Goddard MFAW faculty John McManus: I’m thinking this morning of Herbert George Wells, the science-fiction writer and prophetic humanist born 150 years ago this week.
Tag: reading
Book People
Goddard MFAW faculty Michael Klein: Apparently, E.L. Doctorow once taught a course that only had one book on the syllabus. The class read the one book and decided from there what the next book should be. If it was Jane Eyre, somebody might then suggest The Wide Sargasso Sea, which was a prequel and written by another writer at a completely different time. Perhaps, reading both books would give a person a rounder sense of the world created by both sets of characters.
Goddard Poets in the House
Goddard MFA alumna Teresa Mei Chuc writes, “If you’re in NYC on Sat., July 30th, I hope you can join us for a poetry reading at Poets House. Several Goddard College MFA in Creative Writing alumni will be there: Drew Dillhunt (Port Townsend, WA), David Giver (Plainfield, VT), Susan Deer Cloud (Plainfield, VT) and Teresa Mei Chuc (Plainfield, VT).
Cynthia Bond Reads at Goddard–Port Townsend
Goddard College presents a reading by New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Bond on Wednesday, July 20th, at 7 PM at 204 Battery Way in Fort Worden State Park. Bond will read from her critically acclaimed novel Ruby, an Oprah book club selection.
The Limits of the World
Goddard MFA Faculty member Micheline Marcom recalls what Schopenhauer said: “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.” She wonders how we might, in our “Information Age,” see better.
Sneak Preview: CWC&R Schedule
Co-Coordinators Lucy Turner and Carolyn Bardos have done a wonderful job organizing this year’s Clockhouse Writers’ Conference & Retreat. While there may be a bit more tweaking of the time slots, those attending can look forward to: Monday, June 27th 11:00 – 1:00 Arrivals, Check-ins, and Welcomes Aiken Lounge 11:45 – 12:45 Lunch… Continue reading Sneak Preview: CWC&R Schedule
Political Incorrectness: History in the Family
Today it’s popular to say that political correctness is destroying America, but a recently discovered set of century-old clippings offer a cautionary reminder of what our country was like without political correctness. Goddard MFA faculty member Aimee Liu’s opinion piece about political correctness and her family history was published in the LA Times on March 27.
Seeking Asylum: 100,000 Stories
You could say I lost my belief in our politicians. They all seemed like game show hosts to me. — “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” Sting I. Empathy and the Iliad I read an article this week, published four years ago in Scientific American, about how empathy had declined 40 percent among… Continue reading Seeking Asylum: 100,000 Stories
A Different Approach to Writing Annotations
By Patricia Connelly The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of its Parts–A Two-Part Blog At one of our group advising meetings during the June residency in Vermont, Deborah Brevoort suggested we all read one or two of the same works during the semester and annotate them at the same time. The idea was that… Continue reading A Different Approach to Writing Annotations
And have you read… Fox, Tooth, Heart?
John McManus’ new story collection, Fox Tooth Heart, was published by Sarabande Books earlier in November. This holiday week, The Writer decided to feature our interview with John and celebrate his latest book. Hooray x infinity! 1) What was the impetus for this book? Right now I’m about a month away from finishing a novel… Continue reading And have you read… Fox, Tooth, Heart?
New story. News story.
New story. News. Story. I have always followed the news. My earliest memories are of backseats, couches, cheap restaurants and taxi cabs in other countries where my mother or father would ask: can you turn it up please? The news. Can you turn it up? So they could hear better, so they could hear right.… Continue reading New story. News story.
116.8 Books in 365 Days
I’m on pace to read 116.8 books in 2015. It feels like something of a failure. In the U.S., 300,000 new titles were published last year. If all goes well, I’ll end the year having read 0.039 percent of that number. Globally, it’s in the millions. Some years back Google released what they considered to… Continue reading 116.8 Books in 365 Days
And have you read… Be Safe I Love You?
Goddard College alum Cara Hoffman’s latest book, Be Safe I Love You is a breathtaking thriller about a returning female veteran, set in upstate New York. The Sunday Telegraph (UK) called it: “One of the Five Best Modern War Novels.” When Lauren Clay arrives home from her tour of duty in Iraq, it is clear to many… Continue reading And have you read… Be Safe I Love You?
Why Write Fiction?
I had an interesting conversation with someone recently, a conversation I have actually had with this person several times before, about a novel she was reading. She remarked that she didn’t know how the author knew the things he has written. In this case, it was how some Germans had behaved in WWII. The author… Continue reading Why Write Fiction?
Writing From the Margins
Last week, I was invited to talk to a class at City College in New York. Someone asked me about structure; specifically what I thought of the fact that none of the books on their syllabus, including my memoir, had a traditional structure. It wasn’t until that moment – when I learned that the class… Continue reading Writing From the Margins
National Poetry Month – WeHo Lamppost Poetry Project and Reading
MICHAEL KLEIN is one of 23 poets (W.S. Merwin, Marie Howe, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Sharon Olds among them) who, for National Poetry Month, has their photo image (by MFAW student Shef Reynolds) and line from one of their poems as part of their own banner which graces a lamppost along Santa Monica Boulevard in… Continue reading National Poetry Month – WeHo Lamppost Poetry Project and Reading
To Read Is to Dream, Guided By Someone Else’s Hand
by Traci Dolan-Priestley Fernando Pessoa’s The Book of Disquiet, published after his death and put together by assembling notes that he left behind, was the first book I read about what it meant to be a writer. Not how to write, no, no, not even mentioned. I’ve quoted this particular passage many times. “One of the… Continue reading To Read Is to Dream, Guided By Someone Else’s Hand
The Goddard Salons and The Un-Book Tour
by Ann Hedreen I remember poring over my first Goddard MFA residency schedule and the way my eyes skidded to a stop at the word “salon.” We would have such things as salons? À la Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas? I felt a little frisson, a cocktail of thrill mixed with dread. My instincts… Continue reading The Goddard Salons and The Un-Book Tour
Some [tiny] examples of the EXTREMELY AMAZING THINGS THAT HAPPEN CASUALLY AT GODDARD AND NOWHERE ELSE*
by Kristen E. Nelson I got to study with Rebecca (mother-f***ing) Brown. That’s sometimes how I say her name when I get excited about Rebecca, and once you read/meet/encounter/learn from Rebecca, you continue to be excited about her. I read her short story collection What Keeps Me Here and then read all of her books.… Continue reading Some [tiny] examples of the EXTREMELY AMAZING THINGS THAT HAPPEN CASUALLY AT GODDARD AND NOWHERE ELSE*
Come Back to Goddard
The Port Townsend residency, happening now, is excited to be welcoming two of our Vermont alumni, Mary Johnson and Cara Hoffman, who will be reading and doing workshops Monday through Thursday next week. The readings are open to the public, and offer a great time to come see the campus, walk the beach, and get… Continue reading Come Back to Goddard