Heh. This is something to think about while working on my novel, I guess. Lest I add to Euan Ferguson’s self-inflicted workload by not accounting for time and continuity on the page. White space–that’s the answer, right? Because I’ve been using strategically placed page breaks to avoid mentioning “crochet, narwhals and flensing knives.”
New Reads: Good and The Not So Good
I now feel completely alienated from my gender.
That’s what my friend Kim said after looking through the July issue of Skirt!, a magazine which is not new, but new to Atlanta. I have to agree.
On a more positive note, I just read Jenny Offill’s Last Things, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 2000. It’s an addictive little book, which I flew through in two days. What’s unique about this book is the first-person eight-year-old narrator, Grace. I think there’s often a stigma against child narrators, as if the child filter will make a narrative less adult. Well, this is certainly an adult book. Many of the themes are common, but the uncommon voice puts a new spin on it, a new lens through which readers can see the world. One word: haunting.
Personal Problems
The momentum of my novel writing has slowed. Despite the numerous exterior circumstances eating into my writing time and turning my routine upside down, I’m pretty sure this is an issue caused by my own interior circumstances, my own mind. I’m writing the last chapter. The last one. After writing this I will still have earlier chapters to revise, a ton of revision work to do, regardless. But this is the last one–it comes at the very end of the book. How do you write the end of a book? Who knows. I have decided what will happen (roughly), and I just need to execute, which is what I was doing one minute ago before I decided to blog instead. Instead of doing, I will analyze my urge not to do, to stall…And this is where a self-inflicted, masochistic restriction to Internet access comes in handy. Perhaps I should buy a typewriter and lock myself in a closet. Or a tree house. Or a cabin. Or a tent on a deserted island. But with air conditioning. And coffee. And chocolate.
Shine On, Syd
Syd Barrett died a couple of weeks ago. Piper at the Gates of Dawn is one of my favorite albums, and definitely my favorite Pink Floyd album. While reading about this I came across the 33 1/3 series of books published by Continuum.
From the publisher, via Amazon: “Thirty Three and a Third” is a new series of short books about critically acclaimed and much-loved albums of the last 40 years. The authors provide fresh, original perspectives – often through their access to and relationships with the key figures involved in the recording of these albums. By turns obsessive, passionate, creative, and informed, the books in this series demonstrate many different ways of writing about music. What binds the series together, and what brings it to life, is that all of the authors – musicians, broadcasters, scholars, and writers – are huge fans of the album they have chosen.
Here’s an excerpt from John Cavanagh’s book about Piper at the Gates of Dawn. It looks like a cool book, but I wonder if reading such a thing would tarnish the dream that Piper creates. David Bowie (who I adore) gave a statement about Barrett’s death.
Shine on You crazy Diamond.
Beach Reads: Update
I didn’t get that much reading done at the beach. The only book I finished was Barry Hannah’s Airships. It wasn’t even on my beach reads list–ha. As I was walking out the door I saw it on the shelf, remembered I had indeed purchased it, and thought to myself that is what I need. I hadn’t read any of Hannah’s books before (hanging head in shame), and it was great. Each story was unique and haunting in it’s own way, with some absurdity thrown in for good measure. Funny stories, even if funny-sad, are hard to find. Two of my favorites from Airships are “Return to Return” and “Mother Rooney Unscrolls the Hurt.” Now I will have to get my hands on his first novel, Geronimo Rex.
Here you can listen to Don Swaim’s 1993 interview with Barry Hannah, Hannah reading stories at the 2001 Ohio University Literary Festival, and Hannah reading an essay titled “Why I Write.”
I read more of Winesburg, Ohio, but not all of it. And I have to say, that Anderson’s stories are great stories, but after Airships it felt slow. I still wanted to be swept away in the craziness that is Hannah. I started Invisible Cities and quickly decided it was not a beach book at all, and could not afford to be read while surrounded by large numbers of distractions: including but not limited to shuffleboard games, soccer games, swimming pool related galavanting, the ocean, bugs, sun, sweat, sand, children, passersby, and beer. It will have to wait for another day.
New Fiction
The 20th issue of McSweeney’s is finally out. My friend Sam has a story in issue #20, so you should buy a copy. Support the arts, people. I think the only place you can get a copy in Atlanta is Criminal Records. I suspect Borders and Barnes & Noble don’t want to deal with the occassional cigar box issue McSweeney’s puts out in all their glorious subversion–you know booksellers like their shelves to be just so. (You can also get McSweeney’s here, but you should opt to support the little guy.) Sam Miller also has a story online at AGNI, available for your immediate reading pleasure.
While not able to find McSweeney’s at Borders, I did pick up the recent issue of the Believer (a McSweeney’s publication). I thoroughly enjoyed the article ” ‘They Want Us to Look’: Finding meaning in the meaningless sex of eighties teen sex comedies.” And there’s also an amusing account of a modern day Repo Man scavenger hunt.
Lydia Williams has a story in issue #2 of Fresh Boiled Peanuts, an up and coming publication.
Chris Bundy’s story “Morning Prayers” has been anthologized in Where Love is Found: 24 Tales of Connection. You can read an excerpt here.
Beach Reads
I’m taking five books to the beach with me. I have no idea how much reading I might get done, and if I run out there will be plenty of people to borrow from, I know. Here they are:
*Everything Is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer (Um, a good friend gave this to me in January. It won The Guardian first book award. I’m expecting to be floored by it, from everything I’ve read. And the cover is completely awesome–mine is hot pink with a wacky yellow font. I love how the publishers had it produced with several different colored covers; White Teeth was like that too.)
*Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino (I’m really looking forward to it.)
*Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson (Recommended by a friend, and required reading.)
*Quicksilver, by Neal Stephenson (No, I’m still not finished with it.)
*Pastwatch the Redemption of Christopher Columbus, by Orson Scott Card (An alternative history, supposed to be his best since Ender’s Game.)
Amber Nicole Brooks 