Clifford Garstang's Blog, page 166

Kind Words for In an Uncharted Country

Gibson's Bookstore's Deb Baker has nice things to say about In an Uncharted Country in this post on her book blog, Bookconscious.  (You have to scroll down pretty far to get to the part about me, but I recommend you read the whole thing because there's lots of good stuff about other books, too.) Here's part of what she has to say:

I enjoyed the way Garstang wove different generations' stories together. I especially liked the way "Flood, 1978," "The Hand Painted Angel," and "The Red Peony,"...

LitMag Tease

So, Shenandoah is going online. TriQuarterly is going online. Well, I'm going online, too. We haven't made a formal announcement yet, but I'm involved in the new literary magazine that will be published by Press 53. Stay tuned for more information, forthcoming very soon!

Shenandoah to Move Online

This comes as something of a surprise to me, given that Shenandoah, the Washington & Lee Review, has until now resisted accepted electronic submissions, but I've just learned that in 2011 the magazine will cease its print publication and become a web-only magazine. The announcement from R.T. Smith puts a brave face on the change, but to me it doesn't sound good. As talented as WLU students are, I'm not sure I like the sound of them participating in the editorial process, as Smith says they wi...

Andrew's Book Club March Selections

This month Andrew picks two books I own (or have already ordered) and one that also sounds interesting for Andrew's Book Club. The "big house" pick is Brad Watson's Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives, which I'm really looking forward to reading. (I reviewed "Visitation" from this book when it appeared in The New Yorker: here.)

The "indie" pick is Darlin Neal's Rattlesnakes and the Moon, from Press 53 (the publisher of my own book, In an Uncharted Country). Can't wait for this one to arrive!

And...

Fifty-Two Stories

A "fiction delivery service"? Okay. Whatever. Fifty-Two Stories looks pretty interesting, whatever you call it. This week the service is delivering fiction from Kyle Minor: The Truth and All its Ugly

The New Yorker: "Ask Me If I Care" by Jennifer Egan

Just two months ago, The New Yorker published "Safari," an excerpt from Jennifer Egan's forthcoming novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad. It was good, although it didn't quite work as a story, and most people I know liked it. This is another excerpt from the same novel that also doesn't quite work as a story. It's also very good, and I'm guessing people will like this one, too. In "Safari," Lou goes to Africa with his very young girlfriend. Here, Lou is in San Francisco, having sex with Jocelyn...

Book Tour: New England

Hard on the heals of my recent Chicago trip comes a Spring Break visit to New Hampshire for three book events.

First, I'll be reading at Gibson's Bookstore in Concord at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 11.

On Friday, March 12, at 7:00 pm, I'll be at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth.

And on Saturday, March 13, at 2:00 pm, I'll be at Toadstool Books in Keene.

If you're in the area, please stop by. I'd love to see you!

American Shakespeare Center Podcast Central

Shakespeare lovers, this is fascinating stuff--a discussion with the cast of Henry VI, Part 2, now showing at the American Shakespeare Center:
American Shakespeare Center Podcast Central

And here's my "review" of the production: ASC: Henry VI, Part 2.

The New Yorker: "Appetite" by Said Sayrafiezadeh

Although the ending of this story fell flat for me, the rest of it was terrific. The unnamed first person narrator is an underachiever who, at the age of 25, has convinced himself that steadily working his way up the hourly wage scale at a restaurant is a kind of success, and maybe the only kind open to him. He's battling his manager though, and his apparent inability to make a grilled cheese sandwich. He is burdened by the expectations of his family and also the neat category into which he f...

Book Tour: Chicago

I'm just back from a wonderful trip to Chicago to promote In an Uncharted Country. I was gone four days and made three appearances, and I'm beginning to understand just how much time the whole "book tour" process takes. I had help getting the appearances set up, but still--there was a lot of planning and coordination, and then the trip itself. It's a big investment of time.

But it was a lot of fun, and we sold a few books. Not a lot of books, but some.

The first stop was at 57th St. Books in Hy...