The Writer’s Handful with Jacob M. Appel
Mondays + Writers = finally something to look forward to. Week nine (sorry we missed last week, on the road) of The Writer’s Handful welcomes Jacob M. Appel, the author of many things, among them the much anticipated and exciting new novel The Biology of Luck, forthcoming from Elephant Rock Books. Funny, smart, bold—this book (The […]
Duck Day 2012
Last night I had the opportunity to attend the launch party of the brand new essay anthology, BRIEFLY KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS BY A LOW-FLYING DUCK. I know, great title, right? Full disclosure here: I have a piece in this anthology about my mom, my cat, September 11, 2001, love, loneliness, a cabin in the woods, students, black […]
Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck
Really. The fine, fine anthology from 2nd Story Collective, Briefly Knocked Unconscious by a Low-Flying Duck, will be available from Elephant Rock Books in just a couple of weeks. You can’t wait, I know. So here’s a little teaser for you. Enjoy.
A Vacation on the Island of Ex-Boyfriends ~ Another Wonderful Book by a CCC Fiction Department Alum
It’s Tuesday night, AWP starts tomorrow, and the literary happenings are starting to happen in Chicagoland. We just got back from a fabulous release party for the brand new book by Stacy Bierlein, A Vacation on the Island of Ex-Boyfriends. There were beers and wine and goodies and books and t-shirts and people. Lots of folks gathered […]
On Politeness (and its Absence) In A Writing Life
Years ago, when I was a recent graduate from the MFA program in Fiction Writing at Columbia College Chicago, I sent my newly minted thesis out to a small (but not tiny) press. I’d met the managing editor at a conference, and shared a nice conversation with him about books, writers, and the nightlife of […]
“The Bones of the Book Glimmer…” ~ A Review from TNB
I have just found out that The Temple of Air was reviewed in The Nervous Breakdown. Such a stellar review. So thoughtful and positive. A great way to have my review cherry popped. Here’s a snippet of what the reviewer, Leah Tallon, wrote: “The bones of the book glimmer in the spirit of Winesburg, Ohio. McNair’s sentences […]