Gabe Durham's Blog, page 15
July 19, 2012
The Boring/Interesting Binary
(Lake Whatcom by Liz)
Didn’t post this last week while on vacation on the lake above.
Up at Necessary Fiction is my contribution to Matt Salesses’ ongoing Revision Month. Within Matt’s broader post, I take a look at a couple of before-and-after FUN CAMP shorts and compare revision to disease.
In his portion, Matt also links over to an interview with Alexander Chee in which Chee puts it this way:
It’s more like teaching people to stay close to their excitement. The thing that I see so many people do with their books is they break it up into all these nutty little pieces where they’re talking to me about character development and backstory. All these phrases that were really just meant to describe something have suddenly become orthodoxies. And they’ve lost their sense of the unity of the thing. They keep asking me, “How do I develop my character?” And I say, “Tell the story?” I feel too many people are working from the wrong end of the stick. They’ve got something very abstract they’re trying to make specific and exciting, and they’re doing it in this Frankenstein’s monster sort of way. So it’s like, “Here’s my backstory sewn onto my character development sewn onto my climax, and now I add the ending and apply electricity!” It’s just a horrible way to live, and I think you’re much better off finding the character and the situation together, looking for situations that you think are really interesting.
June 25, 2012
FUN CAMP in the new Puerto Del Sol
A juicy selection of new pieces from my book, FUN CAMP, appears in the new issue of Puerto del Sol. It’s a big and impressive issue. Also in there is the work of…
Molly Gaudry
Elisa Fernández-Arias
Annam Manthiram
Ken Weaver
Eric Chevillard
Alyson Waters
Dustin M. Hoffman
xTx
Nick Ripatrazone
Kathryn Winograd
Trinie Dalton
Matthew Salesses
Brandon Hobson
Joseph Scapellato
Heather Momyer
Ray Gonzalez
Katie Jean Shinkle
Christopher Bundy
Thomas Larson
Cynthia Cruz
F. Daniel Rzicznek
Kelli Allen
Alyse Knorr
Li Sung
David Trinidad
Sam Witt
Karin Lightstone
Anis Shivani
Joseph P. Wood
Karen An-hwei Lee
Lauren Nicole Nixon
Chris Smith
Daniel Borzutzky
Hugh Behm-Steinberg
Greg Gerke
Lara Flores
Kara Dorris
Jeanine Deibel
Megan Wong
Sessily Watt
Kelsie Hahn
Mike Meginnis
And here is the interview I did for the issue a few weeks ago.
June 21, 2012
June 19, 2012
Wit of Winston – Episode 4
WIT OF WINSTON explores the life of Churchill anecdote by anecdote. In this fourth episode, Winston Churchill defends his inebriation to rival Bessie Braddock. DO HIS QUIPS GET STRONGER THE MORE HE DRINKS?
June 18, 2012
Wit of Winston – Episode 3
In this third episode, Winston Churchill tells his good friend Gary Sinise about a dinner party he attended. HOW DID THE DINNER PARTY GO? AND HOW WILL WINSTON HANDLE GARY’S BOLD PROCLAMATION OF FRIENDSHIP?
June 15, 2012
Wit of Winston – Episode 2
In this second episode, Winston Churchill faces an old woman who approves of neither his politics nor his moustache. HOW WILL HE ZING HIS WAY OUT OF THIS ONE?
June 14, 2012
Wit of Winston – Episode 1
All year I’ve been working on a book. A couple of weeks ago, I got to a good stopping point and took a breather. And for the first time ever, I found myself with access to both Photoshop and Final Cut.
So, as anyone in my position would do, I decided to make some YouTube videos loosely based on the life of Winston Churchill. Please enjoy the first installment of “Wit of Winston,” my gift to History.
May 30, 2012
I Wrote 50 Essays in 5 Minutes
Maybe not 5 minutes but FAST. These essay topics come from Grace Fleming. Okay here we go.
1. Is global climate change man-made? (Find Sources)
Of course it is, you DUMMY, and I don’t have time for sources.
2. Is the death penalty effective? (Find Sources)
NOPE!
3. Is our election process fair?
Yeah we’ve got killer voting booths with curtains and everything. Could use a technology upgrade. But hey did you mean SupePACs and all that?? That stuff is messed up! DEMOCRACY FOR SALE!
4. Do colleges put too much stock in standardized test scores? (Find Sources)
Yeah they should read hearts instead.
5. Is torture ever acceptable?
Of course not! Do you know how bad it hurts to be tortured??
6. Should men get paternity leave from work?
Yeah sign me up Sweden-style.
7. Is a lottery a good idea?
I dunno, does it make the poor poorer like casinos? i’ll go with yeah, lotto’s pretty fun and paves roads. it’s plucky.
8. Do we have a fair taxation system?
HA HA HA HA HA
9. Do curfews keep teens out of trouble?
Why are you asking me, dummy? Just do some studies and I’ll go with whatever they say.
10. Is cheating out of control?
Whose control?
11. Are we too dependent on computers?
For love, yes, but not for taxes.
12. Are parents clueless about child predators on the Internet?
No, grandparents are clueless about child predators on the Internet.
13. Should animals be used for research?
Gotta do it, don’t like it.
