Category Archives: Annie Dillard

october

Posted on October 8, 2010 by

In The Maytrees, Annie Dillard wrote, She herself hoped to paint, soberly, when she got old. In 2009, a week before I headed to Provincetown, I read in The Provincetown Banner that, at the age of 64, Annie Dillard was … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, art | Tagged , | 16 Comments

structure echoes content

Posted on May 30, 2010 by

Annie Dillard’s novel The Maytrees [spoiler alert], begins with a short prologue from a storyteller narrator who is hereafter rarely noticed. Its first sentence interestingly begins with the couple not the individuals: “The Maytrees were young long ago.” Although it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, form, life, structure | Tagged | 4 Comments

6 things I learned from annie dillard

Posted on May 28, 2010 by

On my second read of The Maytrees in four weeks, I’m slowly ingesting the writing. Here are six things I learned, or was reminded of, by reading Annie Dillard [spoiler alert]: 1) To add telling to showing with an unexpected … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, craft of writing | Tagged | 6 Comments

so this morning

Posted on May 27, 2010 by

So this morning, at the suggestion of a reader, I took myself outside before I did anything else. Up and out my driveway for a walk–to wake the mind and the body at the same time. Seventy-four degrees in Columbus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, Columbus GA, mfa, the day, writing day | Tagged | 12 Comments

the person underneath

Posted on May 22, 2010 by

Well I’m going to momentarily halt my attempt to reduce the number of books in my to-be-read piles and reread The Maytrees. Because I want to, she sings from the rooftops. In the comments to my first post on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, reading | Tagged | 5 Comments

the maytrees

Posted on May 14, 2010 by

Annie Dillard published her most recent book, The Maytrees, a novel, in 2007. The cover of the paperback has recessed letters that I can feel with my eyes closed and uneven pages that make me think the book was created … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, first sentences, novels, structure | Tagged | 19 Comments

the days cottages

Posted on March 14, 2010 by

In 2006, I went to Provincetown for the first time to take a workshop with Pam Houston at the Fine Arts Work Center. Each morning a twenty-minute walk to class took me parallel with the ocean on a cobblestone sidewalk, … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, journeys, Pam Houston, place | Tagged | 29 Comments

12 keys to stronger writing from Annie Dillard via Alexander Chee

Posted on October 21, 2009 by

On Friday, I read the essay “Annie Dillard and the Writing Life,” by novelist Alexander Chee who took a class from Annie Dillard in 1989. He writes, “By the time I was done studying with Annie, I wanted to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, craft of writing, dialogue, essays | Tagged | 25 Comments

summer reading II: story collections

Posted on June 2, 2009 by

With the intention of reading a story a night, a reader asked yesterday about story collections. I love that idea. No brand new collections to suggest, I’m afraid, but here are three great oldies: Women & Fiction, edited by Susan … Continue reading →

Posted in Annie Dillard, Carson McCullers, first sentences, reading lists, stories, Virginia Woolf | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

about a marriage

Posted on March 3, 2009 by

As I was reading Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, I felt as if I were looking through a peep-hole into another couple’s marriage.  An amazing feat since it’s written in the third person.  Listen to the inside of Frank’s head: … Continue reading →

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