tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34471186503704277682024-03-08T02:11:27.068-08:00Short TakesLet's talk about poetry, short stories, or essays. Nothing about novels or non-fiction books, please. Those media hogs! This blogger believes that short forms don't get the attention they deserve.BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-66291763987332991462013-12-22T10:38:00.001-08:002013-12-22T10:50:36.525-08:00Quote from writer, George Saunders<br />
<span class="userContent">A wonderful quote from writer, George Saunders:</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /> "What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness." </span><br />
<span class="userContent"></span><br />
<span class="userContent">Saunders was one of the authors interviewed by Bob Schieffer on <em>Face the Nation</em>, December 22.</span><br />
<span class="userContent">Schieffer cited the quote as one of his favorites.</span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br /> It comes from a graduation speech Saunders gave at Syracuse University. Full text of the speech was reprinted by the NYT:</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/george-saunderss-advice-to-graduates/">http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/george-saunderss-advice-to-graduates/</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-33242496153803016312013-12-20T08:12:00.000-08:002013-12-20T08:12:21.684-08:00Writer finds solace in Dante's "Divine Comedy" after death of his wifeHere is a fine essay, entitled "I Found Myself in a Dark Wood," by David Luzzi, from the <em>NY Times. </em>It is about finding solace in Dante's "Divine Comedy," after the author loses his wife:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/i-found-myself-in-a-dark-wood/?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20131219">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/18/i-found-myself-in-a-dark-wood/?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20131219</a><br />
BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-71917540247240923302013-12-11T09:07:00.001-08:002013-12-11T09:27:58.782-08:00On Science and Nature Writing<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The most
recent essay featured in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New York
Times </i>“Draft” series (December 9, 2013) on the art and craft of writing is entitled “The Science
and Art of Science Writing,” written by Michelle Nijhuis : <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/the-science-and-art-of-science-writing/?hp&rref=opinion">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/the-science-and-art-of-science-writing/?hp&rref=opinion</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Nijhuis is
the co-editor of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Science Writer’s
Handbook: Everything you Need to know to Pitch, Publish and Prosper in the
Digital Age.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The essay set
my juices flowing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I am not a
scientist, I am married to one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
might say our interests intersect in nature/science writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a geochemist who appreciates good writing
on those topics, and I am a writer/editor who sometimes enjoys reading about them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Two of our
favorite writers are Elizabeth Kolbert and John McPhee, both of whom have
essays published frequently by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New
Yorker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Here is a link to one of
Kolbert’s recent articles, entitled "The Lost World": <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/12/16/131216fa_fact_kolbert">http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/12/16/131216fa_fact_kolbert</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">John McPhee’s
writing is not limited to nature/science writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also writes wonderful essays in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New Yorker’s </i>“The Writing Life”
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them is entitled “Structure;
beyond the picnic-table crisis”: <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/14/130114fa_fact_mcphee">http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/01/14/130114fa_fact_mcphee</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">If you are
interested in this type of writing, check out <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Best American Science and Nature Writing,</i> an annual publication
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Best American Series).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
2013 edition will be one of my husband’s Christmas presents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sh-h, don’t tell him!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-50916004495490383582013-12-03T12:37:00.004-08:002013-12-03T12:43:57.005-08:00Short stories onlineWant to read classic short stories on line? Go to this site: <a href="http://www.americanliterature.com/">http://www.americanliterature.com/</a><br />
<br />
There's a "Short Story of the Day" featured.BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-6944256906520522622013-10-22T07:42:00.001-07:002013-10-22T07:42:10.028-07:00"Ducking Grief" essay<br />
<br />
This essay by K. A. Leddy spoke volumes to me, for I, too, lost my daughter, though from disease, not from suicide.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/booming/ducking-grief.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/booming/ducking-grief.html?_r=0</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-42220837889417958512013-10-20T14:41:00.000-07:002013-10-20T14:54:22.691-07:00Joyce Carol Oates and Robert Frost (A frosty relationship?)The headline here is "Joyce Carol Oates Skewers Robert Frost as a Sexist Racist Old Bore."<br />
