Category: On Writing
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Oksana Zabuzhko has been called a Ukrainian combination of Susan Sontag, Adrienne Rich and Rachel Maddow, and her novels have received international fame. Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex caused the biggest literary scandal in Ukraine in decades. Since its publication in 1996, it spent 10 years at #1 on the Ukraine’s bestseller list; has been translated […]
Whose Stories Can We Tell? Bonnie E. Carlson
Recent conversations with two editors about stories I wrote got me thinking deeply about this issue: Whose stories can we (legitimately) tell? This issue exploded recently with the publication of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It’s been debated on TV, in the Twitterverse and in other forums. Must we be a member of a group […]
Writing When It’s Not All Roses And Rainbows
I sat at my computer last night. Really, just sat there. I opened the manuscript of the follow-up to Awakening on Purpose: Trusting the call. Zero motivation came to raise my fingers to the keys. I actually said to myself, “I’m depressed.” And then a strange thing happened. My self answered. “Yes. And?” I sat in […]
RATIONAL WOMEN: An Excerpt
Feeling bombarded by maddening 24/7 news and social media feeds? Little time for the sheer pleasure of reading? Read a short story – there are a zillion of them bound and online, because a work of fiction gets to the heart of humanity, rather than a restating of the news of the day [although some […]
Bedtime Stories for a Pandemic By Jessica Pearce Rotondi
I moved to New York City when I was 21 to work in book publishing. I had a tiny “room of my own” in the Flatiron building to fill with books. I could barely afford to-go coffee, but I’d go to literary readings in the city almost every night. Uptown to Book Culture on Broadway; […]
From May 1945 to COVID-19: Reflections
By Hendrika de Vries I have found one of the lovely surprises about growing old if you are lucky, is that you become part of a web of friends, colleagues and family members who span the planet. Over the years they stretch your mind and enrich your life by their diverse cultural lifestyles, beliefs and rituals, and […]
Letter to My Parents in Quarantine, 3,000 miles away
Dear Mom and Dad, How are you holding up? This afternoon? This hour? Today is a good day for me. I am reading wonderful writers who are tuning into the small things in this new reality: Karen Russell, Maggie Nelson. Also, listening to George Saunders read his letter to his creative writing student about the […]
Fighting Against Myself and My Past: The Story Behind “Saving Ruby King”
Fighting Against Myself and My Past: The Story Behind “Saving Ruby King” By Catherine Adel West “You should write a book!” It was a comment made in passing at a friend’s wedding sparking the first wisps of inspiration that eventually became my debut novel “Saving Ruby King”. That statement shouldn’t have affected me so deeply, […]
Caught Between Two Worlds
Caught Between Two Worlds When I was a child I remember being told stories from Irish folklore about fairies, stories that captivated and often frightened me. We were warned not to go near the big ash tree in the field beyond our house as it was said to be a meeting place for fairies, a […]
PUTTING GHOSTS TO REST
PUTTING GHOSTS TO REST When you’ve had a few books out, readers ask what your favorite is. Or if they’re going to read just one, which should it be? The easy answer—the one I usually give—is whatever I just wrote, because it reflects how my writing has evolved, and what’s freshest in my mind. I […]
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