I first read the short fiction of Luis Alberto Urrea in graduate school. The discovery of a prolific Latino author whose work moves so adeptly from English to Spanish was important to my development as a writer. I enjoyed his collection of short stories Six Kinds of Sky and the keen worlds and characters drawn,Continue reading “quick review: luis alberto urrea’s the hummingbird’s daughter and queen of america”
Category Archives: Updates
gardner’s fat city
Spending time today rereading Fat City by Leonard Gardner. Hope I can find the detail and the nuance in my Huerfanos/Semi-orphaned novel project: “Yeah, I was in a bar yesterday, this guy’s calling everybody a son-of-a-bitch. So I go out and wait for him. He come out and I ask did that include me. Says yeah.Continue reading “gardner’s fat city”
gerald nicosia article: on the road, the movie?
Spent time this afternoon with Gerald Nicosia‘s Huffington Post article about his experiences working with the film makers of the On the Road film adaptation. I’m interested in his opinion because I enjoyed his book Memory Babe so much. Here he writes candidly about setting up a Beat boot camp for the actors and also becoming aContinue reading “gerald nicosia article: on the road, the movie?”
orwell’s down and out in paris and london
Just received Orwell’s memoir in the mail and can’t wait to reread. Haven’t looked at it in years. I’m hoping to use excerpts in creative writing classes along with some of his fiction. I’m also hoping to use excerpts from Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. Again my favorite fiction writers are also my favorite creative nonfictionContinue reading “orwell’s down and out in paris and london”
rereading orwell’s nineteen eighty-four
Tonight I’m rereading Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four for my Lit 111 course: “To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone-to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from theContinue reading “rereading orwell’s nineteen eighty-four”
chuck palahniuk’s stranger than fiction
Rereading Chuck Palahniuk’s Stranger Than Fiction True Stories for my Lit 150 class. My favorite fiction writers are my favorite creative non-fiction writers. I’m enjoying his essay “Brinksmanship”: The waitress used to say, “What will you be doing when you’re old men?” I used to tell her, “I’ll worry about that when I get there.” IfContinue reading “chuck palahniuk’s stranger than fiction”
influence of v for vendetta
Had a great talk today with a student about writing that serves truth instead of ego. Also about writing and politics. We both admitted Alan Moore and V For Vendetta were so influential to our thought process–political and social awareness. I keep repeating to my students I wouldn’t be a teacher or writer without graphic novels andContinue reading “influence of v for vendetta”
chablis and the baby
Watching Donald Barthelme clip from classic MTV today in Lit 150 class:
quick thoughts on kubrick and the unsayable
Lately I’ve been obsessed with Stanley Kubrick films. I mention The Shining in class quite often to my students and how it represents an incredible example of psychological dread built into a narrative. A slow and constant ratcheting of tension. (I find myself mentioning films in general quite a bit in creative writing regarding matters of narratology.)Continue reading “quick thoughts on kubrick and the unsayable”
ernesto galarza’s barrio boy
Reading Galarza’s book Barrio Boy I was amazed at the brilliant memoir of Galarza’s boyhood experience of the Mexican Revolution and segregation in American neighborhoods. I was interested to find a different definition of the term chicano and also I was interested to read about the struggle for work and how that struggle for workContinue reading “ernesto galarza’s barrio boy”
quick note on luis alberto urrea’s six kinds of sky
Last night after grading and preparing for classroom workshops I had time to finish Luis Alberto Urrea’s short story collection Six Kinds of Sky. I was unfamiliar with Urrea’s work but I’ve been reading through my list of Latino authors and I have to say there was much to admire. I enjoyed “Mr Mendoza’s Paint Brush”Continue reading “quick note on luis alberto urrea’s six kinds of sky”
quick note on before night falls
Had some time this weekend to return to Julian Schnabel’s film Before Night Falls. There are several aspects to the film that I admire. I like watching films about young writers and this film was based on Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, a young writer living through interesting times such as the Cuban Revolution. WhatContinue reading “quick note on before night falls”
some notes on margot livesey’s “how to tell a true story”
Months back I began making notes on the book Bringing the Devil to His Knees: the Craft of Fiction and the Writing Life. My hope was to use the book in my Lit 150 class in place of Burroway’s Writing Fiction: Guide to Narrative Craft. I’ve never used a collection of essays and have always usedContinue reading “some notes on margot livesey’s “how to tell a true story””
notes: composite novel, novel-in-stories or just plain stories
I’ve been obsessing over this question for weeks now. What to label the book? I’m putting the final touches together for my first book and after reading more and more on the subject of genre I seem to be more confused than ever. After reading The Composite Novel–The Short Story Cycle in Transition I amContinue reading “notes: composite novel, novel-in-stories or just plain stories”
some thoughts on the rum diary
I’ve long been a fan and admirer of Hunter S. Thompson’s work. I’m also a big fan of literary adaptations and so when a new version of Thompson’s work comes out, especially in wide release, I’m always excited. It began with Where the Buffalo Roam, the Bill Murray, Peter Boyle and Art Linson/John Kaye adaptation wayContinue reading “some thoughts on the rum diary”