14. Should cigarette smoking be banned?
How would I feel self-righteous if my friends all quit smoking?
15. Are cell phones dangerous?
Yeah they get HOT–makes my ear hurt.
16. Are law enforcement cameras an invasion of privacy?
SOMEtimes.
17. Are test scores a good indication of a school’s competency?
Naw.
18. Do we have a throw-away society?
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
19. Is child behavior better or worse than it was years ago?
It’s more distracted and less violent and less racist and more dumb (not their fault!!)
20. Should companies market to children?
Of course! Children are so stupid (not their fault!!) they think Ronald McDonald loves them personally.
Any responsible government should of course stop them.
21. Should the government have a say in our diets?
Yeah like Michelle Obama’s plate thing.
22. Does access to condoms prevent teen pregnancy?
Yes, the other side is not arguable.
23. Does access to condoms lead to irresponsible, dangerous, or bad behavior?
Like robbing liquor stores? YES
24. Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?
Naw it’s like this flashy thing, “Did you hear Tom Cruise got 40 mil $$$ for Mission Impossible 2?” “We gotta see that!!!”
But also yes.
25. Are CEOs paid too much?
ONLY YES.
26. Do violent video games cause behavior problems?
Violent video games make children more boring to talk to.
27. Should creationism be taught in public schools?
All Science teachers should thank their devout students EVERY DAY for not getting them fired. Naw, evolution happened and I’m loving it.
28. Are beauty pageants exploitive?
Only in ways they intend to be.
29. Should English be the official language in the United States?
I am so sick of English.
30. Should the racing industry be forced to use biofuels?
I HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE.
31. When should parents let teens make their own decisions?
6
33. Should the military be allowed to recruit at high schools?
Probababably not. Outside of Marshalls is cool. JC Penny. The Roost.
34. Should the alcoholic drinking age be increased or decreased?
Decreased you DUMMY, nobody thinks increased.
35. Does age matter in relationships?
Love ain’t nothing but a number.
36. What age is appropriate for dating?
Half my age + 5
37. Should gay couples be able to marry?
EACH OTHER??????
Yes. And yes.
38. Are there benefits to attending a single-sex school?
Hearts less aflutter.
39. Does boredom lead to trouble?
YEAH!!
40. Does participation in sports keep teens out of trouble?
Define ya terms lest ye WRECK ya terms
41. Is competition good?
Competition writes my books for me.
42. Does religion cause war?
SOMETIMES
43. Should the government provide health care?
Yeah public option make it happen
44. Should girls ask boys out?
Totally & the boys WOULD ask but they are busy riding DIRT BIKES
45. Is fashion important?
I am ever 6 months away from feeling like YES
46. Are girls too mean to each other?
Yes and you know what girls need to do? I, an adult white man, will tell you what girls need to do.
47. Is homework harmful or helpful?
Homework is where the magic happens.
48. Should students be allowed to grade their teachers?
NOOOOOOO
49. Is the cost of college too high?
Like $50 too high. Lower college $50!
50. Is college admission too competitive?
Sometimes. One time it was for my friend.
May 19, 2012
Double Double Interview Action
1. I was interviewed for Puerto del Sol’s blog about a big chunk of FUN CAMP that is about to come out in their new print issue issue. And I’m like: “You know how in movies when the Weird Lady or the Funny Guy is speaking, they’ll cut to some kid rolling their eyes or some people at the business meeting cracking up?”
2. I was interviewed for The Collagist’s blog for a story that is already out online, The Different Thing. In the interview I name the best show on TV.
3. I was recently photographed with a dog, but ONLY ONE of the aforelinked links will lead you to that photo. GUESS YOU’LL HAVE TO CLICK THEM ALL.
4. Thanks Kelsie Hahn and Joseph Scapatallo!
April 16, 2012
Dark Sky Magazine #16
Big thanks as always to editors Christy Crutchfield, Sarah Boyer, Ted Powers, and Brian Mihok.
Yesterday morning’s deadline introduction to the issue:
What you’ll immediately notice upon reading our Spring Issue is that the science is sounder, the history more historical. Each of DSM’s 99 interns fact-checked these stories and poems with scv.com, Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is the only website I know of where a pop-up confederate soldier lectures me about courage. And that’s all I could ever want from the web, racism to tsk at and literature to love on. A good starting point in this issue would be reading the story or poem by the contributor who has most tenderly kissed your forehead, and then working your way down in order of decreasing tenderness. In this way, the issue will get better and better as you read on: The latter contributors really do love you, they just couldn’t be bothered to kiss you how you liked. They were in the middle of writing something good.
FICTION
by Sarah Rose Etter
by Sarah Norek
by Ross McMeekin
by Jared Yates Sexton
by Carroll Beauvais
by Tony Rickaby
by Amber Sparks
POETRY
by Jeff Hipsher
by Kristen Evans
by Colin Winnette
by Morgan Eklund
by Daniel D’Angelo
by Joshua Marie Wilkinson
from Notes from the Daydreaming
by Benjamin Sutton
ESSAY
Groom Persona & The Laughing Neighbor
by Jack Christian
DARK SKY RECOMMENDS
by Staff
