Carissa Halston's Blog, page 8

Happy new year

It’s 2013. I just got home from a party where I saw friends that I haven’t seen in months. We got to talk–really actually talk–and I felt supported and comfortable because I was in a room where people genuinely cared about each other.

Spending most of the year reading and writing often creates a gap between me and the rest of the world. Silence tends to accrue. Seeing people sometimes helps. Tonight, it helped considerably. I talked to my friend, Nicole, about working at home. We agreed that it makes home feel less like a place where you can relax. So, when Randolph and I got back, I made my reading space a little cozier. It feels newer. It feels like a place that will be there when I need it.

It makes the future seem more welcoming.

In 2012, I read 32 books. Five fewer than 2011. Randolph and I have decided to read at least one book together every weekend in 2013. That means by the end of the year, we’ll have read at least 52 books each. It feels nice to have a goal.

I always find it funny that End of the Year book lists occur before the end of the year. It makes me think that everyone stops reading in early December. I’m not going to list my top books, but I will say that I read a lot of books in 2012 by people I know, either authors I’ve met in a professional capacity or those who are closer friends. Among those, the books that touched me most, that made me feel closer to the authors, even closer than I already was, were Elisa Gabbert’s The French Exit and Michael Kimball’s Big Ray. I know Elisa better than I know Michael, but both books moved me for similar reasons. They’re books about isolation and disappointment. The French Exit explores a feeling that is like regret, but tangled up in a moment’s or relationship’s original potential. It’s nostalgic for what could have been. It’s a lonely, chestpunch of a book. Big Ray got to me for a dozen personal reasons, but it also delved into what we’re forced to give up when we grieve. When we lose someone, whether that loss is positive or negative, we also lose peace of mind and a piece of ourselves. I’ve had conversations with Michael about what he did, technically, in order to craft such a delicately beautiful book, but they’ve got an academicky bent, so suffice it to say that the form is as monumental as the story, though subtle enough that you won’t notice its force until it’s overtaken you.

I’d like to read more books in 2013. If you’re like-minded (and I imagine you are, considering you’re here reading this text) and looking for recommendations, here are some of the books I read this year that you’d probably enjoy:

The French Exit by Elisa Gabbert

Big Ray by Michael Kimball

We Take Me Apart by Molly Gaudry

The Pale King by David Foster Wallace

We, the Animals by Justin Torres

The Arsenic Lobster by Peter Grandbois

Flatland by Edwin Abbott

Here’s to 2013.

An interview, a nomination, and a book giveaway

I’ve spent the past two Januarys careening toward apt deadlines–proofing, sending PDFs to contributors, fixing, refixing, etc. This is happening earlier than usual–i.e., now–only more slowly, more sanely. We’re working on the last of the last and we’ll send the final proofs to the printer this week.

Since I’m ahead of the game, I’m spending the last week of 2012 reading. I hope you have time to do the same. If not, don’t worry–my news is brief.

To continue along the Things You Don’t Have Time to Read vein, there’s an interview that Randolph and I did over at Brian Bahouth’s website. We featured Brian’s story, “Evinrude,” in apt‘s inaugural print annual (I can’t believe that was two years ago already) and he’s been kind enough to follow our progress ever since. So follow the link and listen as we talk about writing and apt and design and Literary Firsts and the many other ways we fill our time.

The kind editors at Newfound have nominated my short story, “Sacramento, 2006,” for a Pushcart Prize. They’re doing great things with the redesign/relaunch of their site and I’m humbled to have work in their pages, as it were. If you can, make time to check out their new issue, which includes fiction by Diana Abu-Jaber, Amelia Gray, and Chris Schacht.

And, as we veer back toward things that you’ll hopefully make time to read–emphasis on hope–I’m giving away three copies of The Mere Weight of Words at Goodreads. It doesn’t get better than free books.

On that note, I leave you with a photo of my T-shirt.

Check me out:

PEN New Members/New Books Party

Last Wednesday, Randolph and I attended PEN’s annual New Members/New Books party.

When I saw Mere on display with all the other books, I pointed and let my mouth hang open, like a kid on her first trip to the zoo. I was delighted to see my book both in captivity and also (sort of) in the wild.

Randolph went to get a drink. I wandered around and my attention was caught by a laptop on the bottom shelf of a cart where, again, I saw Mere’s familiar face. I was less delighted and more confused. Then, I looked up and Mere was on the wall, possibly as tall as I was. The display was part of a slideshow of all the covers from new books published by PEN Members this year.

It was surreal and funny and made me feel a little drunk.

