Clifford Garstang's Blog, page 63

Hambidge — Day 4

Hambidge—Day 4 (Saturday)

Another rainy day here in the rain forest. Good for getting work done, I suppose, but not good for getting anything DRY.

I can’t complain about the work. I’d like to be getting more done, but it’s terrific that I’m getting anything done at all. By the time this residency is over, this book should have a shape to it and a voice. It will still need lots of work, but if I can leave here with about 30,000 words (I’m at 16K now), I’ll be happy, and I’ll be thrilled if I get up to 40,000. I’m expecting this to be a relatively short book, so that will be about 2/3 of a complete manuscript. Then, if I can spend the next couple of months finishing that up, I’ll take the whole thing to my next residency and by the end of the year—fingers crossed—I’ll have a new book to send to my agent. (We’ve discussed this project and he’s intrigued.)

I have a mild case of poison ivy on my arms. It appeared almost as soon as I got here, though, so I wonder if I didn’t somehow pick it up at home on that flurry of yardwork TJ and I did.  Because I didn’t touch anything the first day, and I was already noticing it when I hiked the Cove Trail on Thursday. As for future hikes . . . I didn’t bring anything long-sleeved, so I’m not sure what I’ll do.

In the afternoon I went over to the Rock House and did some Internet work, then drove down to Ingles to pick up some things, and did my telephoning there. Ingles is a pretty good store, I have to say.

Later it began to rain hard again and I decided to stay home instead of joining the others at the Rock House for leftovers. I’ve got plenty to eat here and just didn’t want to go out in the rain again.

Hambidge — Day 3 (Friday)

Hambidge—Day 3 (Friday)

Got up a little earlier on Friday even though it was overcast and no sun. Made coffee, ate some breakfast, and got right down to work. I took a break at noon for lunch—although it was raining heavily, so I didn’t make the trek over to the Rock House to check email as I have the last two days—and managed to get quite a lot done. I’ve stopped for now at a spot where I know what comes next. Should be easy to resume tomorrow.

Haven’t even left the cabin today!

I did go over to the Rock House for dinner, of course and got on the Internet before it was time to set the table for dinner. Brian, the chef, said there would be 12 for dinner, but in the end there were several more than that. There’s this dance group here and more of them have arrived each day. It’s odd that they don’t let the staff know how many will be eating with us, though.

I had gotten a fair amount of work done during the day, and I guess I was thinking about that. Not in much of a mood to chit chat. So after the post-dinner cleanup (some people were still lingering at the table), I headed out. I made a run down the road to get cell service, though, because I’m feeling compelled to check messages (there was one, as there has been each day I’ve checked).

Back at the cabin and I didn’t feel like doing any more writing, so I read for a bit. I’m reading Dan Pink’s TO SELL IS HUMAN, which is making a couple of points, at least so far. First, most of us are in sales these days whether we think it or not and whether we like it or not. (That was true when I practiced law, for sure, even at the World Bank, and it’s definitely true now.) And, second, the most effective salespeople are the “ambiverts”—somewhere between introverts and extroverts (which, inexplicably, he spells “extraverts”). There’s research to back him up and some fun case studies.

[By the way, that's Cove Studio pictured above, my cabin/writing studio for this residency.]

Hambidge — Day 2

Hambidge Day 2 (Thursday)

Slept pretty late today, for some reason. Woke up early, then just rolled over. It’s a sunny today, too, so there’s no real reason for it. But then I got going, made coffee, ate breakfast, and got started on the day. I decided I’d start by finishing reading the novel manuscript a friend asked me to look at. I did that, wrote up some comments, and then decided I’d head over to the Rock House to make a call I needed to make. Before I left, though, I tried the old laptop and . . . it worked. That was nice, but I figured I should turn it off and hope for the best later, only I couldn’t get it to turn off. That’s a new one. Also, my watchband broke. Grr.  Oh, well, it was inexpensive and actually had lasted a long time.

Walked over to the Rock House and did a few things there—a few other residents were present also using the wifi, and then I walked home, a nice midday excursion.

After a salad for lunch, I did some work and then took a walk on the Cove Trail. It starts near the bottom of my driveway and runs along the creek for a mile or so, ending in a wildflower meadow on private property. Along the way I thought I heard a deer snort above me, but I didn’t see anything. On the way back, I saw the deer running through the woods. I took some nice pictures, although it’s kind of dark in those woods. It’s an easy trail and close by, plus there are some extensions that I’ll have to explore next time. But there are lots of trails, so I have to check those out, too.

We had a big crowd for dinner, so there were conversations going in many directions—our group is very diverse: poets, fiction writers, a composer, dancers, a sculptor, an installation artist, a photographer. And pretty diverse geographically, too: Michigan, Iowa, New York, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and, of course, Georgia. After dinner, comically, 8 or so of us gathered in the living room with our laptops to check in with the world.

As we were wrapping that up, I realized I didn’t have my key. I never lock myself out, but I knew exactly where I’d left that key inside my cabin. So embarrassing! So I had to call the office manager, who lives nearby, and she came over to let me in. I trust that will be the last time for that.

Hambidge — Day One

Hambidge – Day 1 (Wednesday, June 25)

As I went to sleep last night, I realized how damp the cabin was. I tried to sleep with the window open in the bedroom, but the sheets felt damp and sticky, so instead I turned on the air conditioner. Noisy, but it helped dry the air. Then it was morning, and time to get to work! The cabin is much better now.

I couldn’t tell if it was raining or if I was just hearing the dripping of the trees. Either way, there’s water falling on the roof, a not unpleasant sound. I figured out the shower and the kitchen—breakfast was granola and yoghurt, and of course coffee (only dinners are provided in the Rock House, everything else is up to the individual). And now I’m looking out my studio windows into the woods, wishing I had windows like this at home.

In addition to my new laptop, which has become my primary workstation now, I brought my old laptop with me as a backup. Because I have to head over to the Rock House for email, etc., I decided I’d use the backup for that purpose. So I turned it on just now in anticipation of a mid-day visit to the wifi, and the thing crashed—worse than I’ve ever seen. Yikes. I’ll try again later, but it looks like it’s very possibly fatal. All the important information has long since been removed, so it’s not a tragedy, but my backup plan is no more. Let’s hope Plan A continues to function well.

I did walk over to the Rock House, using my tablet to check email. I also took some pictures along the way with my nice camera and realized that I’ve lost pictures on my old laptop that weren’t backed up. Not a big loss, really, but a minor annoyance. Most of my favorites were uploaded to Facebook, so they aren’t entirely gone. And typing this reminds me that my iTunes account is more complete on that laptop—I haven’t yet been able to get the various computers to sync with each other—so that’s another problem to solve.

Oh, and I got some work done, morning and afternoon. I’m going through the draft of the WIP that I haven’t touched in 6 months or so, just to figure out what needs to happen next.

In the late afternoon, I drove over to the Rock House—because I had my laptop and anticipated needing to drive out to cellphone reception again just to check messages at home—and after I had finished my email it was time for dinner. Here at Hambidge, people begin to assemble at 6:00 for appetizers and, more importantly, to set the table. This is a communal effort, just as clearing the table and filling the dishwashers is. Some people take the lead, though, usually the people who have been around the longest, it seems. With eleven of us in residence, we do tend to get in each other’s way.

After dinner I drove off to make my calls, and then came back to the cabin, where I struggled with my old laptop for a while and then read before calling it a night.

Hambidge — Arrival

Hambidge – arrival day

I’d been so busy these last few weeks—finishing the anthology, cleaning the house, working on the magazine, and a million other things—there was no time to think about this residency: what it would be like, who would be there, what I would work on. And then suddenly it was time to pack the car and go.

