I’m a writer, but whenever I visit my friend Nancy Selvin’s ceramics studio, I wonder whether I’d rather be working with something more tangible than words and ideas — like clay.
On Writing & Reading
Here you'll find author profiles as well as mini – and not-so-mini – book reviews. I’m a writer who loves to talk about writing, so if you like to write I hope you’ll stop by now and then for some writing tips and to chat about the writing life.
The Writing Room: Heather Donahue and Me – How I Got Hooked on a Pothead
I bought Heather Donahue’s book about marijuana farming, "Grow Girl," because she’s a writer friend of a writer friend of mine. This is what happened.
Sam Lamott Couldn’t Make It, but Anne Arrived With a Bouquet of Bons Mots
Sam Lamott was too busy being an art student and the father of a 2-year-old to show up at a book signing for “Some Assembly Required,” the book he wrote with his mother, the best-selling author Anne Lamott. But Anne was present and had pithy things to say about writing — and being the mother of a 22-year-old father. Read more.
Purple Bearded Irises — Close Up and (Very) Personal
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An iris blossom close up. Purple. Photo by Barbara Newhall[/caption]
An iris blossom close up. Purple. Photo by Barbara Newhall[/caption]
There’s a heck of a lot of erotica going on inside an iris blossom. Stamen. Pistel. Haft. Claws. And, of course, those fuzzy, caterpillar-like beards. Read more.
The Writing Room: My Flesh Is Weary — Too Much Book-Writing, Not Enough Yoga
Can you guess who wrote this? “Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” Hint: The writer’s been dead for at least two millenniums. Read more.
To Finish My Book I Need a Muslim Woman With a Story to Tell
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Berkeley CA artist Salma-Arastu with her painting “Expansion of the Universe.” Photo by BF Newhall[/caption]
Berkeley CA artist Salma-Arastu with her painting “Expansion of the Universe.” Photo by BF Newhall[/caption]
I still need to find myself a few more people to interview for my book. A nice, talky Muslim woman, for one. Read more.
Ahead of the Curve on a Hot New Trend — Storytelling
Check out this article in Monday’s New York Times on the storytelling classes being offered all around the Big Apple. Looks like Jeff Greenwald’s storytellers are ahead of the cultural curve. Read more.