I just bought Leesa Cross-Smith‘s debut story collection, Every Kiss a War, out from Mojave River Press. I was going to buy this book anyway, because I’m a fan of Cross-Smith’s work, both in terms of her own fiction and in terms of her fantastic literary magazine, WhiskeyPaper. (I had a story in WhiskeyPaper aContinue reading “Every Kiss a War, from Leesa Cross-Smith”
Tag Archives: writers
My Writing Process
By now, you’ve probably heard about this whole #MyWritingProcessTour thing, a kind of literary chain-letter meme that’s been making the rounds among writers lately. It’s a fun project, I think, because it gives us all a bit of insight into each other’s writing lives and it helps introduce each other to other writers. In fact,Continue reading “My Writing Process”
Another YA author you should get to know!
A couple of days ago, I wrote about the up-and-coming Michelle Modesto, whose forthcoming YA novel is going to be awesome. Then yesterday, I was at the Terroir Creative Writing Festival in McMinnville, OR, where I met another YA author, Jennifer M. Hartsock. And gang, I’m telling you now, if you’re a YA fan, putContinue reading “Another YA author you should get to know!”
This is the YA author you need to keep an eye on
A handful of years ago, I met Michelle Modesto right here on this blog: she left some comments, I left some replies, and pretty soon we were swapping ideas about writing. She was just starting out as a writer, and we talked craft quite a bit, both here and via email. Michelle has a ton of talent andContinue reading “This is the YA author you need to keep an eye on”
Gabriel García Márquez has died . . .
. . . Long live Gabriel García Márquez. I was a late-comer to García Márquez, having never been assigned his seminal One Hundred Years of Solitude in high school, as so many others had been. I first picked him up a handful of years ago when I was browsing a bookstore in a fit of indecision, unsureContinue reading “Gabriel García Márquez has died . . .”
AWP Day 2 1/2: advice on the conference (plus some Annie Proulx)
I meant to post these links the day before I came to AWP, but I was teaching and prepping for the conference and being lazy, so here’s a late list of advice articles about the conference: “Guide to AWP for People Who Don’t Know What an AWP Is” (from The Strangler) “All About the AWPContinue reading “AWP Day 2 1/2: advice on the conference (plus some Annie Proulx)”
AWP Day 2: We shouldn’t be here because we should be writing
I’m writing this before the big event today — Annie Proulx’s keynote address — because I have no idea what kind of time I’ll have to write it after. And there’s plenty to write about already. So far today I’ve hit three panels. The first was at 9 am and, miraculously, I made it thereContinue reading “AWP Day 2: We shouldn’t be here because we should be writing”
Where I’ll (probably) be at AWP in Seattle
Whenever I’m lucky enough to go to an academic conference, I always have my students assign me homework. I go because I love the intellectual and social exchanges — hearing so many brilliant panels and literary readings, meeting so many fellow writers and finding so many new publications, and drinking with old friends and colleagues:Continue reading “Where I’ll (probably) be at AWP in Seattle”
Writerly friendships
From time to time — not often enough — I’ve written about the importance of the writing community, of connecting with fellow writers and sharing work, ideas, even just support. It’s another thing altogether when, within that broader writing community, you find some genuine writer friends. Such is the subject of a wonderful three-way interviewContinue reading “Writerly friendships”
Routine/no routine in writing
The other day, a friend and former student, Lane, wrote me to ask about my writing habits and my routines: I’ve noticed that you have been keeping yourself particularly busy lately, with all of your writings, classes and such. [. . .] I wanted to ask you this: how do you make time for yourselfContinue reading “Routine/no routine in writing”
Samuel Snoek-Brown 