Robert Jacoby's Blog, page 14
June 10, 2013
Interview over at Debra's Book Cafe
A new interview about my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes is online over at Debra's Book Cafe.
Check it out.
Check it out.
May 31, 2013
New poem published in Dead Flowers
A new poem was published in Dead Flowers. I'm especially pleased with this one because the guest editor selected just 12 poems in all, out of about 300 submissions. So I'm very glad that one of mine--In Light of Judgment--was among the few he selected.
Also, my poem is the first one in the issue, Vol. 1 No. 10, May 31, 2013.
So it's double yay.
Hope you enjoy In Light of Judgment: http://www.bohemianpupil.com/wordpres...
Also, my poem is the first one in the issue, Vol. 1 No. 10, May 31, 2013.
So it's double yay.
Hope you enjoy In Light of Judgment: http://www.bohemianpupil.com/wordpres...
May 25, 2013
Getting Back to Writing My Second Novel
I left off writing my second novel—Dusk and Ember—in 2007. Or 2009. I was about halfway through, as word counts go. I thought I was done with my first novel (
There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes
), and I was most definitely done with my first memoir-by-interview (
Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying
). Neither book was published, though. My life was in some upheaval, personally and professionally. Many things were unsettled. I started graduate school. I put the second novel away.
Fast forward to Fall 2012. The first two books are published and a collection of poems is coming along, thanks to a creative rediscovery. My master’s degree is completed. Now it’s time to re-visit that second novel.
But not just yet. All of Fall and into Winter 2013 are consumed with marketing that first novel, writing book bloggers to see if they’d like to review it, doing online interviews and writing a guest post or two. And also revising my second memoir-by-interview (tentatively titled Never Stop Dancing) so that it’s in shape to send to literary agents.
OK. Now it’s Spring 2013. Now I can pick up that second novel. And when I did ….
It’s great to be back writing a novel again. The ideas and words flow; I can’t stop them. It’s like they’ve been pent up all these years. And the novel itself? I’ve ripped into it, repurposing and sorting and sifting and revising, revising, revising. Working it until it feels good and right and proper. It feels good to jot notes. It feels good to key in corrections. It’s great to be back writing a novel.
Fast forward to Fall 2012. The first two books are published and a collection of poems is coming along, thanks to a creative rediscovery. My master’s degree is completed. Now it’s time to re-visit that second novel.
But not just yet. All of Fall and into Winter 2013 are consumed with marketing that first novel, writing book bloggers to see if they’d like to review it, doing online interviews and writing a guest post or two. And also revising my second memoir-by-interview (tentatively titled Never Stop Dancing) so that it’s in shape to send to literary agents.
OK. Now it’s Spring 2013. Now I can pick up that second novel. And when I did ….
It’s great to be back writing a novel again. The ideas and words flow; I can’t stop them. It’s like they’ve been pent up all these years. And the novel itself? I’ve ripped into it, repurposing and sorting and sifting and revising, revising, revising. Working it until it feels good and right and proper. It feels good to jot notes. It feels good to key in corrections. It’s great to be back writing a novel.
April 28, 2013
Interview and book giveaway at Sarcasm and Lemons book blog
The book blog Sarcasm and Lemons has posted my interview about "There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes". Read it here: http://www.sarcasmandlemons.com/2013/...
I had fun doing this one because some of the questions made me really think about why I wrote the novel, how I wrote the novel, and what I hope readers might get from it. I even go into the publishing background, working with agents at writer's workshops, that sort of thing.
There's a book giveaway, too, (for U.S. only) so if you missed out on the Goodreads giveaways, here is your second chance!
I had fun doing this one because some of the questions made me really think about why I wrote the novel, how I wrote the novel, and what I hope readers might get from it. I even go into the publishing background, working with agents at writer's workshops, that sort of thing.
There's a book giveaway, too, (for U.S. only) so if you missed out on the Goodreads giveaways, here is your second chance!
April 27, 2013
New poem published in Sleetmagazine
I have a new poem published in the Spring 2013 issues of Sleetmagazine. It was written a while back during a particularly difficult time.
The apocalypse in my mind
http://www.sleetmagazine.com/selected...
I am in good company in this issue of Sleetmagazine. Writers include a 4-time Pushcart Prize nominee.
The apocalypse in my mind
http://www.sleetmagazine.com/selected...
I am in good company in this issue of Sleetmagazine. Writers include a 4-time Pushcart Prize nominee.
