September 17, 2018
On Accessibility in Historical Fiction
I’ve generally enjoyed Graywolf Press’s “Art of” series, a group of books focusing on different topics pertaining to writing (The Art of Subtext, The Art of Perspective, The Art of […]
September 12, 2018
Re-Reading Edward Dorn’s Long Poem “Gunslinger”
Book I of Edward Dorn’s long poem, Gunslinger, explores a number of serious sociological and philosophical themes in a humorous manner. The comic tone allows the reader to absorb the […]
September 7, 2018
Are Characters Real People?
Last week, in discussing flat characters, I ended with an argument that’s perhaps mildly controversial—that characters are not real people but just words on a page, artificial creations of an […]
September 5, 2018
Derrida and Deconstruction Simplified
There is a lot of antipathy towards Jacques Derrida and Deconstruction both in and outside of academia. In the interest of furthering the dialogue, I add my most basic view […]
August 30, 2018
Present in Process: An Interview with Caryl Pagel
Caryl Pagel’s vision has shaped not only her own poems, essays, books, and chapbooks, but two presses, a literary magazine, and now a new literary fellowship focused on inclusion, equity, […]
August 27, 2018
In Defense of Flat Characters
Every fiction writer who’s taken even an intro to creative writing class is likely aware of E.M. Forster’s famous distinction between flat and round characters, from his book of lectures […]
August 24, 2018
A Coney Island of the Mind
I visited one of my favorite places recently, that strange and wonderful land at the southern tip of Brooklyn called Coney Island. Aside from inspiring one of my favorite poetry […]
August 14, 2018
Mastering the Art of Prewriting
I talk about prewriting with my students a lot but often forget to do it myself when I work. Prewriting sometimes falls away in a busy writing schedule but actually […]
August 13, 2018
On “Ethnic Fiction”
Mark McGurl’s The Program Era is a wonderful book, and I’ve mentioned it several times before on this blog, but it does use the problematic label “ethnic fiction” to describe […]
August 6, 2018
On Beginnings
Last week, I discussed endings, specifically screenwriter Michael Arndt’s theory of endings as they applied to works of literary fiction. In addition to his video on endings, Arndt’s website also […]
August 1, 2018
When Things Fall Apart: Leadership in Desperate Times
I’ve been thinking about the connection between literature, politics, and leadership because I gave a talk, “When Things Fall Apart: Leadership in Desperate Times,” in James M. Van Wyck’s terrific […]
July 30, 2018
On Endings
In 2014, when I was still entertaining hopes of being a screenwriter as well as a fiction writer, I went to the Austin Film Festival and heard a lecture on […]