So off I went, with Bhikku occupied with a treat and in TJ’s capable care, I hit the road a little before 7am on Tuesday. The day was beautiful—not too hot, only a few clouds—and the time flew by, partly because I was listening to an audiobook, but also because I was simply enjoying the drive. At first, that drive was through familiar territory, down I-81 into Tennessee, a trip I’ve taken many times on my way to Sewanee. But for the first time I turned south toward Asheville and into the mountains. The scenery was amazing, and then I came to Asheville, where the directions did become a bit more complicated. But I found my way, and soon I was entering Georgia and pulling into the grounds of Hambidge.

The first thing you see is the Rock House, the public area for the residents. But the office is entered through the Gallery, so that’s where I headed. After my orientation chat with Deb—talking about the wildlife that might be encountered, where to shop, etc.—we went over to my cabin, Cove Studio (formerly known as Son Studio, not to be confused with Son House) and I got settled. I brought a lot of stuff, so that took quite a while, although I did take a break to run out to the grocery store and to stop at the great produce stand not far from the Center. While I was settling in, rain began, apparently a daily occurrence. In these deep woods, the rain continues to fall even after it has stopped, as it drips from the trees, from canopy to understory to rooftop. Lovely.

Cove Studio is over half a mile from the Rock House, so, because of the rain, I decided to drive over there to check email and to join the other residents for dinner. The house is 90 years old, with a stone exterior. The interior is comfortable and worn, with lots of seating for guests. E-mail out of the way, I started meeting the others, some who also arrived that day and others who had been there awhile. There were 11 for dinner—more than I expected, but it turns out that there are some collaborators who are sharing space: fiction writers, poets, a composer, various kinds of visual artists, and “performance” collaborators who are working on some kind of theater piece. Dinner was very good—vegetarian is the rule, apparently

After dinner I had to make a call, so I drove 2 miles to get cell reception—not that much of a hardship, as it turned out (although I later realized it was an 800 number and I probably could have made that call from the Rock House), and then I returned to Cove to get comfortable.

Cove is pretty deep in the woods, surrounded by huge rhododendrons that are currently in bloom. Eventually I’ll take some pictures and post them. And then forest disappears when night falls . . .

 

Writing Residency

I have been a bad blogger of late. I’ve been working hard on my anthology (Everywhere Stories, coming out in October), among other things.

And one of those other things has been preparing to head to the first of two writing residencies this year, at Hambidge. Hambidge is in Northeast Georgia, near the North Carolina border, and I’m really looking forward to my stay there. After spending so much time editing other people’s work, it is time to get back to my own work in progress.

I also needed to prepare my house, which I’ve been neglecting for months, for my housesitter/dogsitter who will be here in my absence, and that has taken awhile.

But I’m really excited to be hitting the road for Georgia. It always amazes that I can be more productive at a residency than I can be at home, even though I have a nice place out in the country with few distractions. But that’s the way it works for me. I’ll get settled into my cabin/studio on Tuesday afternoon and I’ll be ready to write on Wednesday morning. Of course, it will help that Internet access is limited there, and basically I won’t have anything to do BUT write. Which is the point.

With nearly 3 weeks ahead of me, I hope I’ll be able to make some good progress on this new project, and then I’ll have something more to say about it.

Reading at Black Swan Books & Music

I’m looking forward to giving a reading right here in Staunton tomorrow evening at Black Swan Books & Music at 1 E. Beverley St. (6 p.m., Thursday, May 8).

It has been awhile since I’ve read here in town, so when the book store asked me to do it I happily agreed. And I invited Charlottesvillian Steve Weddle, author of Country Hardball, to join me. Steve’s a funny guy, so you won’t want to miss him, even if you’ve heard me read before.

Please come out to see us and support Black Swan.

Everywhere Stories Update: the Complete List of Contributors and Countries

Coming in October 2014: Everywhere Stories — Short Fiction from a Small Planet

I am very pleased to say that we have been able to add five stories to the anthology, which will now contain work by 20 writers set in 20 countries. Editing is nearly complete and Press 53 is working on book design and layout.

