Blog Posts

Winter Sabbatical

1/26/2015

It's cold here, and the 7 - 8 inches of snow outside refuses to melt. It's good weather to stay inside and write, and since I am on sabbatical this semester, that is exactly what I have been doing. I'm taking classes (where I am writing a lot of nonfiction prose) and working on a few projects including a designing a repository of grammar exercises that go beyond the skill and drill work that many of us resort to in our writing classes.

But I am also doing a lot of reading -- many books and articles about pedagogy that I swear I am always going to get to, but never seem to find the time.

Well, now I have time.

My most recent read is a book by Stephanie Vanderslice and Kelly Ritter titled Teaching Creative Writing to Undergraduates: A Practical Guide and Sourcebook. I have to say that this slim volume is a real find. The book contains chapters devoted to designing assignments, assessing creative writing classes, and negotiating the writing workshop. The good news is that all this information is focused on undergraduate creative writing classes, so different, as the authors state (and I believe) than workshops at the graduate level. The book also has a great bibliography with many more sources I want to look into before my sabbatical is over.

2014 in Review: The Best Novels by Women

12/30/2014

Consider this part three of my best books of 2014. The following is a list of the best novels by women I have read this past year. All of the books on this list were published in either 2013 or 2014.

Mercy Snow by Tiffany Baker

A river that churns with both paper mill waste and a town’s dark secret is really the main character in Baker’s newest novel, a work that recollects a tragic bus accident that bridges both the past and current sins of two families.

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell

A retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of a maid who becomes the personal companion to a slumbering princess, Blackwell’s novel maneuvers between gritty life and magical circumstances.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Set in 17th century Amsterdam, Burton’s debut novel introduces 18-year-old Nella Oortman to a new marriage and a world ruled by deep mysteries, glittering wealth and suffocating religious beliefs.

What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell

While visiting her hometown, Olivia must confront her past when her nine-year-old son, recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, goes missing.

The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard

Main character Kirsten Hammarstrom was nine years old when a local girl went missing, and Kirsten’s older brother, Johnny, became the number one suspect in the disappearance. In heartbreaking prose, DeBoard traces the way that a family unravels in time of tragedy.

Out of Peel Tree by Laura Long

Long’s first novel reads like a collection of intertwining short stories, all focusing on characters who leave (or long to leave) their hometown of Peel Tree, West Virginia. A wonderful, lyrical work! See my full review here.

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi

Hashimi’s literary debut intertwines the lives of two women in two different time periods of Afghanistan. Beautiful prose makes both stories intriguing and heartbreaking.

The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett

A coming of age story told within the underground mine fires that plague both the history and landscape of eastern Pennsylvania, Harnett’s first novel explores how family intertwines with place and history and introduces to a plucky new heroine to the coal mining landscape. See my review here.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

I have to admit that I was getting a bit tired of the number of apocalyptic novels on the market, by I was pleasantly surprised by Station Eleven, a work that details life along the Great Lakes after the country’s collapse. Intertwining character stories tells the tales of fighting for both the sanctuary of both art and human life.

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

Written as a fictional memoir of Dr. Norton Perina, the reader is introduced to the world of Uvu’ivu and its lost tribe where members, upon eating the meat of a local turtle, live much longer than the average population of the rest of the world. A dark read that outlines the inner workings of a twisted main character, Yanagihara’s book is hard to put down although few readers would describe the work as an enjoyable read.

2014 in Review: The Best Memoirs Written by Women

12/28/2014

Last year, I was challenged to read 14 books by women in the year 2014. Everyone knows that this is not a big problem for me -- I am more of a reader than a writer and probably read close to 200 books a year. The following is a list of best memoirs by women I have read this past year. All these memoirs were published in either 2013 or 2014.

Mermaid: A Memoir of Resilience by Eileen Cronin

She is three years old when Eileen Cronin discovers that she is not like other children. Born without legs, Cronin has to learn to navigate the world both physically and emotionally all the while challenging the family secrets about her disability.

The Boy Who Loved Tornadoes by Randi Davenport

Davenport’s story tells of her tumultuous journey through the healthcare system to find treatment for her autistic son. Readers will be a bit disheartened to learn how far we, as a country, need to go in the treatment of the mentally ill, yet these same readers will leave the book with admiration for Davenport’s resilience and hope.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

On the morning of December 26, 2004, Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsuami that killed over. She survived. Her memoir chronicles the years of grief and despair and turmoil that follows her after this tragic event.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

Yes, I realize that Roxane Gay’s essay collection is not a pure memoir, per se, yet, this work, which encompasses words about politics, pop culture, academia, and feminism, includes enough of Gay’s life, I feel that I can glimpse much of her personal background. Plus, many of her works are hysterical.

