We wear only white. Sneaker to cap. It’s the housepainter way. Except for the day Simon’s ass was splotched brown. From mid-thigh to lower-back, he was coated in eggshell-sheen Mocha Morning, looking like he shat himself, like he suffered…
CRAFT: Your debut short story collection, A Lucky Man, lives and breathes New York, with most of the stories located in one, or more, of the boroughs. And while I believe you grew up and went to school here, you’ve…
Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular, Rust Hills Mariner Books, 2000 Originally published in 1977, this book examines the elements of craft, with an emphasis on the short story, examining the components of a successful short story…
The Muse and the Marketplace is a conference run by Grub Street, Boston’s premiere writing organization. Featuring keynote speeches, seminars on craft, pedagogy, and the business of publishing, and opportunities to meet with agents and editors, this conference is held…
Here’s a quick look at some of the great books out this week. Happy pub day to all! Julian Barnes, The Only Story Knopf From Kirkus Reviews: “A May-September romance devolves into dysfunction and regret. Much like Barnes’ 2011…
May took the trolley to the new grocer’s—the one on the boulevard with shining white aisles where the exit was near the back of the store on an otherwise blank wall past the butcher’s station, which smelled of bleach and…
By Louise Marburg There is perhaps nothing more annoying to hear from an editor that they find a character too unsympathetic to be believable. Part of me wonders if the character in question might in fact be all too believable,…
Here’s a quick look at some of the great books out this week. Happy pub day to all! Therese Bohman, Eventide Other Press From Kirkus Reviews: “A perceptive novel about early-middle-age angst as an art history professor realizes the…
CRAFT: Marlena’s opening is striking on a craft level for several reasons: first, there’s no withholding. We learn right away what happens to Marlena. And second, the use of the present tense serves to put us in the moment, in…
You’ve amassed some stories. Maybe you have enough for a collection, maybe you’re still a few shy. It’s not an obvious grouping of stories: there are no common characters or recurring places or a clear theme. How do you organize…