Yikes! "The Road Less Traveled" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" are two of my favorite poems:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2013/10/18/joyce-carol-oates-skewers-robert-frost-as-a-sexist-racist-old-bore/">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2013/10/18/joyce-carol-oates-skewers-robert-frost-as-a-sexist-racist-old-bore/</a><br />
<br />
And here's the link to "Why is Modern Poetry so Bad?" in <em>Harper's:</em><br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2013/06/20/why-is-modern-poetry-so-bad/">http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2013/06/20/why-is-modern-poetry-so-bad/</a><br />
Read my blog entry on modern poetry on September 18, 2010, "Call Me Conventional."BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-71862199428252016552013-10-18T12:11:00.000-07:002013-10-20T11:11:59.006-07:00Literary fiction<br />
In a “Well” blog of the <em>New York Times </em><em><span style="font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Health section (October 3, 2013), Pam
Belluck writes about </span></em>a study, published in <em>Science, </em>no
less, which concludes that "after reading literary fiction, as
opposed to popular fiction or serious nonfiction, people performed better on
tests measuring empathy, social perception and emotional
intelligence." <br />
<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/i-know-how-youre-feeling-i-read-chekhov/?hp&_r=0"><span style="color: blue;">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/i-know-how-youre-feeling-i-read-chekhov/?hp&_r=0</span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>What is literary fiction? Its definition is usually in contrast to the
definition of commercial, or popular, fiction. Literary fiction is
usually described as "serious," concerned with excellent writing and
style, and often, though perhaps not always, portraying life as it really
is. Popular fiction is more concerned with plot and entertainment--a mode
of escape from real life. Literary endings may offer a resolution of
sorts but tend not to wrap things up in a definitive manner. Popular
fiction usually provides a definite resolution--e.g., a happy ending, good
triumphing over evil, a mystery solved.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>Some cynics might add that commercial fiction, as the name implies, is more
likely to earn money for its authors, although sometimes a work of literary
fiction can become a best seller. <em>Cold Mountain </em>is an example of
literary novel achieving commercial success. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
My first reaction to the above-mentioned study was "Yay." I
generally tend to like literary fiction, especially short stories.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>In a workshop I attended not long ago, one of the presenters made the
statement that "literary fiction is boring."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at her and mouthed
"No." (She is a writer of light mysteries and probably earns
more money than I'll ever make as a writer.) The generalization that all
literary fiction is boring was unfair and untrue. My hackles were raised.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Lately though, I find myself having my own criticism of literary fiction--at
least, short stories that are classified as literary fiction. In reading
some anthologies of modern short stories, I noticed that many of the
stories are so dreary that they could, indeed, be called boring. Some,
I've found unreadable. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>Is it possible to be serious without being dreary? I certainly
think it is. "Serious" and "dreary" are, of
course, subjective, so what I find serious and admirable, other people might
find dreary. What I find dreary, other people may find admirable, because
the stories are found in some annual anthologies whose editors chose them as
"the best."<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>I once taught a literature class about the short story. In the
beginning of the class, we discussed the difference between popular and
literary writing. The first story students read was "The Most
Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. It is a classic of popular
writing, with a plot so well structured that it's been emulated in one form or
another over the years. It is suspenseful, enjoyable, and totally
unrealistic. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p>As we made our way through the course, we read a number of classic
stories--most of which would probably be considered more
"literary." Usually somewhere in the middle and again at the end
of the course, I asked the students to do short writing exercises answering the
question: Which of the stories you've read so far is your
favorite? And why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had to
explain their choice by using literary terms such as plot, characterization,
suspense, etc. in their answers. I also asked them to explain why they
considered the story to fall more in the popular or the literary category.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inevitably, "The Most Dangerous Game" would get more favorite
votes than any other story.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
Still, I would like to think that most of the students learned to appreciate
stories that had popular elements but involved more complex themes and subtle
character development. Some of the stories that elicited good responses
were: "How I Met My Husband" by Alice Munro; "Interpreter
of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri; "Everyday Use" by Alice
Walker; and "Where are you going? Where have you been?" by Joyce
Carol Oates. (There are excellent films of the latter two stories
