference