Clifford Garstang's Blog, page 61

Josh Weil at WriterHouse

On Sunday afternoon I attended  a presentation by Josh Weil at WriterHouse in Charlottesville about his new novel,The Great Glass Sea. I’ve known Josh for a few years–I guess we met at Sewanee originally, and we did a reading together in Charlottesville when he was promoting his first book, The New Valley: Novellas.

I also heard Josh read from the new book at AWP in Seattle this year, so I was keen to get my copy. For this event, Josh read the opening pages of the book, beautiful, dense pages that introduce the two brothers who are at the center of his story, set in Russia. Then began a conversation between Josh and Andrew Kaufman, a teacher of Russian literature. This was enlightening because it gave Josh an opportunity to talk about the research he did for the book as well as his several inspirations.

I’m never quite sure what is meant when critics and blurbers refer to an author as “the real deal,” but I can’t help but feel that way about Josh. The section of the book he read from was perfect, and his responses to questions were spot on. He’s a terrific writer, and yet he has just the right amount of humility to remain personable and approachable. I’m looking forward to reading this novel, and then there’s a story collection on the horizon.

Readings — a report from the road

I did a reading last night at One More Page Books that was part of the Waterbear Reading Series. The bookstore is terrific–wonderful staff and a great selection of books. And the series producer, An Tran, assembled a pretty diverse bunch of readers for the evening. Besides me, there was Dana Little, Amanda Miska, and K. Tyler Christensen. The attendance was really excellent–I didn’t count, but there were more people than chairs, so that part of it was gratifying. And I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dana, Amanda, and Tyler read.

But was it worth it? Being honest here: No. (Just to be clear, this is in no way a reflection of the Reading Series, the bookstore, or even the fact that only a couple of books were sold. By the most important measure–the number of people in the audience–this event was better than 90% of the readings I’ve done.)

When An invited me to participate, I was flattered. I really like giving readings and sharing my work with people. And I don’t even mind (much) when it turns out, as is often the case, that there are only a couple of people in the audience and maybe zero books sold.

If the reading is in a nearby town, or if I happen to be visiting an area for some other reason, I’m happy to do the event. I’ve started to charge an honorarium in some cases–not at bookstores, but for other kinds of appearances. But if travel is involved, which costs both time and money, I really have to think carefully about whether it’s justified. I want to reach new readers, but at what point does it just become too expensive to do?

Yesterday, I drove up from my home to the Washington DC suburbs, a two-and-a-half hour trip. Because the reading was in the evening and I thought there was a possibility for socializing afterward, I decided I didn’t want to drive home that night. So I booked the cheapest hotel I could find in the area. (I’m a lousy couch-surfer–I really hate to impose on people.) At the event, which as I said was quite fun, just two of my books were sold, both of those to An Tran, perhaps out of sympathy, which was nice of him. I bought a book–a new hardcover by a friend–that cost far more than what I’ll make on those two sales. There was no socializing after the event, so I probably could have driven home, although it would have been after midnight when I pulled into my driveway. Instead, I grabbed a pizza and went back to my hotel and read a book.

Total cost: the gas, the hotel, the time, the pizza, dog in the kennel. Total revenue: a couple of bucks for the .royalties on the two books.

Okay, so maybe some of the people who heard me read will become fans. (I did notice an uptick on my Amazon ranking last night, for whatever reason.) Maybe the bookstore is happy I was there and will be welcome to a future appearance. So perhaps it was worth the expenditure of time and money. But I don’t think so.

I’ve read pieces by other writers about having to turn down requests to appear for the same sorts of reasons I’m talking about here. I want to be asked to read, but I think in the future I’m going to have to be more careful about which readings I agree to do.

Everywhere Stories coming soon!

Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet

This is the anthology of short stories I edited. The official publication date is October 1, but it’s already available for order from Amazon (click the link above). I’m very excited about the book, which includes some excellent work by terrific writers.

Interested in a review copy? Please contact me.

2014 Reading: Space Chronicles by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

This isn’t a book so much as a collection of Dr. Tyson’s writings that somehow relate to NASA and space exploration. A reader could dip in and out of the book and not miss any part of a continuous thread because there is no such thread. In that regard the book was something of a disappointment, even though I’m a fan of Dr. Tyson.

