nonfiction
May 13, 2009
- The most unexpected mea culpa in the world has just been made public. Oprah Winfrey has apologised to James Frey for the torture-rack treatment she gave him on her show. Frey is the author whos book, A Million Little Pieces, described his descent into a drug- and violence-fueled hell of his own creation, and his efforts to drag himself back from the precipice. Oprah publicly lauded it ...
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May 10, 2009
- "And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Habakkuk 2:2-3It is somewhat ironic, and otherwise unsettling, that as much as I loathe my own ...
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May 3, 2009
- I possess only the most rudimentary understanding of what it means for time to pass. I see the sun cross the sky, the tides shift. I watch closely as the seasons change; I witness the wrinkles that appear around my eyes and mouth; I notice how my mother’s gait has slowed and realize my younger siblings are and have been full-fledged adults for decades now. My current students, many of ...
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April 27, 2009
- Yesterday, I finished up a novel, Skinny Dip, by Carl Hiaasen. I had never read anything by him, but his novels were suggested to me by one of the people in my book group. Another seconded that opinion so I went to the shelf and picked one of his novels in a random manner (literally I just grabbed one off the shelf without regard to content). Not a bad read...I liked the satire and ...
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April 20, 2009
- Notes on Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown, 2008).When I finished reading this book, I said to myself: "Very interesting. What was this about, again?" Arcane bits of research from psychology, sociology, and business history are woven together so entertainingly, what had seemed to stick with me were some of the fun facts and more compelling story ...
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April 19, 2009
- There is no more interesting thing than to measure something, or someone, based not on the company they keep, but on the other things and people they are assumed to share a relationship with. And there is no more interesting collection of associations than the Internet radio site Pandora.I listen to it everyday and at this point have something like 10 or 15 different "radio stations" ...
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April 15, 2009
- This past year, my family celebrated the Chinese holiday known as qingming (Tomb Sweeping Day.) This day occurs on the fifteenth day after the Spring Equinox on the Gregorian calendar. The Qingming Festival is an opportunity for Chinese to remember and honor their ancestors at grave sites. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, (joss) ...
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April 13, 2009
- Ten minutes before heading out the door to have brunch with friends, I heard a pop against the large picture window that sits above the central staircase of our house. It sounded like a sharp tap – almost like a fingernail snapping against the window – and it was followed by an almost imperceptible bump. A sparrow had flown into the window, and was lying on the deck, wings spread, chest ...
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April 12, 2009
- I am most excited about Kendra's new release. She is one of my favorite authors. And if you have not read anything by her, allow me to offer you the invitation, to do so. You won't regret it. The Lyons Den is a series and reads like a suspense. Kendra Norman-Bellamy's Bio With multi-book deals with the highly esteemed publishers of Harlequin's Kimani Press (New Spirit imprint), Moody ...
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April 12, 2009
- To MFA or not to MFA, that is the question. Whether tis nobler to remain minimally debt free and unburdened of the pretentions of the teaching class; or to submit to the whims and fancies of a few with expertise in search of credential, terminal writing degree, and perhaps greater opportunity if not greater debt.I love writing and have gained immense pride from being able to respond ...
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