April 4, 2013
Radio interview for my co-author John Robinette on BBC4
John Robinette, co-author of a book with me (Never Stop Dancing), was interviewed on BBC4 earlier this week. The (still-unpublished) book is a memoir, based on interviews that took place the year after John's wife, Amy Polk, was killed in a pedestrian traffic accident in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2010. John has already documented some of his journey at his blog, Hole in the Sun. We're still searching for a publisher for Never Stop Dancing, but we're feeling good about it.
His interview is about the "digital legacy" loved ones can leave behind.
John's interview on the BBC4 program is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rl5r4 and starts at about the 25:00 mark.
He wrote about his interview at his blog, Hole in the Sun: http://www.hole-in-the-sun.com/2013/0...
His interview is about the "digital legacy" loved ones can leave behind.
John's interview on the BBC4 program is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rl5r4 and starts at about the 25:00 mark.
He wrote about his interview at his blog, Hole in the Sun: http://www.hole-in-the-sun.com/2013/0...
March 31, 2013
Book review of The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
This is my first Richard Powers' novel (and it won't be my last). I picked it up because I've been wanting to read more recent American fiction (post-911). This book won the National Book Award in 2006 (contrary to what The New Yorker review states on the book's Amazon.com page) and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. I won't go into the plot; that's covered nicely on the book's Amazon.com or Goodreads pages. (At the Amazon page, click "See all Editorial Reviews" to expand that section.)
Let me say first how impressed I am with Mr. Powers' skill as a writer. As a poet and novelist, I can say that his word craft is superb. So is his ability to mix into his fictional world elements of other genres. Reading certain passages of The Echo Maker reminded me of reading Moby-Dick; here, Powers weaves in zoology (the cranes) and neurophysiology (Dr. Weber). In parts it was a very pleasurable and fascinating read. It tackles some of our most foundational questions: Who am I? And, How (and why) do I know who I say that I am? What he's done with the English language in this fiction is near poetic and, in moments, near epic.
The danger of this beautiful prose, though, is that you become entranced by it, both as a reader and as a writer. At times I was left wondering: where is the story here? who are these characters? At times while reading I felt like the brain-damaged Mark: "He just rode those sentences, their boxcar rhythm" (p. 50). It felt like that for me as I was reading, sometimes, and I wondered if Mr. Powers was winking at his readers there. I read this novel in several sittings, just riding the beautiful rhythms Mr. Powers laid out. It was a pretty journey, and I saw some fantastic scenery along the way, but the destination was not all it was cracked up to be. As the lady once remarked: "There is no there there."
Also, the novel sagged a bit under its own weight, and in the final hundred pages it felt repetitious. I did not find Karin, the sister, to be very believable. She just didn't feel right to me as a fully believable person. And I think this is only because Mr. Powers is a man, and he's writing a woman. That's a very difficult (if not impossible) thing to do, I think. Kudos to him for trying; it just doesn't work for me.
The story line jumps from character to character, intertwining, and sometimes feels like it's wandering a bit. The gorgeous writing pulled me along more than the development of the story or the development of the characters. Always in the story background, periodically bubbling up, is the mystery of who wrote the note (and why), and will Mark "heal"? The ending was a little bit of a letdown, just because the force and strength of what preceded it was so great. It was satisfying enough.
I can see why "the critics" enjoyed this book and heaped so much praise on it. Mr. Powers is "a writer's writer." The Echo Maker is filled with prose that is deep and rich and compelling; it stands among the finest fiction I've ever read. The story will make you think about what it really means to be "you", and who exactly those other "you's" around you are, or are not. Come along for the beautiful and unique ride, to feel the "boxcar rhythm" of the tracks Mr. Powers has set down for you. In the end, you just might find a different "you" waiting.
Let me say first how impressed I am with Mr. Powers' skill as a writer. As a poet and novelist, I can say that his word craft is superb. So is his ability to mix into his fictional world elements of other genres. Reading certain passages of The Echo Maker reminded me of reading Moby-Dick; here, Powers weaves in zoology (the cranes) and neurophysiology (Dr. Weber). In parts it was a very pleasurable and fascinating read. It tackles some of our most foundational questions: Who am I? And, How (and why) do I know who I say that I am? What he's done with the English language in this fiction is near poetic and, in moments, near epic.