which definitely added to the enjoyment and understanding of the stories.)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The stories just mentioned are also some of my favorites. They have
serious, thought-provoking themes, round characters, and believable plots<em>--</em>a
balance of these elements that I consider ideal. I don't consider
any of them <em>dreary.</em> <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I'd be curious to hear other people's thoughts on dreariness, or lack
thereof, in the modern short story. Drop me a line at <a href="mailto:editor@crazylitmag.com"><span style="color: blue;">editor@crazylitmag.com</span></a>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-8716808192959102612013-10-10T10:32:00.001-07:002013-10-18T10:16:40.809-07:00Poem PublishedMy poem "Connection" has been published by <em>Wild Violet </em>at <a href="http://www.wildviolet.net/2013/10/07/connection/#.UlbiAJTD_5o">http://www.wildviolet.net/2013/10/07/connection/#.UlbiAJTD_5o</a><br />
<br />
It is dedicated to my daughter, Natalie, who died of breast cancer in 1995.BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-46913018813572303522013-10-10T05:07:00.000-07:002013-10-18T11:09:27.128-07:00Alice Munro wins Nobel Prize in LiteratureSo pleased that my favorite author, Alice Munro, won the Nobel Prize in Literature. (See my entry on January 1, 2013.)BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-33939120365793937902013-06-24T09:02:00.000-07:002013-06-26T12:16:18.241-07:00Short Story featured in WILD VIOLET One of my short stories entitled "1984" is featured by <em>Wild Violet Literary Magazine</em> this week. It is quite different from the one the same magazine published on September 3, 2012, which can be viewed in their archives.<br />
<br />
The link is: <a href="http://www.wildviolet.net/2013/06/23/1984/#.Ucs8kaTD_cs">http://www.wildviolet.net/2013/06/23/1984/#.Ucs8kaTD_cs</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-43695981161190328752013-05-10T07:56:00.003-07:002013-05-10T07:56:49.779-07:00Here is an interesting quote from Joan Didion, one of my favorite writers, about grammar--a topic of this blog in the past:<br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">"Grammar is a piano I play by ear. All I know about grammar is its power."<br /> ― Joan Didion, Essays & Conversations</span>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-87091170759635793382013-01-01T10:49:00.000-08:002013-01-01T10:49:04.808-08:00Alice MunroFor Christmas, I asked for and received "Dear Life" by Alice Munro.<br />
<br />
Munro is my favorite writer. Idol is perhaps not too strong a word.<br />
<br />
It's hard to articulate what makes her writing so meaningful to me, but there's just something about it that makes the ordinary interesting and surprising. Her insights into the true nature of people always seem on target. Her characterization is usually accomplished with the right number of words. She suggests without overtelling.<br />
<br />
Munro is a Canadian, and her writing has a regional slant, but, of course, there is a universality in her characters, many of which feature women or young girls coming of age. <br />
<br />
Munro has won many honors, including the United States' National Book Critics Circle Award and the Man Booker International Prize. Her short stories get published in <i>The New Yorker, </i>the <i>Atlantic Monthly</i>, and <i>Harper's Magazine</i>--the <i>crème de la crème</i> of national magazines that publish short fiction. The American writer Cynthia Ozick has dubbed her "Our Chekhov." Her story "The Bear came over the Mountain" was adapted for a critically-acclaimed film, "Away From Her."<br />
<br />
One thing that particularly interests me is that she has made her considerable reputation almost solely with short stories. I believe she has written only one novel.<br />
<br />
I was somewhat disappointed that "Dear Life" included stories from previous collections. I was looking forward to an entire book of new stories, but, of course, being the fan that I am, I reread the older stories and once again found them thrilling <br />
<br />
The last part of the book features four works that are "autobiographical in feeling, though not, sometimes entirely so in fact." They portray a young woman who is forming her own identity and growing apart from her family. Sometimes, she suffered "beatings" from her father with a belt when she sassed her mother. Though she mitigates this physical punishment somewhat by saying it was not uncommon at that time, it seems surely true that the humiliation probably played a role in her disaffection. And I would bet that those incidents were autobiographical.<br />
<br />
I daresay that most writers have an idol about whom they might say, "If I could write like anyone, it would be __________________." I would complete the sentence with Alice Munro.BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-49357462185356949902012-09-06T10:28:00.000-07:002012-09-06T10:35:25.208-07:00My short storyMy short story entitled "Learning to Dance" has been published in full text by <i>Wild Violet </i>at<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wildviolet.net/"> http://www.wildviolet.net/</a><br />
<br />
The story is featured in the September 3rd publication. <i>Wild Violet </i>describes it as exploring "the blurry relationship between dance and romance."BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-78916759954419544112012-08-15T15:14:00.000-07:002012-08-15T15:14:03.697-07:00Article on writing from the NYT"Where do sentences come from?" Check out this article from the NYT:<br />
<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/where-do-sentences-come-from/?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20120814">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/where-do-sentences-come-from/?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20120814</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-78597730228148940822012-07-10T12:16:00.000-07:002012-07-10T12:21:14.956-07:00Grammar: A Fashionable Topic<br />
