Writing Advice from a Master: “There’s Only One Question and One Answer.”
Monday, May 20th, 2013 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations, Readings, the writing process | No Comments »I have an uncomplicated relationship with the books of Stephen King. For the longest time, I ignored 'em. The problem was two-fold: 1) for whatever reason, I didn't get around to them in high school, which was too bad, because of what happened ...
The Poem I Read First Thing Today
Thursday, November 29th, 2012 Posted in Readings | No Comments »Before I rubbed the sand from my eyes, before I drank a cup of coffee, before I got dressed, I read this poem by William Stafford. Then I read it again, out loud, to my wife, before she rose from ...
Photo
Wednesday, November 21st, 2012 Posted in Readings | 1 Comment »Sent to me by a friend . . . I wrote this book 19 years ago. Some days are hard. Some days I don't feel at all like a success. And other days I just want to give thanks, be grateful, ...
In Praise of Farmers’ Markets
Friday, November 2nd, 2012 Posted in Current Events, Family, Readings | No Comments »It's that time of year when our local, weekly farmers' market moves indoors and, obviously, the product changes. These markets really are a summertime thing. I'll be sad to see the empty parking lot on Saturdays outside the middle school ...
Earthrise: “Oh my God. Here’s the earth coming up.”
Sunday, October 7th, 2012 Posted in Readings | No Comments »This photograph, known as "Earthrise," was taken by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission while in orbit around the moon. I've been reading Bill McKibben's book, Eaarth -- that's not a typo, by the way -- and he has ...
It’s Like Riding a Bike
Monday, September 3rd, 2012 Posted in Around the Web, Interviews & Appreciations, Readings | No Comments »I basically took the summer off from blogging, so feel a little wobbly about it, my palms sweating on the handlebars, not sure I remember how to do this. I don't know what happened, exactly, just somehow tired of the ...
Quote of the Day: “If you have to be sure don’t write.”
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 Posted in Readings | 1 Comment »I was in the library today, reading poetry . . . ----------------. . . when I was supposed to be writing prose. I found a poem called "Berryman," by W.S. Merwin. Here's the last seven lines . . . I asked how can you ...
“My Life’s Sentences” by Jhumpa Lahiri (on the art and craft of writing — and reading!)
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 Posted in Before You Go, Readings, the writing process | No Comments »I have to share this brilliant piece from The New York Times Sunday Review, March 18, 2012, written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Jhumpa Lahiri. I powerfully identified with it. In it, she expresses her love of sentences. Everything about this ...
Poetry Friday: Frank O’Hara, “Why I Am Not a Painter”
Friday, March 16th, 2012 Posted in Readings, the writing process | 1 Comment »Conversational and accessible, Frank O'Hara's poems read as if he jotted them down on a scrap of paper during lunch break, or told you them as you walked down the hall. Don't let the surface casualness fool you, the man ...
I’d Follow Joan Didion’s Mind Whatever It Roams
Monday, November 21st, 2011 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations, Readings, the writing process | 3 Comments »I just read Joan Didion's new book, Blue Nights. She's just an amazing writer, so precise. I'd follow her mind anywhere. And this book is particularly remarkable, not only for the content, but for the style -- the texture of the ...