Lightning Round

Because I owe some feedback to one of my graduate students, I'm just going to post a lightning round here.  First of all, many thanks to all my students over the years, who've helped me learn--the hard way!--what works and what doesn't.  Your feedback is helping me put the finishing touches on the workshop I'll be teaching this weekend at the Nebraska Summer Writers' Conference. 

But can creative writing be taught at all?  Should it be?  Louis Menand goes there.

Here's why I keep loving the work of Tayari Jones.  When it comes to the humanity of her characters, she never settles for less.  (Writers and aspiring writers, definitely read this.)  Plus, her latest blog entry says that, after a hectic and tumultuous time, she has finished a draft of her latest novel, THE SILVER GIRL.  Hurray!  The excerpts I've seen have been beautiful and moving.  We'll be looking forward....

Mystery novelist (and fellow West Virginian) Craig Johnson's first novel came out in 2005, and Viking's now publishing his fifth.  (Is that humanly possible?)  Having just handed off my global revision of THE DESIRE PROJECTS to a reader today, I love what he has to say on the issue of work ethic: 

I kind of think of it as the blue-collar school of literature. . . .  Never have I met a ditch digger who said, 'I'm just not feeling the ditch today, the ditch muse is not with me, I have to put my shovel down now.' 

But alas, it looks like he may have been using that shovel just a shade too often, stretching his bio to include a stint with the N.Y.P.D.  Oops.  Writers beware:  Viking/Penguin may not fact-check you, but the New York Times will, even if they're just doing a puff piece on your cool house.  (And do me a favor:  when they do, try not to respond "petulantly," okay?)

This new exhibit of art by U.S. Islamic women looks fascinating; I especially love the idea of the Persian nesting dolls, above.  Me encanta.  Our visible image can look so different from who we are inside.

Lastly, for those of you worn out by explaining minority standpoints--re:  gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, ability, religion, class, and/or you name it--to clueless members of groups on which you serve, take heart.  When you're exhausted and/or fed up, know that you don't always have to argue your position to make a positive difference.  You change the dynamic and the awareness just by being in the room.  It may not achieve perfect results, but it's something.  So take a breath, relax, and just show up. 

And many thanks to those of you who wrote in privately to say how much you appreciated my recent post on Sonia Sotomayor.   I'm helped by knowing it was useful.  Sometimes I think political commentary isn't really the appropriate purview for a literary blog (so many people do it better than I can!), so it's good to know I'm saying something you value.  ¡Gracias!

Let me get a little woo-woo on y'all for a second and just say that, according to the Ayurvedic calendar, the seasonal juncture ended yesterday.  We're now officially in summer, the season of lightness, play, sweetness, and living out what the deep, introspective shake-up of spring helped us see.  If you've been experiencing personal turbulence--and paying attention--now's the time for fruition.  I hope you enjoy it!   

Till soon!