Saskia Hamilton (1967- 2023) was my teacher when I was a student at Columbia. She was on the faculty at Barnard, and one of the first classes I took was her Poetics, a lecture of about thirty students. A couple years later, I took her Advanced Poetry Writing seminar. Can I start by saying I…
Tag: Writing
Yentl, Tragedy, and the Unanswerable Question
“Yentl” is my favorite short story. Sort of. Let me explain. There’s a joke that the question a reader/writer hates most is also the most frequently asked: “what’s your favorite book.” Or “what’s your favorite short story?” It’s such a personal question. The answer has everything to do with who I am deep down; who…
Ties that Bind
I’m going to tell you the story Da told me, and he says he got it from his own Da, Bill Verling. I don’t remember him – he died when I was about two – but Da swears up and down that Granda always spoke about what he saw that night in awe. Granda wasn’t…
“When the Future Appears”
Remember, the time of year when the future appears like a blank sheet of paper -Jackie Kay “Promise” “Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes…” -Rent “Seasons of Love” Theater kids, or at least theater kids of a certain age know exactly how much time that is. Maybe you know even if you weren’t…
The Story Behind the 2 Rules of Writing
A lot has been going on at the website in the last few weeks. We took on an intern, Blossom Akpojisheri of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. We’re sorting things out with a photo editor, Allegra Boverman. And the website became financially self-sustaining. It’s a lot to celebrate all at once. Considering Erika and I founded this…
TED Talks and Writing and Bowels
One of the issues with writing is that people always compare themselves to the rest of the world. It’s understandable to read a short story by Hemingway; to admire the master-class in compression and repression; and think to yourself: “I could never write like that.” That’s an easy way to score points against yourself. Because…
Tears (The Pearl Collector 3)
“Take care. Goodbye.”The airline was cancelled. I was thinking as if the typhoon knew what I was hoping for: to delay his departure, as late as possible. I hate seeing people off because I hate goodbye. But now I always insist on seeing people off, because I have missed it once, and I don’t want…
Catching Up With Poetry
Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? We did. And we’ve been celebrating it joyfully as part of our annual 30 Days, 30 Poems project. Oh So That’s Where You’ve Been All Month. But Why? We love poetry here. It’s no secret. We know there’s something magical about finding a poem that feels…
Are you Sincere? (Like the Wind #3)
1: The Incorrigible Writer Gavin: I’m told I need a hook at the beginning of my delivery to get the reader in. But, I don’t like fish nibbling my toes much. And readers that are hooked want to blame the whole journey on the fisherman. I much prefer to think of a reader as an…
They Say (New Poetry from Laura Viau)
We’ve featured a poem from Laura Viau before, and we’re glad to feature her again. We’re also excited to tell you that we’ll be bringing you more regular contributions from her over the next few months. Welcome (again) Laura. We’re so glad you’re here with us. They Say It sounds like a trainin the same…