Clifford Garstang's Blog, page 146

Identifying with our Negative Scripts – Gentle on the Path « McKenna's Way

L. McKenna Donovan has an interesting project on her blog this week, in which she is exploring the "negative scripts" that get in our way. She's interviewing a number of writers, including me, and will have a number of posts as she examines the answers to a series of questions. Since this isn't something I've given a lot of thought to, I'm looking forward to the series.
Identifying with our Negative Scripts – Gentle on the Path « McKenna's Way

Writerday: Second Thursdays

SWAG Writers is trying something new: Writerday. This Thursday, October 14, we'll gather at Mockingbird in Staunton to talk about writing, or whatever.

6:00pm - 8:00pm.

Join us if you can.

Howard Jacobson wins Man Booker Prize

Jacobson wins Booker for The Finkler Question.

Maria Thomas Fiction Award

I've already commented about this great honor that my book and I received this year, but the certificate just arrived in the mail and that gives me an excuse to mention it again.

I received the 2010 Maria Thomas Fiction Award from Peace Corps Writers for my linked collection of stories, In an Uncharted Country.

Previous winners of the award have included Paul Theroux, Kent Haruf, Norm Rush, Joanne Omang, Bob Shachochis, Marnie Mueller, Richard Wiley, and Mark Brazaitis.

I'm honored to be added to that list.

Booker Prize

And the Booker goes to . . .

We don't know yet. It will be announced today. Betting is heavily in favor of Tom McCarthy's novel C.

In the meantime, here's the shortlist.

James River Writers Report--Day 2

The second day of the James River Writers Conference was just as packed as the first. It began with the "first pages critique" in which writers submit the first pages of novels which are then read aloud to the audience. Three agents on the panel--Michelle Brower, Melissa Sarver, and Lucy Carson--then offered a critique. It's a very instructive exercise--probably horrifying for the "contestants"--but it's a clear demonstration of what works and what doesn't. Mostly what doesn't. Mostly I agreed with the agents, although the insistence of all three agents that the first page be an action-oriented scene doesn't completely resonate. I understand what they're looking for, but I think of Richard Bausch's craft lecture at Sewanee this summer in which he talked about the "art of exposition" and argued that we would do well to look at the beginnings of Dickens and Tolstoy novels to see the beauty of another approach. But overall this was a very informative panel.

Next I attended a panel on the legal and tax issues faced by a professional writer. Mostly what was discussed I knew, although I did pick up a few tips, and it was interesting to hear about the experience of the panelists.

After lunch I went to the panel on literary journals. Again, not much new here for me, but it was fun to hear Silas House talk about the new Appalachian magazine of which he is the fiction editor.

I had planned to attend "Publicity through Social Media" but the room was packed, so I gave myself an hour off before the conference wrapped up with an on-stage interview of Charles Shields by Dean King. He talked about his biography of Harper Lee and his forthcoming biography of Kurt Vonnegut. Fascinating subjects.

And then we came to the end, which was a very nice party at the Kent-Valentine House, a gorgeous home dating from 1845.

A terrific conference, and I am honored to have been part of it!

Report from James River

It's been a busy couple of days. I drove down to Richmond on Thursday morning in order to participate in the first "pre-conference" workshops that James River Writers has offered. I think it was successful--both the query workshop and the short story workshop, which I led, were filled (in fact mine was over-subscribed, somehow) and the feedback I've received has been quite positive. My topic was, ostensibly, how to "create a world" in a short story, but really it was a short course in short story writing. I enjoyed doing it, and I think the participants enjoyed it, too.

Then last night we had a wonderful party for presenters and other invited guests. Good food, great people, beautiful house. A nice "kick off" for the conference (although, of course, I'd gotten a head start in the afternoon).

The conference proper began this morning with some inspirational poetry (Invitation to Write!) followed by lots of panels. I heard one panel talk about the challenges of writing in multiple genres and another about freelance writing. Then, after lunch, it was my turn--I was on two panels. The first was Character 101 and it was so popular we needed to move to a different room. Then I was on Mastering the Short Story, a topic I don't think we could ever do justice to. Both went well, I think. The final session of the day was a plenary session about the relationships among writers, agents, and editors. I thought the panelists did a really good job with that, and I haven't seen the subject presented in quite that way before.

Right now I'm standing by for another party . . . and I'm looking forward to another full day tomorrow!

Mario Vargas Llosa wins Literature Nobel

At least it's someone I've heard of and have read . . . some. Read about the prize here: Vargas Llosa wins Nobel. And here's the story in the New York Times.

James River Writers Conference

I'm off to Richmond today for the kickoff of the James River Writers' Conference. I attended a few years ago as a participant and thought it was terrific--very well organized, and in a wonderful venue, The Library of Virginia--and so when I was asked to be a presenter this year, I jumped at the chance.

Not only am I on a couple of panels on Friday (I think they gave me Saturday off), I'm also one of two presenters holding workshops today. One of the workshops is given by Michelle Brower, and agent, and that was a hot ticket, as I understand it. (I might have signed up for that one myself!) My workshop is more focused on craft, as we'll talk about how to create a world in a short story.

The conference proper begins tomorrow morning and features talks by such fantastic writers as Silas House, Charles Todd, Charles Shields, Jacqueline Woodson, Mike Olmert, and a whole lot of other terrific writers..

I'm looking forward to it!

SWAG Reading Series

On September 29, about 30 Staunton-area residents gathered at the Darjeeling Café for a night of poetry and prose readings and a sneak preview of the Café's new location at 103 West Beverley. Hosted by SWAG Writers—that's the Staunton-Waynesboro-Augusta Group of Writers, the local wing of the Blue Ridge Writers Club—the event featured local author Janet Lembke and visiting poet Todd F. Davis. Also on hand was Carey McCallum from The Sacred Circle to sell the readers' books.
Lembke has published 18 books, including several essay collections and translations, most dealing with the natural world. Her most recent book, Because the Cat Purrs , is about human relationships with other species—cats (of course), chickens, morning glories, turtles, and many others. Davis is the author of three collections of poetry, most recently The Least of These , published by Michigan State University Press. His work is also focused on the natural world.
Lembke kicked things off by reading an introduction to her cats that appear in her book, and then also read sections about groundhogs and other local wildlife. Davis then read—mostly from his most recent book and an earlier collection, Some Heaven , but he admitted that he changed what he had planned to read because of Lembke's selections. In response to her groundhog story, Davis read a woodchuck poem. And because of her comments about deer, Davis read one of his deer poems.
Following the readings, both authors engaged with the audience about a range of subjects, from the craft of writing to the ins and outs of publishing.
Known for hosting literary events and book clubs, the Darjeeling Café's new location—which boasts a stage in the center of its east wall—seemed ideal for this event. SWAG, which was formed earlier this year by a group of local writers, announced plans to continue the reading series and also hold open mic nights for writers in the near future.