An article from the <i>New York Times </i>took me back to my college days and the study of grammar. John McWhorter says that "proper English is, like so much else, a matter of fashion":<br />
<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/09/a-matter-of-fashion/?hp">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/09/a-matter-of-fashion/?hp</a><br />
<br />
Few people want to throw out instruction in grammar, but I daresay, grammar is taken less seriously than it once was. In college, I took an education course taught by a former high school English teacher. She chose to teach the class grammar because she said she was tired of principals complaining to her that English majors no longer knew grammar. They were only interested in teaching literature.<br />
<br />
Well, there were a few hidden smirks among the students, and I may have been one of the smirkers. I thought I knew grammar well enough. I was wrong. I learned a lot in that class, and, throughout the years, I came to appreciate its practicality. I even kind of like grammar. I still don't think I know it all--in fact, I know I don't. As an editor and writer, I find knotty little problems with which I struggle.<br />
<br />
I just struggled not to end that last sentence with a preposition. Saying "I find knotty little problems I struggle with" is more natural to my ear and perhaps yours. Which brings me to this (another questionable construction?): Usage often prevails over the long run. In graduate school, I did another project on language and grammar, and that was my conclusion. I'm talking centuries here, and I am by no means dismissing the teaching of grammar. But language is a living thing and dialect, or the way people speak, gradually affects what is acceptable in formal speech and writing. It's possible that a century from now ending a sentence with a preposition won't be looked upon as incorrect.<br />
<br />
I could go on and on about this, but a <i>really dull</i> topic is nagging at my conscience. That would be housework. I'll just refer you to a lucid discussion of grammar at About.com, a product of the <i>New York Times</i> company: <a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/basicsentencegrammar/a/grammarintro.htm"> http://grammar.about.com/od/basicsentencegrammar/a/grammarintro.htm.</a><br />
(They care a lot about grammar at the <i>NYT.)</i>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-4836603900987866222012-07-07T10:46:00.001-07:002012-07-07T10:47:27.080-07:00"A Short Attention Span"My essay "A Short Attention Span" appeared in <i>Monkey Puzzle #11</i>, which, unfortunately, was also the magazine's last issue. The essay appears in the paper edition but not as full-text on Monkey Puzzle's web site. Considering these facts, I think it's legit to display it on this blog. Here it is:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
A
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Lately,
I’ve been giving some thought to my short attention span. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
No,
I don’t think I have ADHD, or some other disorder. It’s just that when I read novels, I find
myself having this experience. I start a
well-reviewed, promising book, but then I lose interest. I think of myself as a discerning reader, but
these books either languish on my shelves or get returned to the library
unread. An example: Don DeLillo’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Falling Man</i>, a book that I still plan to read some day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
A
related experience is that, in the case of some authors, I enjoy their short
stories more than their novels. For
instance, I love William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and “A Rose for Emily” but
find his novels a hard slog. I also
count some of Joyce Carol Oates’ short stories among my favorites (e.g., “Heat,”
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”), though I have not read many of
her novels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I
seem to have lost patience with the journey, or the requirements for reading
most novels—the investment of time (and sometimes money, assuming a purchase
rather than putting my name on a reserve list at the public library), the side
excursions, digressions, subplots, and appreciation of any precious scenery
(any prolonged description of place, no matter how well written). This does not mean that I have lost my
interest in fiction. I just read it in a
more concentrated form—the short story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
I
subscribe to literary magazines that publish short stories, and I purchase or
borrow from the library, collections of short stories. As an editor of a literary magazine (full
disclosure), I read and evaluate many short stories. And I also write short stories myself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
My
personal experience leaves me wondering why it is that short stories do not get
read more widely and why some literary figures feel that the short story is an
endangered genre. After all, in an age
when people are pressed for time, the short story would seem to be a good choice
for people who need a quick dose of fiction.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
In
Alice Munro’s short story “Fiction,” Joyce, the main character, makes a sly
comment on the status of short stories: She
notices a woman who turns up at a party with a group of people accompanying her
stepson. She’s not sure she likes the
woman, but, upon finding out she is an author, Joyce buys a copy of her
book. Here are her thoughts about
it: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How Are We to Live</i> is a collection of
short stories, not a novel. This in
itself </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
is
a disappointment. It seems to diminish