I was happy to be at the party, not just because I had a new book out this year, but because PEN funds a great number of integral programs, including the Prison Writing program, the Writers’ Emergency Fund, and the World Voices Festival (among many, many others). I was also a little overwhelmed and more than a little impressed. powerHouse Arena, the venue, had suffered over $10,000 in damages due to Hurricane Sandy. It was in great shape.

Also, a little nervewracking, here’s a sampling of the writers who I saw and wanted to talk to, but didn’t (either because they were busy talking to someone else and I didn’t want to interrupt or because I felt nervous): Fiona Maazel, Marie-Helene Bertino, Leigh Newman, and Elinor Lipman. Writer I found out was there after we had already left: Matt Dojny. Writer whose hair I complimented and didn’t know who she was at the time: Megan Gilbert.

And a photo I didn’t take (rather, it was taken by a photographer named Beowulf Sheehan), but which I’m in, looking silly and kind of old:

Photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan

Redesign for apt and a reminder about generosity

I am so happy about the apt redesign, I can barely sit still. Go look at it. It’s okay–I’ll wait.

Isn’t it pretty?

After you see it on your computer, you should go look at it on your fancy phone. If you don’t have a fancy phone, ask a friend or an approachable stranger if you can borrow theirs. Tell them it’s for literary reasons.

Did you see it? Isn’t that crazy? It’s compatible with your phone! Ceaseless wonders!

Okay, on to the generosity. Today is (was) Giving Tuesday. In an effort to combat Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is a day when you donate money to charity or an organization you really like. It’s a time to show your support in a financial way. I said it recently–I know, money is tight right now–but there are tons of organizations that could use your support.

Here are a few I particularly like:

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (or CBLDF) fights to protect artists and writers of graphic stories (I mean that in the both the pictoral and “mature readers” sense) from censorship. They have great rewards for your donations, but the best reward would be knowing you helped someone create something in the way they wanted, unhindered by the limitations that someone with authority might place on their medium (or media for those extra-talented writers-pencillers-inkers out there).

Doctors Without Borders. Healthcare is a huge issue in wartorn countries due to race, politics, and religion. The crew at Doctors Without Borders provides “medical aid to those most in need regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation.” This is direly important work. Give what you can.

Literacy for Incarcerated Teens or LIT. Like I need to tell you this: literacy is important. It’s important that kids learn how to read. It’s important that young adults continue to read. It’s important that adults are encouraged to read, too. It is especially important that readers encounter challenging work that makes them think critically about not only their lives (and their interaction with other people) but about life in general because critical thought helps society en masse. What’s great about LIT is it reaches out to young readers who are in a difficult situation and reminds them that nothing is insurmountable. They’re centered in NY and they specifically work with teens incarcerated in New York’s juvenile facilities. These are kids that might otherwise be forgotten. Kids who have a lot of time to think. Help them have something healthy to think about.

Okay, that’s the end of my little pitch. There are literally thousands of charities you could donate to. And don’t forget about my offer–those literary journals take donations! And you even get a live reading for donating. So give generously. Even if it’s not to a lit journal or to me or to any of the charities I mentioned. Give what you can because it’ll make a difference to someone who needs it.

An offer to you in exchange for your decision to support a lit mag (or two)

Earlier this year, I had two stories published, one in Newfound (formerly Precipitate) and the other in Consequence. They were the second and third parts of a three-part story. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to place part one, but I’m thrilled to announce that the first part is in the most recent issue of The Massachusetts Review, which can be purchased here. The story is called “On Tender Hooks” and it’s part of a project I’ve been working on since 2008. I’m honored to have the final (yet first) piece in such a great publication.

Also, my short story, “Hera,” is in the latest issue of Curbside Splendor. The story takes place in Chicago and since the city and setting are an important part of the narrative, I’m delighted to have it appear in CS (as they’re based out of Chicago). You can buy the latest issue here.

Surely, if you’ve read this far, you’re wondering what the offer I allude to in the subject line is. It’s pretty simple–I know that it’s the holiday season. I know that there’s only so much money to go around. I know it’s hard to spend money on something that doesn’t have an immediately obvious return. So I want to give you more than a story. I want to give you the incentive to not just support these literary journals (and me), but to support the work of every writer whose work appears in these issues. Here’s my offer: If you buy a copy of one (or more!) of these lit journals (Consequence, The Mass Review, or Curbside Splendor) or if you make a donation to any of the journals where my work has appeared (or will appear) this year (any of the publications above, as well as Fourteen Hills, Newfound, The Collagist, The Good Men Project, Little Fiction, or Untoward), I’ll make a date with you (via phone, Google Hangout, Skype, or, if you’re in the Boston area, in person) and I will read you my contribution to the issue. Not only that, I’ll read another story in the issue, entirely of your choice. My reason for this offer is two-fold:

1/I know a lot of writers. I know what we do. We buy publications our friends are in, read our friends’ work, pat our friends’ backs for their jobs well done, and rarely read the rest of the issue. I want to encourage you to not only read/support my writing, but read more from the journals who take a chance on my work.