The basic message that comes through is that the reason we were able to find the money to develop the Apollo missions and land a man on the moon is the Cold War. Finding the money for space exploration these days, especially sending humans into space, is a lot harder. Still, he says, NASA is valuable and for pure science alone we should be spending more.

My favorite chapter by far is called “America and the Emergent Space Powers,” adapted from a speech Tyson gave in 2005. He begins by decrying the fuzzy thinking of Americans–absurd headlines he’s seen and arguments supporting various propositions. Such as:

It’s often said that the state lottery is a tax on the poor, because people with low incomes spend a disproportionate amount of their money on lottery tickets. It is not a tax on the poor. It’s a tax on the people who never studied mathematics.

The same chapter recounts the amazing achievements of the Arab world 1000 years ago. He blames the decline in scientific preeminence on the ideas of the Muslim theologian Al-Ghazali, who declared the manipulation of numbers to be the work of the devil and promoted the concept of Allah’s will as the cause of all natural phenomena. End of scientific achievement in the Arab world. Sound familiar?

There’s more in that vein in the chapter.

Many of us were inspired by the space missions of the sixties. The space shuttle missions never quite captured my imagination in the same way. So I’m all in favor of a mission to Mars. Let’s get excited about space again.

Three Hits This Summer at the Blackfriars Playhouse

Staunton, VA is a pretty nice place to live. It’s in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, between two mountain ranges. It’s been dry lately, but the hills and fields are lush. Because of our elevation, summer temperatures are not as oppressive as they can be on the other side of the Blue Ridge. And a lot of interesting people have found their way to the area—to retire, to start businesses, to explore creativity.

One of the reasons I moved here in 2001 was that the Blackfriars Playhouse, home of the American Shakespeare Center, was then under construction. It’s the world’s only recreation of Shakespeare’s indoor performance space, and it struck me when I was looking for a place to live that this audacious project was a sign of a special community. I was right. The ASC has thrived and has done wonderful things for the city of Staunton. Downtown is bustling with a wide variety of shops and restaurants, and there are other vibrant endeavors in the surrounding county.

But the Blackfriars is still my favorite thing. Sixteen shows a year (seventeen this year, as the team tries something new) in five seasons: Renaissance, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Holiday. We’re currently in the Summer season, with three blockbuster shows: Macbeth, Cyrano de Bergerac, and the Comedy of Errors. They’re all so good that it’s truly hard to believe we’re in a small town in Virginia.

Last night I saw Comedy of Errors. I’ve seen it a bunch of times before, including a few times at the Blackfriars, but this production takes it up a notch. The Antipholuses seem to have more energy than ever; the clownishness of the Dromios is delightfully exaggerated; the direction heightens the laugh-quotient and includes fun sound-effects; and the theater has placed the gallant stools in the middle of the stage instead of along the sides, making the audience even more a part of the show than usual. The result is a fast-paced, hilarious evening of entertainment.

Also this season, the company is doing Macbeth, with the great James Keegan as the bloody Scot and the intense Sarah Fallon as Lady Macbeth. Again, I’ve seen this play often, but never a better production than this one. It’s riveting and shocking and horrifying, even though you know what’s coming. Plus, the “Weird Sisters” are played by three men—Patrick Midgley, Greg Phelps, and Jonathan Holtzman—which is a curious and effective innovation. Truly a standout.

The other play this season is Cyrano de Bergerac. When ASC’s touring company did this show a few years ago, I fell in love with it. Anthony Burgess’s translation is miraculous. The language is simply stunning, and the performances (back then and now) do it justice. John Harrell, who is the mainstay of the ASC, is brilliant as Cyrano; Patrick Midgley is perfect as Christian; and newcomer Sara Hymes is outstanding as Roxanne. I can’t say enough great things about the show.

I’ve been a regular since the Blackfriars opened, and I’ve seen the audiences steadily grow. It has been especially exciting to be witness to a couple of SRO performances this summer. It must be terribly exciting for the actors to perform in that environment, and their excitement then is felt by the audience, which gives it back in appreciation. Last night—not just a standing ovation, but cheers and shouted approval.

