Category Archives: books

reading 11.19.11

Posted on November 19, 2011 by

Although I note here what I intend to read and why I chose it, at the moment, here’s what I’m actually reading: 1 - The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I bought this hardback book … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, books, reading, reading lists | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

no place on earth

Posted on November 10, 2011 by

It’s difficult to think of anything other than the stunning crimson and gold leaves outside my windows. I have been doing too many other things lately. And I have come to the place where I need to set aside time … Continue reading →

Posted in books, character, fall, form, journeys, leaves, mfa, novels | Tagged | 8 Comments

outside my window-october 28

Posted on October 28, 2011 by

Matisse wrote, “To paint an autumn landscape I will not try to remember what colors suit this season, I will be inspired only by the sensation that the season arouses in me: the icy purity of the sour blue sky … Continue reading →

Posted in art, books, Columbus GA, fall, journals, leaves | Tagged , | 6 Comments

rearranging

Posted on September 16, 2011 by

I’ve been sitting too much–novel, lecture, mfa, Contrary, Hunger Mountain, facebook, email, bills, purchases, photos… I noticed that my running injury from last December got worse, not when I ran but, when I sat for 10 hours. I’d been looking … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, books, structure, writing | Tagged | 8 Comments

await your reply 2: nods

Posted on August 16, 2011 by

In the surprisingly interesting Reader’s Guide at the back of Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply, Chaon writes: As a writer, I feel like I’m always in conversation with the books that I’ve read. Yiyun Li, the author of The Vagrants, feels … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, books, Contrary, craft of writing, novels, stories, time | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

summer reading

Posted on July 21, 2011 by

Summer Contrary is online with new fiction, essays, and poetry, as well as reviews of these books : Poetry: Northerners by Seth Abramson Essays: Otherwise Known as the Human Condition by Geoff Dyer and A Journey with Two Maps by Eaven Boland … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Contrary, essays, my writing, novels, poetry, reading lists, reviews, stories | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

VCFA visuals #1: exhausted

Posted on July 8, 2011 by

Yesterday, I drove from Montpelier to Boston, flew from Boston to Atlanta, drove from Atlanta to Columbus, where I pulled into the driveway about 6:15 last night. I had big plans for today, but I’m just drifting from one thing … Continue reading →

Posted in accumulation, books, Columbus GA, journeys, mfa, the day | Tagged | 2 Comments

summer car trips

Posted on June 23, 2011 by

“When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said … Continue reading →

Posted in books, novels, reading | Tagged | 10 Comments

the writing life

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

For the last couple of months at Hunger Mountain, Claire Guyton, former Art +Life editor, and I have been working together to expand that section of the journal into The Writing Life. Here’s what’s up and coming at THE WRITING LIFE: 1) … Continue reading →

Posted in art, awards and prizes, books, craft of writing, essays, life, mfa, poetry, reviews, stories, writing, writing day | Tagged | 6 Comments

this won’t take but a minute, honey

Posted on May 24, 2011 by

If you haven’t visited the Harvard Book Store, take a minute and pop over there. Watch the shutters open and the store come to life. See what books fill their front windows. Click for a close-up; double click to look … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Contrary, essays, stories | Tagged | 9 Comments