Tin House Magazine, Volume 15, Issue 3, Spring 2014: #59 Memory

Tin House #59

by Win McCormack (Editor), Rob Spillman (Editor), Holly MacArthur (Editor)

Aeschylus posited, “Memory is the mother of all wisdom.” While true, memory also can be a trickster, and cruel. And why are some of our most emotionally laden memories incomplete, a scent or color or image triggering a flood of half-remembered events accompanied by an overwhelming sense of joy or dread? In this issue we wrestle with this imperfect and changeable source of all writing. Stephen King, Kevin Barry, Cheryl Strayed, Colum McCann, and Jodi Angel offer short takes on their strongest memories evoked by a piece of clothing or jewelry. Dana Spiotta and Rachel Kushner, two of America’s sharpest cultural observers, talk about collective memory and the creative process of weaving the personal with the political. In “Moving On,” Diane Cook imagines a future in which our former spouses are counseled out of our memories. The incomparable Joy Williams, in her story “The Country,” asks, “Why are we here?” C. K. Williams offers a “Little Hymn to Time,” Charlie Smith asks “Why Harp on It?,” and Troy Jollimore plumbs the “Past Imperfect.” I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

Genres: Poetry, Short Stories, Fiction

240 pages, Magazine

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

Win McCormack is an American publisher and editor from Oregon.

He is editor-in-chief of Tin House magazine and Tin House Books, the former publisher of Oregon Magazine, and founder and treasurer of MediAmerica, Inc. He serves on the board of directors of the journal New Perspectives Quarterly. His political and social writings have appeared in Oregon Humanities, Tin House, The Nation, The Oregonian, and Oregon Magazine. McCormack's investigative coverage of the Rajneeshee movement was awarded a William Allen White Commendation from the University of Kansas and the City and Regional Magazine Association. His latest book, You Don’t Know Me: A Citizen's Guide to Republican Family Values, examines the sex scandals of Republican politicians who espouse "moral values."

As a political activist, McCormack served as Chair of the Oregon Steering Committee for Gary Hart's 1984 presidential campaign. He is chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon's President's Council and a member of the Obama for President Oregon Finance Committee. McCormack was also chosen as Alternate Delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He currently serves on the Oregon Council for the Humanities and the Oregon Tourism Commission. Additionally, McCormack sits on the Board of Overseers for Emerson College, and is a co-founder of the Los Angeles-based Liberty Hill Foundation

Reviews

[Zardoz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag some good some bad.
My favorites were: Parable of the man lost in the snow, Hello Again and The Soundproof Room.
Unfortunately the others were not worth the effort.

[digital · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best I've seen from Tin House. The theme was both specific and inclusive as good themes will be; and it lent itself to an interesting bend toward metafiction combined with the very personal and direct.

My favorites included:

- The feature on the illuminated Song of Myself by Allen Crawford (lots of extravagance and whimsy)
- Stephen Sparks' review on Frances A. Yates' The Art of Memory
- The puzzling & elaborately-written “Parable of the Man Lost in the Snow” by Dale Peck, which reminded me of pieces by Bolano & Borges
- Maggie Nelson's radical academic queer take on the memoir, “The Argenots”
- Lindsay Walker's poetry
- Phillip Lopate's “Early Memories of a Class Traitor,” witheringly honest & minute
- Seth Fried's “Hello Again,” wonderful sci-fi,
and Joe Wenderoth's blunt “Darkness.”

[T P Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An altogether excellent literary magazine. I picked this up on the strength of a beautiful short piece by Colum McCann and an interview with Rachel Kushener. It's a treasure chest of an anthology on the theme ranging from some very moving stories, to longer essays and to a reflection on whether societal expectations of marriage and domesticity are reconcilable with being gay. There's something for everything. I didn't like all of it and found much of the poetry too allusive but it's a really interesting collection. It's a little like a more relaxed and less self important Granta!

[Erik Eckel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short, oddly honest piece by Stephen King, Joy Williams' The Country and Ann Hood's closing story, Tomato Pie, make this volume worth the purchase. The Tomato Pie work, complete with recipe, proved my favorite. Hood demonstrates deftness writing. She whisks the reader with her and revisits a Scarborough Beach family vacation and a significant but solo visit to the Three Lives bookstore with ease. Well done.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Standout pieces are by Joy Williams and Dale Peck, whose phenomenal story now has me curious about his other work. The short memory pieces are good and serve their purpose, and I liked most of the poetry.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fiction in this issue is all excellent - eloquent, off-kilter, odd and compelling. Stephen King submitted a two page essay which may be his most emotionally powerful work yet. Quit paying that man by the word! The poetry in this issue is top notch as well. One of Tin House's better efforts.

[Vincent Scarpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars alone for the Joy Williams story and the Maggie Nelson essay, my two favorite writers in one issue. Excellent poetry, too.

[lisa church · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essay "Tomato Pie" from Ann Hood is one of the most memorable essays I have read recently.

[Cherie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh issue…