Prairie Silence by Melanie Hoffert

Part coming-of-age story and part coming-out story, Hoffert journeys back home to North Dakota where she explores both the past and the present in order to reconcile sexuality, religion, love and family. See my full review here.

Clear Skies, Deep Water by Beth Peyton

This blurb may be a bit biased as I know both Beth and the place she writes about in her first book, Clear Skies, Deep Water, which is about living on the shores of Chautauqua Lake. Full of lyrical language, Peyton captures the landscape of rural Western New York while delivering personal stories full of hope and happiness without falling into sentimetality too often seen in books that strive to depict the rural life.

Perfectly Miserable by Sarah Payne Stuart

Perfectly Miserable follows the author's move back to Concord, Massachusetts, her childhood home. Intertwining her personal history along with the family histories of such literary figures as the Alcotts, the Emersons, and the Hawthornes, Stuart explores New England's relationships with money, religion, identity, and mental illness.

Quench Your Thirst with Water by Nicole Walker

Nicole Walker’s Quench Your Thirst With Salt is a collection of lyrical essays that explore her life growing up in the state of Utah. Read my full review here.

The Best Poetry Collections of 2014!

12/26/2014

A Generation of Insomniacs by Anthony Frame (Main Street Rag) Frame’s first full-length collection of poems traces a bewildered persona’s coming-of-age story in the Ohio Rust Belt of the early 1990’s. See my full review here.

Basin Ghosts by Jesse Graves (Texas Review Press ) Graves returns to the rural South in his second full-length collection of poetry, where he recounts stories of the past while navigating the present landscape.

Lessons in Ruin by Justin Hamm (Aldrich Press) Hamm celebrates the landscape of the Midwest through lyrical narratives that embrace both childhood memories and adult observations of a world rich in history and memory.

The Rusted City by Rochelle Hurt (White Pine Press) In a collection of lyrical prose poems, Hurt explores an American Rust Belt City telling stories of a broken world through elements of fantasy and fairy tales. See my full review here.

The Name Museum by Nick McRae (C&R Press) Full of folklore and spirit, the poems in McRae’s first full length collection introduce readers to a world struggling with history, religion, and memory.

All the Wasted Beauty of the World by Richard Newman (Able Muse Press) In his latest collection of poetry, Newman explores the beauty in landscapes that are usually discarded as debris, whether it’s an alleyway with a possum, a trailer park yard, or an overpass complete with drunk boys urinating into the night.

Misery Islands by January Gill O’Neil (Cavankerry) In her followup to Underlife, O’Neil’s latest collection navigates the rocky world of divorce, while still finding kinship in the women in her life and experiencing joy in the confusing world of motherhood.

Fat Jersey Blues by John Repp (Akron Series in Poetry) Full of rhythm and music, Repp’s poems celebrates life through song-like narratives that explore the past and how this past intersects with the lives we lead now.

American Galactic by Laura Madeline Wiseman (Martin Lit) Little green men take center stage in Wisemen’s collection that presents a world where alien visitors both frighten us with their presence and educate us about our own role in the world. A fun (and wise) work of speculative poetry!

In the Permanent Collection by Stefanie Wortman (University of North Texas Press) Winner of the 2013 Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry, Wortman’s first collection explores the disorder of life through historical records, works of arts, and personal narratives. A wonderful tour of lyrical poetry.

A Lobster for the Holidays

12/21/2014

Final grades have been posted, last minute Christmas presents have been purchased, and now, I am reading through the latest issue of Arsenic Lobster which features two of my poems, along with work by Carol Berg, Deborah Gang, C.C. Russell, and Jill Khoury (There are also some great "horridscopes" posted by Susan Yount, Editor and Publisher of Arsenic Lobster!)

As I prepare for the holiday festivities, I am hoping that we will miss the winter ice storm that seems to be coming our way. But, if we can't travel, maybe Anthony and I will sneak off to watch the final Hobbit movie at the nearby movie theater. Regardless of the weather, I do see a hobbit in my future as Anthony is a huge fan and I can never talk him into waiting for the movie to come out on DVD.

Stay tuned! After the holidays, I will be posting a recap of my best reads of the year including a list of best poetry collections and a list of best novels written by women.