I’ll see each of these shows a few more times. Come to Staunton to check them out. You won’t regret it.

Where to Buy my Books?

I was asked recently where the best place to buy my books was.

The answer is more complicated than I’d like it to be.

I would LIKE to be able to say: at a bookstore, any bookstore. As a reader and booklover, I’m a big fan of independent bookstores. I like the atmosphere, I like the knowledgeability of the staff (often), I like supporting local businesses, and if they’ve added a coffee shop or wine bar, so much the better. But if a good Indie isn’t available, I also like Barnes & Noble. The atmosphere usually isn’t so great, but they have a pretty good selection of new releases and classics, so B&N is second best.

My books, though, because they are published by a small press (Press 53 in Winston-Salem, NC) probably aren’t available at your Indie bookstore, and certainly won’t be found in your Barnes & Noble. There are some notable exceptions, however, so let me name them:

My books have been spotted at the following stores:

Bookworks in Staunton, VA

The Sacred Circle in Staunton, VA

Black Swan Books in Staunton, VA

Books & Co in Lexington, VA

Over the Moon Books in Crozet, VA

Malaprops in Asheville, NC

Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, NC

McIntyres Books in Fearington Village, NC

So, if you’re near one of those stores or can order from them, ask for my books. Actually, ask for my books at any Indie, and they may be able to get it for you. (If your local bookstore has an Espresso Book Machine, you could get my book that way, which is kind of cool.)

ALTERNATIVELY, you could order from the publisher. It’s easy, you’d be supporting a great small press, and they’ve got various promotions going on that you might qualify for. Here’s my page at Press 53, but please browse and you might find other titles that interest you. (You could order signed copies from me here on this website, too, if you wanted.)

Finally, you could buy my books online from Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. Really, I’m okay with that, and both my books are available for Kindle (but only the first one is on Nook, unfortunately).

Lots of ways to get the books! (If you’re a library user, you could ask your library to get it for you. I’d be happy about that, too.)

The Indiana Connection

When I announced yesterday that I was an Emerging Author finalist for the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award, some people were puzzled.

Wait, they asked, don’t you live in Virginia? Didn’t you win the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction last year? And didn’t you go to Northwestern University for college, just outside of Chicago? Yes, yes, and yes. But my roots are in Indiana.

I was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. When I was about two, my family moved to a suburb of Detroit, where my parents both worked, but a short time later, when I was three, we moved back to Indiana, settling in Indianapolis in a house near Butler University. I started school there, became a fan of the Indy 500, etc., and was a complete Hoosier.

But then my family moved to Peoria, Illinois just as my 6th Grade year was starting. I finished grade school and high school in Peoria, but while I was at Northwestern my parents moved back to Indianapolis. Which was very handy for me, because I chose to go to Indiana University in Bloomington to get an MA in English and then stayed at IU to earn a law degree.

And the connections don’t stop there! Both of my sisters currently live in Indiana, as do all of their children and grandchildren. I’m the only member of the family who lives away, so there’s a lot calling me back. (Plus, both my parents are buried in Indianapolis, if that counts.)

Lastly, I live in Augusta County, Virginia. At one time, the territory of Augusta County extended all the way west, as the map above shows. So in 1763, the county of my current residence actually included . . . Indiana!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to returning to Indiana for the Indy Author Fair and the Awards Dinner. It’s very exciting, and a real honor to be a finalist.

Indiana Authors Award Finalist!

I’m thrilled and honored to share with you the news that I have been selected  by The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation as an Emerging Author finalist for the 2014 Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award!

Please help me support this wonderful and worthwhile organization that encourages literary excellence in Indiana by:

·         Using #IAA2014 on Facebook and Twitter
·         Following @INAuthorsAward on Twitter and “Like” them on Facebook
·         Purchasing individual or full table tickets for the  Award Dinner on Oct. 25, 2014
·         Attending the Indy Author Fair on Oct. 25, 2014 at Central Library in downtown Indianapolis

Please join me in continuing to support the many talented authors with Indiana roots!