the book’s authority, making the author </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
seem
like somebody who is just hanging on to the gates of Literature, rather than </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
safely
settled inside.” (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Too Much Happiness, </i>Alfred
A. Knopf, 2009<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">)</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Munro, a preeminent short story
writer who has been dubbed “Our Chekhov” by Cynthia Ozick, must have had fun crafting
that paragraph. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
As
editor of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Best American Short Stories 2007
</i>(Houghton Mifflin Company)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> Stephen
King colorfully and caustically describes in his introduction what he sees as
the sorry state of the short story. He
believes that the effect of a shrinking general audience for short stories is,
in too many cases, stories that are “show-offy rather than entertaining,
self-important rather than interesting, guarded and self-conscious rather than
gloriously open, and – worst of all – written for editors and teachers rather
than for readers.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
The
reasons for that are complicated, but certainly are due to marketing strategies
and the disappearance of the short story from popular magazines. King’s visual description of his
short-story-hunting expedition to his favorite mega bookstore says a lot about
what does and does not get attention from publishers and retailers. He walks “past the best sellers, past trade
paperbacks … past the mysteries, past the auto repair manuals, past the
remaindered coffee-table books” to face “the Wall of Magazines.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
There, he finds <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New Yorker</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harper’s Magazine </i>“while . . . still standing up.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
To find literary magazines, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zoetrope, Tin House, The Kenyon Review,</i>
and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">A</span>merican
Short Fiction, </i>he must “crawl along the magazine section’s last display
module … with [my] ass in the air and [my] nose to the carpet in order to
secure that month’s budget of short stories …” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
On
a superficial level, readers may see the short story as lacking the substance
of the novel because of its length (the “hanging onto the gates of Literature”
attitude), even though it could certainly be argued that a collection of short
stories involves more work and thought than a novel. This possibly has something to do with lack
of instruction in the short story. Other
than studying classics such as “The Telltale Heart” or “The Most Dangerous Game”
in a high school English class, many people have had little exposure to the
form. (And I do believe that a good
class is helpful in developing appreciation for the genre.) It may not cross their minds to seek out
contemporary short stories that could become tomorrow’s classics, and their
chances of encountering them in popular periodicals are slim.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Stephen
King’s prediction for the short story is fairly bleak: “Current condition stable, but apt to
deteriorate in the years ahead.” Well, I
hope not. So, after some thought and
research, I offer the following list of persons, places, things, and ventures
that are favorable to the health of the short story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span>Electronic Media. In December 2009, Amazon.com announced that it
would be selling <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Atlantic </i>short
stories for their electronic reader, the Kindle. These are stories that are too long for the
magazine to publish but not long enough to be novels. The Kindle is a product that is enjoying much
success. It gives short stories
publicity and an association with new technology. It says to the public that a short story is a
serious piece of writing with a monetary value ($3.19). More recently, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Electric Literature </i>publishes stories via eBook, Kindle, and
iPhone. Its mission is “to use new media
and innovative distribution to return the short story to a place of prominence
in popular culture.” Using the money
saved on printing, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Electric Literature </i>pays
$1,000 to five writers for each quarterly issue. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
2)
Libraries. Public libraries are
repositories of short story collections and browser delights. Browsers can find several editions of the
annual <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Best American Short Stories</i>
filed under “B” in the fiction section. They
may also find a collection of short stories by a novelist they’ve enjoyed and
decide to try it. Libraries have new
book displays that offer a variety of books, in contrast to book stores that
tend to place the best sellers in the more eye-catching displays, and
librarians often provide theme displays.
I discovered the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Noir</i> mystery
series (Akashic Books) in a display at my local public library. Another time, I counted three collections of
short stories on a “Staff Picks” display. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
3) The Internet. The Internet has possibilities for increasing
exposure to and interest in short stories.
The Library of America (<a href="http://www.loa.org/">www.loa.org</a>), a
nonprofit publisher, offers a “Free Story of the Week.” If you register at their site, you will
receive a short story in your email each week.
