Book Reviewing in the Social Media Age: or, What if Mark Richard and I Had Been Facebook Friends?

For a time, I was completely obsessed with this headshot of Mark Richard. I wanted one just like it someday. (Didn’t happen.)

Here’s a question: What if I’d become a writer after–not before–social media? If you’re my age, do you ask yourself this question as often as I do?

Mark Richard was one of a handful of writers who made an enormous impression on me early in my apprenticeship. (I’d use Andre Dubus here, but he’s deceased, much to my sorrow.)

What if, after reading Mark Richard’s story “Strays” in Best American Short Stories 1989, I’d friended or followed him?

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“Strays” and “On the Rope” changed my life.

If you’d like to read more of my thoughts on this subject, just go here. It’s a cross post between between The Big Thing and Literary Citizenship.

Basically, I speculate that social media might have made Mark Richard’s name as recognizable as Dennis Johnson, Annie Proulx, and Stuart Dyek, other writers who published collections around the same time.

I have no idea if this is true or not, but it’s interesting to think about.

Who else was a big fan of this book? I know I was. Big time.