The danger of this beautiful prose, though, is that you become entranced by it, both as a reader and as a writer. At times I was left wondering: where is the story here? who are these characters? At times while reading I felt like the brain-damaged Mark: "He just rode those sentences, their boxcar rhythm" (p. 50). It felt like that for me as I was reading, sometimes, and I wondered if Mr. Powers was winking at his readers there. I read this novel in several sittings, just riding the beautiful rhythms Mr. Powers laid out. It was a pretty journey, and I saw some fantastic scenery along the way, but the destination was not all it was cracked up to be. As the lady once remarked: "There is no there there."
Also, the novel sagged a bit under its own weight, and in the final hundred pages it felt repetitious. I did not find Karin, the sister, to be very believable. She just didn't feel right to me as a fully believable person. And I think this is only because Mr. Powers is a man, and he's writing a woman. That's a very difficult (if not impossible) thing to do, I think. Kudos to him for trying; it just doesn't work for me.
The story line jumps from character to character, intertwining, and sometimes feels like it's wandering a bit. The gorgeous writing pulled me along more than the development of the story or the development of the characters. Always in the story background, periodically bubbling up, is the mystery of who wrote the note (and why), and will Mark "heal"? The ending was a little bit of a letdown, just because the force and strength of what preceded it was so great. It was satisfying enough.
I can see why "the critics" enjoyed this book and heaped so much praise on it. Mr. Powers is "a writer's writer." The Echo Maker is filled with prose that is deep and rich and compelling; it stands among the finest fiction I've ever read. The story will make you think about what it really means to be "you", and who exactly those other "you's" around you are, or are not. Come along for the beautiful and unique ride, to feel the "boxcar rhythm" of the tracks Mr. Powers has set down for you. In the end, you just might find a different "you" waiting.
March 27, 2013
Guest Post (and Giveaway!) at My Seryniti Blog
I wrote a guest post for the My Seryniti blog. (There's a giveaway of a signed copy, too!) Thanks to Nova Reylin for the invite and encouraging words all the way through this. She was generous with space, which allowed me to explore some of my thoughts on why I wrote my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes, and why I wrote it the way I did.
It's funny, what starts to come out of you once you begin writing a novel, where you see pieces starting to fit in. It really is a process, working and re-working, and you never know where you'll end up after you start. Kind of like life.
It's funny, what starts to come out of you once you begin writing a novel, where you see pieces starting to fit in. It really is a process, working and re-working, and you never know where you'll end up after you start. Kind of like life.
March 16, 2013
Best Songs You've (Maybe) Never Heard of from Bands You've (Maybe) Never Heard of (Part 2)
The most recent playlist I've created for my ipod contains a mix of new (super new!) and old. Check them out. Just copy and paste into your search bar. And remember: support the artists if you appreciate their music! Buy their music; do NOT download it for free. They worked long and hard on their craft; show your appreciation. Now for the goodies:
Don't Look Down by Sparrow
More like a tiger, less like a dove by The Fiery Piano
A Small Slice of Heaven by The Lightning Seeds
Dream Machine (featuring sean hayes) by Mark Farina
N.Y.E. by Dinosaur Bones
Melt by Sunsailor (2,166 views on YouTube)
Stupid Things by Yo La Tengo
Rain by DJ Muggs
Living/Breathing by Mesita
Falling Free by Eivor
The Night Will Always Win by Elbow
Megan by The Albertans
Lullaby by Dark Mean
Hey Faggot by The Ropes
Manic by Whitfield
Keep Dreaming On by The Fiery Piano (42 views on YouTube; for a song this good? C'mon!)
Don't Look Down by Sparrow
More like a tiger, less like a dove by The Fiery Piano
A Small Slice of Heaven by The Lightning Seeds
Dream Machine (featuring sean hayes) by Mark Farina
N.Y.E. by Dinosaur Bones
Melt by Sunsailor (2,166 views on YouTube)
Stupid Things by Yo La Tengo
Rain by DJ Muggs
Living/Breathing by Mesita
Falling Free by Eivor
The Night Will Always Win by Elbow
Megan by The Albertans
Lullaby by Dark Mean
Hey Faggot by The Ropes
Manic by Whitfield
Keep Dreaming On by The Fiery Piano (42 views on YouTube; for a song this good? C'mon!)
February 26, 2013
Video review of There are Reasons Packed No Clothes
There's a great video review of There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes on the YouTube channel for proud2bb00kobsessed. Gaby does a great job of picking up some nuances of the novel, its pacing, how to read it, things like that. I think she did an outstanding job. She says she really enjoyed it and recommends it. Check it out!
Read her Goodreads review here if you like.
Read her Goodreads review here if you like.
