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"Number 1: Don't write what you know. Start with what you don't know, what you don't understand." In her craft talk at the 2012 Colgate Writers' Conference, novelist Dana Spiotta explains how she wrote Stone Arabia (Scribner, 2011) in six (not-so-easy) steps. Her new novel, Innocents and Others (Scribner, 2016), explores a friendship between two female filmmakers.
"'Old people,' whispers Anna to her brother, 'are actually half robot. Only a robot could walk that slow.'" Amber Sparks reads "Cocoon" from her first story collection, May We Shed These Human Bodies (Curbside Splendor, 2012). Her second story collection, The Unfinished World: And Other Stories (Liveright, 2016), explores star-crossed lovers, taxidermists, time travelers, and space janitors.
Diane Williams reads seven stories from her collection Vicky Swanky Is a Beauty (McSweeney's Books, 2012) for the Franklin Park Reading Series in Brooklyn. Williams's newest collection of stories, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine (McSweeney's Books, 2016), is featured in Page One in the January/February issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
Matthew Gavin Frank talks about one of his favorite characters from Pot Farm (University of Nebraska Press, 2012), a nonfiction account of his experience living on a marijuana farm in Northern California. Frank, whose most recent book, The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America's Food, was published by Liveright in November, will be a panelist at Poets & Writers Live in Austin, Texas on January 9.
Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi reads from her novel Fra Keeler (Dorothy, 2012) at an event for the BONK! performance series in Racine, Wisconsin. The author is one of the honorees for the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 for 2015.
Jennifer L. Knox reads "Speech to the Crowd at the Rodeo" at the Brooklyn Poets Reading Series in 2012. Knox's poetry is included in Issue 11.1 of Burnside Review, which is featured in Literary MagNet in the November/December issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
The author of Red Thread (Fithian Press, 2012) and Keeper of the Winds (FootHills Publishing, 2014), reads from her work at Rattle's monthly reading series. Rattle is featured in Literary MagNet in the May/June issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
"In this country, poetry is largely ignored." Tim Seibles speaks with City of Asylum Pittsburgh about poetry in the United States, his fascination with how sexuality is expressed, and how he gets into the minds of characters. Seibles's latest collection, Fast Animal (Etruscan Press, 2012), was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award in poetry.
The film adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild (Knopf, 2012), with a screenplay by Nick Hornby, was released today. Reese Witherspoon served as a producer and plays Strayed in the story of her three-month hike and journey.
Author Gillian Flynn discusses the structure of her novel Gone Girl (Crown Publishing Group, 2012), and how it reflects the tug of war between a couple entwined in a troubled marriage. Flynn wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation released today.