Their goal is “keeping in print, authoritative editions of America’s
best and most significant writing.” A
web site entitled “Classic Reader” (<a href="http://www.classicreader.com/">www.classicreader.com</a>)
offers full text of stories by writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Anton Chekhov,
and many others). Many literary
magazines are migrating to the net, offering excerpts or full-text of short
stories. Readers now have access to
stories previously hidden away in print journals. There are even blogs on short stories (where
authors vent their frustrations about the genre not getting the respect it
deserves).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
4)
Short stories as film or television productions. Probably the best known recent adaptation is
Annie Proulx’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brokeback Mountain. </i>Another recent film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Away From Her </i>is based on Alice Munro’s short story, “The Bear Came
over the Mountain.” When I taught a
course on the short story, I found excellent films at the public library to
show my students: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Paul’s Story </i>(Willa Cather), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Everyday
Things</i> (Alice Walker), and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Smooth
Talk</i> (based on Joyce Carol Oates’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Where
are You Going, Where Have You Been?). </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
5) Radio. PRI (Public Radio International) broadcasts <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Selected Shorts</i>, an award-winning series
of short fiction read by stars of stage and screen. Both classic and new stories are
included. The readings are recorded live
at New York’s Symphony Space<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>and
broadcast on NPR, which also offers a podcast.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
6)
Writers like Alice Munro. Why
Alice Munro? Well, she is known
primarily as a master of the short story.
She has published ten collections of stories, but only one novel. She also writes stories that have appeal to
both a literary and a general audience. And
her stories are focused more on women characters, and women are the biggest
consumers of fiction. (See NPR story re
the “fiction gap”: “Why Women Read More
than Men,” September 5, 2007.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
And
there are always people like me with “short attention spans” who seek out,
defend, and proselytize the short story.
Simply put, it is an elegant form of writing that merits more attention
and appreciation.<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">▪</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-36463313184648901052012-06-24T10:04:00.001-07:002012-06-24T10:08:28.789-07:00Check out my poem in <i><a href="https://dmdujour.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/barbara-kussow-smileys-people-precis-appreciation/">Danse Macabre</a>.</i><a href="https://dmdujour.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/barbara-kussow-smileys-people-precis-appreciation/"></a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-98196259088778042012-05-01T15:48:00.001-07:002012-05-01T15:48:49.490-07:00NYT blog article on writing<br />
One of a series of articles on writing in <i>The New York Times:</i> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/the-pleasures-and-perils-of-the-passive/?hp">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/the-pleasures-and-perils-of-the-passive/?hp</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-49011605962930080402012-02-22T10:23:00.000-08:002012-06-24T10:13:45.207-07:00Poem appeared in KALEIDOSCOPEMy poem "Elegy for my Daughter" appeared in <span style="font-style: italic;">Kaleidoscope</span>, #64, "Perspectives in Loss" issue:<br />
<a href="http://www.udsakron.org/uploads/art/15.pdf"><span style="font-style: italic;">Kaleidoscope</span></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-68104982407759167732011-11-25T11:49:00.000-08:002011-11-25T11:53:05.803-08:00The Day After Thanksgiving, a (humorous) essay<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> 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0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>It’s the day after Thanksgiving—“Black Friday,” as the media calls it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We are taking care of our three grandchildren—Natalie, age 8 (in 3 months), Zach, age 9 (in 2 months), and Dylan, age 11 (in 20 days).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Natalie and I have pie for breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have pumpkin with huge clouds of whipped cream—the kind that squirts from a can.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Natalie has Marie Callender razzleberry, a family favorite, without whipped cream.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She had four slices yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She will undoubtedly bargain for another piece after lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Good thing I baked two.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>The boys have not had pie, but I've found silver wrappers and ribbons from Hershey’s kisses lying around.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That was the dessert for non-pie lovers, and they have been sneaking candy from the freezer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Nathan, our autistic adult son, is foraging for food—his favorite pastime.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He loves pie, both kinds.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Mollie, our Lhasa-poo, is harassing Mikey, the kids’ tiger cat, and Mikey is inviting the harassment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Occasionally, they stop to sniff each other—curiosity overcoming the natural dog-cat animosity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Dylan runs through the house periodically, talking baby talk to Mikey and Molly (“M & M”).