Things are looking good, and we’ll soon be able to talk about launch activities in locations around the US (and beyond!).

Below is a list of the countries and the writers who have contributed stories to the book. We’ll include the titles of the stories when we get a little closer to the release date.

Contents:

Africa:

Central African Republic: Susi Wyss

Congo: Jennifer Lucy Martin

Uganda: William Kelley Woolfitt

Zambia: Brandy Abraham

The Americas:

Argentina: Richard Ballou

Canada: David Ebenbach

Costa Rica: Alden Jones

Cuba: Tim Weed

United States: D. Peyton Burgess

Antarctica:

Antarctica: Midge Raymond

Asia:

China: Jocelyn Cullity

Iran: Jill Widner

Israel: Rochelle Distelheim

Kazakhstan: Jeff Fearnside

Russia: Teresa Hudson

Europe:

France: Matthew Pitt

Germany: Jay Kauffmann

Hungary: Marc Nieson

Italy: Joseph Cavano

Oceania:

New Zealand: Holly Painter

Prime Number Magazine Issue 53

I can’t believe it’s been four years. Our first issue (Issue 2, because we number in Primes) launched in July 2010. Today, our sixteenth issue, Issue 53, goes live. (Although we were scheduled to go live on April 19, we held off until 5/3, also known in honor of our publisher as National Press 53 Day.)

Because this is my last issue as Fiction Editor (as of now I’m Editor in Chief and Jon Chopan will be taking over my Fiction duties while Amy Monticello takes over the Nonfiction), I went a little crazy and doubled the number of stories I normally take. I love them all, so I hope you’ll give them a read. We’ve got a story about a writers’ workshop in Paris, another about saving the cherry crop in Michigan, another about reading philosophy, another about listening to Otis Redding. And more! There’s some pretty great poetry, too, including a few poems by the former poet laureate of North Carolina.

Check it out: Prime Number Magazine Issue 53.

The World in Translation

I had the pleasure this past weekend to participate in a terrific program at Black Swan Books & Music, a local store specializing in used and rare books and records. “The Translated World” was put together by a local writer, Michael Trocchia. Michael invited eight other writers from Staunton and Harrisonburg to talk about translation–what it is and how they use it in their work.

First up was Angela Carter who undertook an interesting project that involved someone observing her and commenting on her behavior, then her translating what the comment suggested, and then her writing a poem in response. The result was fascinating. She also talked about cultural translation in the sense of how she adjusts her own southern accent depending on her audience.

Next was Stan Galloway, another poet. Stan also took a varied approach–some literal translation work but also some translation of a different kind.

Shannon Curtis, a fiction writer who has lived in both the north and south, also talked about cultural translation, and said that she’d like to write a southern novel for a northern audience–a translation of Faulkner.

Then I was up, last before the intermission. I’ve done a lot of different translation work, including translating a Wang Wei poem (that 19 other writers translated in the fascinating book 19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei). Then there is the translation of cultures in my book WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, in which I drop a Chinese family into Washington DC. I spent most of my time talking about my short story “The Nymph and the Woodsman,” a story that began life as my translation of a Korean folktale of the same name. That story is in my book IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY.

After an intermission we heard from Indigo Eriksen and Duyen Phan. Indigo gave a “mini-lecture” on translation and then read some work accompanied by Duyen’s musical “translation” on a Vietnamese instrument, the đàn bầu.

Chad Gusler was next. Chad reflected on the fact that he often writes from the point of view of female characters in his fiction and he read some examples.

The poet Susan Facknitz was next and she read poems about translation and also some translated poems.

Last was Paul Somers who read several poems that touched on translation in one way or another.

The program was very well attended–standing room only–and although it went longer than the scheduled 2 hours, I loved it. Let’s see if we can’t put together more topical programs like that in the future.