May everyone have a safe and happy holiday!

New Work at Waccamaw

12/10/2014

Winter has seemingly come early this year, and I have been battling cold weather and a cough that doesn't want to go away. This weekend, I will be hiding indoors and grading creative writing portfolios and next week at this time, I will be celebrating the end of the school year. Tonight, however, I am celebrating my publication of my piece "The Muskrat" which is in the most recent issue of Waccamaw: A Journal of Contemporary Literature. Take a look at this great issue, which also features work by Lauren Camp, Lisa Ampleman, Charlie Clark, and Sara Backer.

The Trouble With October

10/25/2014

Forget the cold winter months of January and February or the end-of-the-semester months of December and May. For me, the most distracting month of the year is October. In my part of the world, it's also the most beautiful. I want to be outside instead of indoors writing, cleaning, catching up on school work, etc..

This past month has been especially distracting -- I was without a home computer for two weeks because of a virus, I've had to wrestle with doctor apointments, and I also completed a nature writing workshop. Plus, of course, I am teaching a full load of classes and learning new technology. Still, there is some good news to report in the publishing world: My poem "The April of Barn Swallows" (which brings the reader to another part of the calendar year) has been published in the latest issue of Voices de la Luna.

How This September Slipped By Me

9/29/2014

First, somehow, in some way, my computer picked up a virus and has been running extra slow. Second, I had to have a grumbly car fixed. Third, I have been overwhelmed this semester learning new technology for the classroom. And finally, I am fighting a cold that I'm sure I caught from my sick colleagues and/or Anthony who has been sneezing and sniffling for the past week.

So, that about sums up my September and how the month has slipped by me. Sigh.

And speaking of slipping by, my poem, "Second-hand Harmonica" is featured in the newest issue of Slipstream. This issue embraces the theme, Lust, Dust and Rust, (What a stunning cover by artist nyk fury! ) and features great work by poets Marc Pietrzykowski, Cat Weiss, Rachel Squires Bloom, Alison Stone, Rebecca Schwab, Jim Daniels, and Gerald Locklin. The Slipstream editors are now reading for their next themed issue titled, Elements. Stop by the journal's website for both fun reading and submission guidelines.

Settling In and Waiting for September

8/20/2014

Classes start Monday and I am ready to go. Or, as ready as I am going to be. This fall, I am returning to the creative writing classroom. (I haven't taught creative writing in a few years) and of course, I will also be teaching some old favorites including Writing About Literature.

But I also have other plans for the fall. I have recently signed up for a nature writing class through the WOW (Women on Writing) organization. The class textbook is Writing About Nature by John A. Murray. Thumbing through the pages, I am reminded of all the great books about nature that I have read and loved, including Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams; Dakota by Kathleen Norris; Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard; and Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez.

Thinking about nature writing books reminds me of something I recently read in Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff Vandermeer. In many ways, this book, of course, is as far away from nonfiction nature writing as one might get, but one bit of information in the book made me think about my own reading. Vandermeer includes several authors in his book, and one author noted that when teaching speculative writing one semester she handed out a list of must read science fiction and/or fantasy books. The majority of the students had read very few of them.

Who would be on a "50 Must Read List" of Nature Writers? I would like to think that the books I mentioned above would be included. I also believe that books like Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold (which I'm guilty of not reading -- it is sitting on my bookshelf staring at me as I type this post) would be on the list.

Still, what about other less known authors? One of my favorite books I have read in the past few years has been Deranged: Finding a Sense of Place in the Landscape and in the Lifespan by Jill Sisson Quinn. And I would love to see anything by Barbara Hurd on the list.

It's something to think about. Perhaps I should make my own "50 Must Read List" of nature books.

For now, if you want to learn more about how to involve the act of nature writing in your own life, consider enrolling in The Art of Nature Writing taught by the wonderful Melanie Faith (I took her class on flash creative nonfiction at the start of the summer -- it was wonderful!) The direct link for the WOW organization is here.

Authors' Hour at the Brick Walk Cafe

8/11/2014

Perhaps this is the last summer hurrah before school starts! I will be reading this Thursday (August 14) at the Brick Walk Café (next to the bookstore) on the Chautauqua grounds. I will be joined by fiction writer Dave Northrup (author of The Memory of Broken Things) and memoirist Clara Silverstein (author of White Girl: A Story of School Desegregation). The event starts at 6:30 and is sponsored by the Chautauqua Literary Arts Friends.

Please stop by (if you are in the area) for a great hour of reading!