The Four Faces of First Person
When I decided to write the four volumes of the Scags Series, I wanted each of them to sound distinctly different. Of course, I knew as she aged, that would be the case but I also wanted something to challenge me. Taking advantage of other first-person forms, that seemed the ticket. In order to do [...]
Show Me The Money
Given the number of current clashes of opinions about the value/cost/pricing of e-books, I thought I would forge into this debate with my own take on this topic. I can assure you that this is my own opinion and that no one has made me say these things. Perhaps it is the fact that I [...]
For many years now, I confess to a deep resentment of the type of feminism that Oprah Winfrey represents. Call it an opposition to the conspicuous consumption, the lack of restraint when it comes to feeding the greedy frenzy of her fans and the moral lapses of judgment she makes in people when pursuing her [...]
June weather is perfect for writing
I am so happy to have this constantly changing weather. June makes working in my well decorated gerbil cage a pleasure. First of all, the changes are dramatic. One minute the sky is so blue that some people find this boring. Not me, but I know some who do. But if you wait a few [...]
Scags at 18–the perfect graduation gift
Today I’m thinking about why you should read Scags at 18. My own self-interest is clear. I want as many people to read the novel as possible. I don’t want to be a famous author but I want people to think about how they began to discover those things in life that are important to [...]
I’m not afraid of Virginia Woolf
Albee had a wonderful title for his hit play and it became an entryway for this incredible woman of letters to become a part of our literary lexicon. But today’s post isn’t about the fear she might instill in me, which there are reasons for, but rather the ways in which her ideas have taken [...]
Many years ago, I tried to write a story about a woman who was a teacher and the content of the story was going to be her lectures about various books and stories that I thought everyone should read. “Bartleby, the Scrivener” was a huge favorite and I kept thinking about his struggles and I [...]
Reading While Writing
Recently, my mother complained that she couldn’t discuss with me books that had just come out because I hadn’t read them. I hadn’t read them because I have been reading specific poems and essays for the next volume in the Scags Series. It has become a consuming activity to find and read the things that [...]
The End of the REZ Reading Series Season
Tonight will be the last night hosting a REZ Reading Series event here in Kew Gardens. So with sadness and a full house of wonderful memories, I am moving along. Running a publishing company and writing are enough for me these days. I have found the perfect balance between work and creativity. The reading series [...]
I Saw A Border’s Closing Sale
It wasn’t a pretty sight. It wasn’t pretty because the workers there were miserable and angry. The shoppers were trying to clear out the drastically reduced shelves and to buy all the fixtures as well. It felt like the funeral of an old uncle who had very little of value to leave his heirs so [...]
