Eudora Welty on Writing “A Worn Path”
A truly wonderful discovery from You Tube: an interview about the writing of the short story “A Worn Path” with its writer, Eudora Welty. The story was first published 70 years ago in February of 1941 in The Atlantic Monthly, and we are still reading it. More evidence of the value of short stories.
A Still Point ~ Lucricia Hall’s View From the Keyboard
One of the best things that happens when you attend the Interlochen College of Creative Arts Writers’ Retreat in Interlochen, Michigan, is that you meet a whole new circle of writers. Sure, there will be some you knew before, or at least have read and admired–Tony Ardizzone, Fleda Brown, Anne-Marie Oomen, Katey Schultz–but I am […]
Ray Bradbury’s View From the Keyboard
You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down. ~ Ray Bradbury Just a few days ago, Ray Bradbury celebrated his 91st birthday. Happy Birthday, sir! For more on this literary icon, read Sam Weller‘s fabulous authorized biography, The Bradbury Chronicles, and his collection of interviews with Bradbury, […]
In Praise of the Short Story ~ A Conversation with Joe Melia
The Bristol Short Story Prize out of the United Kingdom is one of the few international awards that specifically celebrates the short story form. With generous guidelines that allow writers from anywhere in the world to submit more than one story–so long as the writer is over 16 years old–and prizes that include publication and […]
View From the Keyboard Guidelines
I invite you, my writerly friends, to submit to me a picture of your writing space. I’ll call this segment of the blog “View From the Keyboard,” but know that I am not limiting submissions to those of you who write on a keyboard. Whatever space you write in, whatever tools you use to write, […]
Escribo Gatos
“As an inspiration to the author, I do not think the cat can be over-estimated. He suggests so much grace, power, beauty, motion, mysticism. I do not wonder that many writers love cats; I am only surprised that all do not.” ~Carl Van Vechten →Jes sayin’ -PMc←
Labor of Love and Neurotoxins ~ The View From Sam Snow’s Keyboard
Sam Snow is a writer of many things, including the very impressive graphic story you will find an excerpt from below. On one of his project sites, Fair Weather Militia Comics, he is referred to as “Hunter S. Thompson reincarnate.” I don’t know; Sam Snow may even be cooler than that literary icon. His comic […]
Great Books, Great Places ~ Celebrating Indie Bookstores (guidelines)
Do you have a favorite independent bookstore? A place you visit in your own hometown or on the road? A place with friendly folks, great books, cozy nooks and crannies, a perfect cup of coffee? Interesting book clubs? Evocative readers’ series? Great Books, Great Places is a series dedicated to celebrating the independent bookstore, and […]
An Alternate Life ~ House Hunters International and In Urbana, I…
Recently, through the wonder of Twitter, I found myself engaged in a conversation with Carolyn Kellogg, book reviewer from the Los Angeles Times, about the HGTV show House Hunters International. She’d put a call out for folks to be in touch if they watched the program; she was writing an article on it. Of course […]
They Talk, We Listen ~ A Brief Collection of Author Interviews
Author interviews. I have to admit, I like them quite a lot. A glimpse into what makes them think, write, rewrite, enjoy life, and so on and so on. When I read of their concerns, their vulnerabilities, their insecurities, I recognize that the authors I admire are just people, people like me, maybe. And sometimes […]