 

Hambidge — Week 3

Hambidge – Week 3 (Monday – Saturday)

Monday: I needed a coffee-shop fix morning so I worked in the studio for a little while and then drove down to Ingles where there is a Starbucks in a grocery store. The coffee is more or less the same, but the atmosphere certainly is not, and the wifi is iffy. Nonetheless, I got some emails sent and surfed the ‘net for a bit before heading back to get to work. Got a lot of words in the afternoon and I was thinking of going for a walk, but it rained, so I kept writing. After it cleared, I walked over to the Rock House for a bit of email.

Tuesday: Did some work in the morning—wrote about 1500 words—then went over to the Rock House for Internet. I needed something from the grocery and also wanted to check out the bookstore in downtown Clayton, so I took a little road trip. It’s a nice little store, and so I bought a book I didn’t need. No surprise there. There are lots of antique and gift shops on the Main Street, but I didn’t go into any of them. Three new people arrived, two from Atlanta and one from Philly, so it was fun to meet them. I’m wondering why men are in the minority at residencies and conferences these days, and MFA programs too, I suspect. Right now we have 8 people, only 2 males. Not enough applications from men? And why not? Do men not need residencies? It started raining during dinner so getting home was a little wet.

Wednesday: I’m feeling the end approaching! But the writing went really, really well today. I guess I shouldn’t jinx it by saying so, but I liked what I was doing and wrote through the climax and end of Act II today, over 3,000 words, which I almost never do in one day. Tomorrow I’ll begin on Act III, but I think I’ll kick back now. I went for a great walk—up hill on the Hambidge Trail, then connecting to Owens North and the Durett spur. Ran into Stephanie—the first time I’ve seen another human on these Hambidge Trails. I continued up Owens Trail North until I got to . . . North Carolina. Then turned around and came back. Down near the Gallery I ran into Stephanie again and while were standing their talking, a doe and her very small fawn walked into the driveway. They stopped long enough for me to take their picture and then were on their way. Sweet.

Thursday:  In the morning the work went well. I wrote about 2000 words and that brought me to the end of the book. I won’t say the end of the draft, though, as there are major sections missing, and, after tinkering with what I’ve got tomorrow, next week I’ll begin to fill in the gaps. I’ll be at 40,000 words when I leave here, and my goal is to have a draft of maybe 70,000 when I leave for Ragdale in late October. After lunch, I took the afternoon off. I drove down to the Foxfire Museum at Black Rock State Park. I’ve heard for years about the Foxfire books, and Rabun Gap is the place where it all started. There are now 12 volumes in the series. At the recommendation of the clerk at the museum/gift shop, I got Volume 1.

Friday: A rainy morning, good for getting work done, and so I exceeded my goal for this residency of 40,000 words. I started going back to the beginning and making some notes about what else needs to be done, but I kind of want to let it rest for a few days, so I think I’ll not do that. Instead, I started outline a non-fiction project I’ve been thinking about. And then there’s a short story I started last fall that I could work on. So many options! (I did in fact work on that short story. I added 1300 words to the 900 I already had and it’s now done. This residency thing is amazing.)

Saturday: My last workday, but I’m not sure I want to work. I’m going to save packing and cleaning for Sunday morning. I will open the Scrivener file for the novel, though, as there are some metadata things I can do there, character sketches to reflect what I’ve been doing in the text, etc. I’m going to post this before the day is really done. Tonight is the Artists’ Talk, when the community is invited to come to the center to listen to us all talk about our work. I think 7 of us are presenting, so it will be a long evening . . .

And then tomorrow, Sunday: On the road home.

Reading at One More Page — Waterbear Reading Series

I’m not sure what a waterbear is, but Google gives me images of a Tardigrade, whatever that is, so I’ll go with that. In any case, I’ll be joining three other writers (Dana Little, Amanda Miska, and K. Tyler Christensen) for the July edition of the Waterbear Reading Series.

The reading will begin at 6pm on Saturday, July 26 at One More Page Books & More in Arlington VA (2200 N. Westmoreland).

I’ll be talking about my book WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW and also some new work. I hope to see you there!