2/Reading another writer’s work aloud is an endorsement. It’s a way to discover different takes on a narrative. It’s a way to find the layers that exist within every story. It’s a way to take part in literature, which (believe it or not) is a communal artform.

To redeem your reading, all you need to do is e-mail me a picture of yourself with the journal in question. If you’ve made a donation, we’re going on the honor system here (because I trust you to be grown-ups). Either way, e-mail me (carissa AT aforementionedproductions DOT com) and we’ll iron out reading details. Regardless of which journal you decide to read/support, know this: I want you to take me up on this offer. I want you to help me make our collective holidays a little more literary (and a lot more interactive). Think of it as an Adopt A Literary Journal program or a Support A Writer program. Definitely think about it in terms of how happy you’ll make the writers who decide to look up their names in their search engines of choice to find me blabbing about how great they are. And, most importantly, think about the possibility that you might discover a new favorite writer.

From Percival Everett

A friend sent me this quote today. It reminded me of Mere, but also of the book I’m working on now, wherein my protagonist questions just about everything, including the relevance of meaning.

“It’s incredible that a sentence is ever understood. Mere sounds strung together by some agent attempting to mean some thing, but the meaning need not and does not confine itself to that intention. Those sounds, strung as they are in their peculiar and particular order, never change, but do nothing but change. Even if grammatical recognitions are crude, meaning is present. Even if the words are utterly confusing, there is meaning. Even if the semantic relationships are only general or categorical. Even if the language is unknown. Meaning is internal, external, orbital, but still there is no such thing as propositional content. Language never really effaces its own presence, but creates the illusion that it does in cases where meaning presumes a first priority.” — Percival Everett, Erasure

Beyond a demographic

In light of last night’s election (the outcome for which I’m so grateful–Tammy Baldwin, Elizabeth Warren, 3 out of 4 of the equal marriage initiatives, and of course, the re-election of President Obama), I’m already hearing talk about how the Republican party needs to change. How they’re just a demographic. Yes, they need to change. But this is more than an issue of demographics (old, white, wealthy men vs. everyone else). I wonder how much of this had to do with the voting public’s willingness to seek out the truth. With so much information more readily available, mostly due to technology, voters are more likely to spot inconsistencies in any given politician’s rhetoric, rather than believing whatever they’re told the first time.

The thing that made me angriest throughout the GOP campaign was the very obvious deceit. Romney’s lies about Obama’s track record, as well as Romney’s inconsistency on nearly every issue, was dizzying. However, while that sort of spin might have worked as recently as twelve years ago–before there were off-the-record statements being made public due to the ease with which nearly everyone can record just about anything–it is now much easier to see a politician’s bias (professional and otherwise) or, in the case of this election, to reveal that Republican politicians are generally oblivious to the struggles of regular Americans, struggles having to do with class, race, and gender. Struggles that define life for people who can’t afford immense privilege (in other words, the rest of us). As a result, refuting the lies that Republicans were so eager to tell comes off not as partisanship, but as sensible behavior. Look at the way Obama and his staff crafted his campaign, most notably with Romnesia. Very simply, it pointed to Romney’s unreliability by citing his inconsistent claims. As a result, Romney came off as dishonest. And he dug himself into a hole at every turn. Even more important though is to examine the campaigns that were not endorsed by Obama. The liberal platform that pointed out so many of the implausible, admittedly stupid, things Romney was saying. The campaign relied upon celebrities to get attention, but they really could have had anyone standing up and saying the same facts, under the helm, “Actually…” Its very name speaks to the correction of lies passed off as truth.

