You can listen to an interview I did this week with the wonderful Kate Raphael for the KPFA Women’s Magazine.
I was honored to be a guest. It’s a great show that covers an immense range of issues. It’s definitely worth listening to regularly. In addition to tuning into the broadcast, which goes out on Berkeley’s KPFA radio on Mondays 1pm-2pm, you can also listen to current and past shows here.
I’m obviously not much of a blogger. Or at least not yet. I suppose there’s always hope. In the meantime, here’s a recent interview I did with the marvellous Alexandra Wolfe who runs the terrific website Kissed by Venus.
The past several days have been quite literary. Unfortunately, that does not apply to my writing output, which has been close to zero. But what I have been up to is listening to writers talk and read their work. Last week I went to the conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (otherwise known as AWP) in Denver, Co. There, at a gathering of between 8,000 to 10,000 writers, I went to a startling array of panels on topics from “How to Promote Your Work” to “Women and Memoir” to “Genre Writing” to some rather more esoterically named presentations. Some were great, some less memorable. Some… well, I gathered up my things, snuck out, and went to grab a coffee to stop myself nodding off. Highlights included a panel presented by Macondo Foundation writers (Macondo is a writers’ community founded by Sandra Cisneros that supports socially engaged writers), a reading by writers from the recently released anthology Fire and Ink, and presentations on women writers and ambition, and the panel on genre.
Fire and Ink is a collection of compelling and passionate writing about social action
I also love-love-loved the reading by Israeli writer Egert Karet (if you haven’t read him, check him out), and the amazing George Saunders. Other highlights include sitting awestruck while listening to Leslie Marmon Silko (she is the writer of Ceremony and Alamanac of the Dead, two of my all-time favorites), and going to a reading by my former University of Columbia classmate, Tom Hansen, whose memoir American Junkie recently hit the shelves. I read Tom’s memoir on the plane ride home and couldn’t put it down, even during the turbulence when we flew into Oakland through a late spring storm (I know we probably need it, but come on, stop with the rain already!) Anyway, Bravo, Tom! Great reading and excellent work.
It was also fun hanging about with a bunch of other writers, complaining about the usual things we complain about these days like how to make a living, the potential death of the book, how to find time to write when there are so many other demands on our time, the frustration of “coming this close” to having novels published, plays produced, screenplays sell.
But as a consolation to all these troubles, while in Denver I did eat extraordinarily well. I had an unusual craving for red meat that I satisfied at all opportunities–after all, it was Colorado and they have a lot of cows out there. My excuse was that the craving was due to the altitude–apparently it helps boost production of red blood cells, which oxygenate the blood. Staying in the “mile-high city” I definitely felt the altitude, suffering with a headache much of the time (okay, the high level of coffee consumption probably didn’t help either).
Several of my dining choices were informed by UBC optional residency administrator, Andrew Gray, who, in addition to doing an outstanding job of running that awesome program, also runs a website, cookbooker which allows you to rate and review recipes. Andrew’s one of those people who manages to find time to render his own lard, make his own yogurt and cheese, make his own pizza dough, bake his own bread, cook every night (on top of working full-time and raising a family), and insist that it really doesn’t take that much time. I left Denver feeling very inadequate vis a vis my culinary achievements. But did enjoy a couple of Andrew’s excellent restaurant picks.
My other major literary outing in the last week was to go to the San Francisco Library and listen to several of the nominees for this year’s Lambda Awards read from their work. There were some great readings, including an awesome one by Minal Hajratwala, author of the memoir, Leaving India. And a couple of great essays from the anthology, My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them. One contributor to the anthology is Patrick Letellier. Patrick read a terrific excerpt from his alternately funny and powerful essay on Elizabeth I. It was great to see Patrick–our paths haven’t crossed for about 15 years!
I’m now looking forward to tomorrow when I teach a one-day workshop at The Writing Salon, Inspiring the Muse. And to Sunday when I hope that some of that inspiration rubs off on yours truly and I’ll get back to my own writing again.
Check out my review of Betty Jane Hegerat’s novel Deilvery at Feminist Review. This deliciously fine novel was just short-listed for the Alberta Literary Awards.
I was dead chuffed (which means “rather pleased” for those of you not acquainted with Yorkshireisms) when I was contacted a couple of days ago by Dave Cipriano who writes the regular book review website Bookpuddle. Dave had taken it upon himself to read and review my novel. He let me know about the review. And it’s quite lovely. Thanks, Dave!! There really is nothing nicer than having a reader let me know that he really “got” the novel. And enjoyed it so much.
Dave writes regular and thoughtful reviews about all kinds of books at Bookpuddle. You might want to check it out.