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He wavers between pre-teen cynicism and innocent joy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Zach, as usual, is entranced by a computer game, but makes a kitchen stop for grapes and a brief spat with Natalie.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(Who hit who first?)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Zach is getting along with Dylan today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He wavers between hero worship of and bitter disputes with Dylan, often about the Wii or other electronic games.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Natalie plunks the Christmas suggestion box on my half-solved crossword puzzle, insisting that I might want to read the contents.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She has put in a lot of suggestions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The boys haven’t put in any.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They are too busy with computer games.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Natalie is watching a show about women shopping for wedding dresses.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>(I worry that her interest in this program means that she will do something rash like get married at age 16.)<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She discusses the dresses with her grandpa.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I smile when I hear him give his opinion that one is too ruffled and frilly.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He walks into the kitchen and says, “I had planned to go to my office this morning—and here I am watching a show about dresses.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am relieved when Natalie abandons the show and demands a turn on the computer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>My husband takes Nathan for a walk, and then escapes to his office, leaving me as referee among opposing forces and unreliable guardian of candy and pie.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>At lunch, Dylan tells me a joke:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Dylan:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Grandma, you need to call a doctor for me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Me:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Why is that?</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:2"> </span>Dylan:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>My butt has a crack in it, and I need a new one.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Tell me this isn’t better than venturing out into the shopping hordes where crazy ladies might assault you with pepper spray.</p>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-87026531044260914672011-04-18T09:57:00.000-07:002011-04-18T10:31:03.007-07:00THE TRIGGERING TOWN by Richard Hugo<span style="font-style: italic;">The Triggering Town; Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing,</span> by Richard Hugo, was published in 1979. Hugo, a poet who won several honors and who directed the creative writing program at the University of Montana , died in 1982. Recently, I came across his book and found myself stimulated by his commentary on the writing process.<br /><br />Consider the following advice:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Once a spectator said, after Jack Nicklaus had chipped a shot in from a sand trap, "That's pretty lucky." Nicklaus is suppose to have replied, "Right. But I notice the more I practice, the luckier I get." If you write often, perhaps every day, you will stay in shape and will be better able to receive those good poems, which are finally a matter of luck, and get them down. Lucky accidents seldom happen to writers who don't work. You will find that you may rewrite and rewrite a poem and it never seems quite right. Then a much better poem may come rather fast and you wonder why you bothered with all that work on the earlier poem. Actually, the hard work on the first poem is responsible for the sudden ease of the second. If you just sit around waiting for the easy ones, nothing will come. Get to work.</span><br /><br />So, if you're like me and sometimes wonder why you spent two hours writing something that later seems less than stellar, Hugo's advice may provide the motivation to write without guilt about your unmade bed or your unmopped floor.BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-61898611763058034962010-12-15T06:56:00.001-08:002010-12-15T06:58:11.363-08:00January 2011 issue of Still Crazy<em>Still Crazy </em>will begin its fourth year of publication in 2011. The January issue will be out the first part of the month.BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-2000334073857118812010-12-03T17:26:00.000-08:002010-12-03T17:38:30.238-08:00American Life in PoetryAmerican Life in Poetry provides newspapers and online publications with a free weekly column featuring contemporary American poems. Sponsored by the Library of Congress, The Poetry Foundation, and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the project is an initiative of Ted Kooser, Poet Laureate of the United States, 2004-2006. The column's sole mission is to promote poetry. To receive American Life in Poetry via email, sign up on the web site: <a href="http://www.americanlifeinpoetry.org/">http://www.americanlifeinpoetry.org/</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-71989676610998412132010-12-03T17:17:00.000-08:002010-12-03T17:20:02.083-08:00W. S. Merwin named Poet LaureateFor news on poet laureates - past and present - go to the Library of Congress web site:<br /><a href="http://www.loc.gov/poetry/">http://www.loc.gov/poetry/</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447118650370427768.post-12020002266021864962010-11-09T07:01:00.000-08:002010-11-09T07:12:26.639-08:0079th Annual Writer's Digest placementBarbara Kussow's entry placed 27th in the top 100 in the Genre Short Story category of the 79th Annual Writer's Digest competition:<br /><a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/article/annualwinners79_genre">http://www.writersdigest.com/article/annualwinners79_genre</a>BJ Kussowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13891609084667196394noreply@blogger.com