That the Republicans presented information that was so easily refuted, either by dint of previous statements publicly made (see: Romney’s sound bytes about Detroit) or by citing the actual facts (see: Obama’s actual track record–he didn’t raise taxes, he bought troops home, he didn’t make gun laws any more restrictive…) raises questions about why Republican voters wouldn’t question the politician who is supposedly representing them. These voters either believed the GOP’s lies or they didn’t care enough to speak up about their doubts, a decision born of indifference, to be sure, but also speaking to the xenophobic, racist, homophobic and self-centered views that are very often associated with the Republican party. I am not saying that all Republicans share those views. I am, however, saying that Republican voters who disagree with such sentiments are rarely heard from. So, I don’t believe it’s happenstance that those same voters fall within the swath of the population associated with people who refuse to accept the ways in which our world is changing. They deny climate change as a real threat with dire consequences; they cannot accept that bipartisanship is the way we must move forward; they think binary systems (gay marriage vs. straight marriage, Republican vs Democrat) are the only options. But if they just stopped to use the technology available to them, they would see that they have access to information outside of what they think they already know. They might learn about the ways in which other people live. They might learn that the poor struggle in order for the middle class to get by. They might learn that there is no single correct definition for the word “family.” They might learn that the other ways in which people live is in no way threatening to their own. They might learn, in fact, that a society wherein all people are valued for their contributions to it is richer for those contributions, both financially and culturally.

The voters who think critically about these issues are the same voters who take it upon themselves to question the information they’re receiving, regardless of the source. That so many of those voters are NOT aligned with the party that is, by and large, comprised of old, wealthy, white men should be a sign to Republicans (and conservatives in general) that they need to reassess where their priorities lie. The public wants transparent government. Until we get it, the politicians who think they can be elected by an unthinking, complacent population of voters who will wait to be spoon-fed details on how to live—in other words, the politicians who are out of touch—will also be the politicians who are out of work.

 

90,877 words

This draft is complete.

So many plans for the next one. And already thinking about the one after that.

Writing books: long-term investment.

In semi-related news, I looked up “writer” in the old Webster’s dictionary in the house where I’m staying and found that “writeress” and “writerling” used to be words. I looked up both in a recently published dictionary and, thankfully, neither have survived. All the same, I wonder how “writeress” was pronounced. If it was writer-ess or write-ress (for the latter, think “waitress”).

Research

I’ve done more research for this book than anything else I’ve ever written. But I will honestly miss it when I’m done because I keep finding ridiculous things like this:

Fresh Furniture and Focal Points

I keep misreading Lu’s as Lust because the apostrophe looks like it’s part of his wrist and his belt looks like a T. Lobster Lust makes for a very different interpretation of this scene. Speaking of, when I see anything that looks like it might be in a series of panel, it makes me read it like a comic, and I’m wondering how Scott McCloud would categorize the passage of time between these two panels–subject to subject? Aspect to aspect? Scene to scene? I’d say non sequitur were it not for the frame.

Things I Would Do If I Had More Free Time

Whenever I’m at home by myself, I wind up wasting a ton of time when I really should be working. Like the time I watched the entirety of a TV show I hadn’t seen in 13 years over the course of four days (now that I own the DVD set, I’ve only watched a handful of episodes–hmm). I also wind up forgetting to eat, so I’ll be a lethargic mass on the bed/chaise/rug. Then, after peeling myself off the ground and eating a bowl of cereal, I usually run around outside.

But!

I’m not at home right now.

I’m in someone else’s home (Sort of. No one actively lives here expect people who show up for days or weeks at a time to finish projects. My project is the current draft of Conjoined States–two chapters to go. Actually, that’s debatable, but I only have two more chapters left to revise. I might write others) and, because there are really no other distractions, I can actually get some work done.

But, now that my work is done for today, I’ve skipped to the running around stage. But it’s nighttime, so I can’t run around outside. Instead, I’m distracting myself with things that I’d probably do if I regularly had free time.

I’d probably watch a lot of live versions of songs that I love.

Like Eleni Mandell’s Nickel-Plated Man.

Or Carissa’s Wierd’s They’ll Only Miss You When You Leave.

I’d also give up after unsuccessfully trying to find a live version of The National’s All Dolled Up in Straps.

Then I’d watch music videos for Gotye songs that aren’t Somebody That I Used to Know.

Like this music video that makes me think of the offspring of Labyrinth and Princess Mononoke would look like.

Or this music video that’s like Peter Gabriel and the internet having a baby (I especially love the PacMan shot at 1:59).

I’d also take a photo of my sweater.

And then I’d probably go make a video (forthcoming).

That reminds me. I’ve started a daily video series called This Is an Experiment. Each experiment features me reading single pages from stories and novels I’ve never read before.

For those of you who have heard/seen me read, I think you can vouch that I’m professional about it. I rehearse beforehand and I like to go in looking like I know what I’m doing.

That is not what this series is about.

This is about me reading work I’ve never read before. So I’m flubbing lines and mispronouncing words and screwing up and laughing.

I only do one take. And then I give it to you.

So, join me.