Tonight at Exit Art CLMP is hosting its annual spelling bee. This year’s is called “A Better Bee” and features many great and witty writers (including #55 author Roxana Robinson).
Proceeds from this event go to supporting small magazines and presses just like One Story. You can pay at the door with cash or credit. Exit Art is located at 475 10th Avenue (at 36th Street); doors are at 8pm and the event starts at 8:30pm.
When I first read Matthew Cheney’s “Blood,” I was in a cabin with a jerry-rigged internet connection, and it was snowing outside. Perhaps it was the setting, but I was struck immediately by the story Matthew was telling, as well as the mood he created. It is extremely difficult to write about violence without the situation or characters losing their humanity or becoming two dimensional, but Matthew handles it with aplomb. I think the key to his success is the reserved tone and beauty of Jill’s voice, combined with the tension he builds, particularly when the children are tied up in the basement. The result is a story that is absolutely chilling. A good short story is like seeing a whole movie in twenty minutes. “Blood” accomplishes that in twenty pages. Amazing.
Hi Folks! I’ll be taking part in a panel for the CLMP sponsored Literary Writers Conference. The panel is called “Publishing to Publish” and it’s about writers who also work as editors. If you’re interested in attending the conference, go to register here.Hope some of you can stop by:
Friday, Nov. 3rd @ 5:15 pm
The New School (66 West 12th street)
Room 618
Moderator: Rob Casper (CLMP)
Panel: Martha Rhodes (Four Way Books), Rebecca Wolff (Fence), and Hannah Tinti (One Story)
I first heard Picnic After the Flood during a reading at the UCross foundation in Wyoming. Rachel read the first section, and the audience was not only leaning forward in their seats, they were completely won over by her voice. I enjoyed the use of Aristotle’s Poetics to structure the story, and the bringing of a larger question�is it possible to change our own destructive behavior�into a classic dating story. I also found myself laughing out loud�Stop! Go! Stop! Go!�each time Gorham appeared, a hysterical twist on the classic romance-novel hero. Most of all I loved the character of Shira, the way she pulls her intelligence around her like a protective coat. This story is part of a series, all including Shira as a character, and I can’t wait to read more about her adventures.
If you loved One Story #73, then you will love Georgia Review Summer 06! Anna Solomon has a terrific new story up called “Lotto”. This time we travel South to the glorious state of Rhode Island for a little debauchery with Senior Citizens.
This Sunday, October 15, from 7 to 9 pm, Calvin Baker will be reading along with Katherine Min at KGB Bar. Calvin is reading from his novel “Dominion” (also the title of One Story #75) which comes out on Tuesday.
KGB Bar is located at 85 East 4th. The reading is free!
Thanks to One Story subscriber Alethea Black, for reporting this:”I’m writing because I’m just back from the Best American 2006 reading at Symphony Space. I wanted to tell you that One Story was mentioned by name by Ann Patchett (whose name I noticed was misspelled on the marquis – oops) during her remarks in a wonderful way. You were the only publication she singled out for praise, and she said she’d come across so many great stories in One Story that for a while she thought they were going to have to call the anthology “Best American Short Stories 2006 from One Story.” I believe the phrase she used to describe your editorial voice was “each story is perfect.” Thought you might want to know!”
This Tuesday, October 10, Jim Hanas, author of One Story #8 “The Cryerer” will be reading as part of the Brooklyn Writers Space Reading Series. The reading takes place at Night and Day in Brooklyn, starts at 6:30 PM, and features Dominic Prezioso and Gabriel Roth.
Jim will be reading a piece soon to be published in Fence, so if you want to check out his older stuff, he’s got an ebook available online. This features both “The Cryerer” and “Miss Tennessee”, published originally by the Land Grant College Review.
In honor of tomorrow night’s Reading Series and Cocktail Hour with Patrick Somerville, I thought I’d write up a review of his fabulous new collection, Trouble.
“Trouble” is the kind of collection that makes you want to take the meandering route to work, avoiding all the streets you know are swamped, so that you can spend a few extra minutes with your nose in a book and not have to worry about running into any distractions (literally). “Trouble” is incredibly well-paced; the longer plot-driven pieces are balanced with shorter pieces showcasing Somerville’s impressively genuine (genuinely impressive?) dialogue. And while the stories are each satisfying on their own, the commonality of themes connects the stories, making the reading experience closer to that of a novel.
In “So Long, Anyway” Somerville writes “There are coincidences, and then there are coincidences.” The latter kind of coincidence–with the power to set hair on end and command action–is the cause of much examination in “Trouble”. “Puberty” involves a series of hilarious accidents, culminating in the best kind of adolescent victory–revenge. “Crow Moon” takes a more serious look at the formative power of coincidence but still manages to provide humorous insight into fledling sexuality. Often, the most powerful coincidence of all is the capricious image suddenly manifest in the external–and “Trouble” is packed with the fleeting, ridiculous notions common to all cognizant creatures. In all, “Trouble” is a very witty read.
For those interested, there is an interview with Patrick Somerville available at Largehearted Boy detailing the soundtrack to writing these pieces.