While too eccentric to succeed as a general handbook for mentoring and being mentored—sage aphorisms and sound guidance are...
An anthology of personal recollections by writers of their mentors.
Many deride collegiate creative writing courses as a plague on literature. To them, most such courses churn out academically correct acolytes and followers of literary convention—academics birthing academics—who spend their careers congratulating each other on their genius (with an incestuous showering of blurbs and awards) but offering comparatively little of enduring value. Too often, the critique is valid. This book, edited by Liontas (Let Me Explain You, 2015) and Parker (English/Univ. of Massachusetts; Where Bears Roam the Streets: A Russian Journal, 2015, etc.), reflects both the virtues and deficits of books immersed in the vagaries of this world. At times playful, touching, and trenchant, the contributions can also be nebulous, labored, and much too self-consciously “literary,” with allusions to writers few will recognize. Nearly 70 authors, many known chiefly to each other, recall their principal influences in writing and in life. Some mentors are recalled anonymously, others were neither writers nor teachers, and for many, books were their counselors. Alas, many a fine writer must augment his or her income by teaching. Some are outstanding at it and at mentoring; their influences are profound. Others tend to perpetuate the worst failings of academic fiction: turgid prose, fealty to fashion, slavish imitation, and undisciplined experiment. But at their best, they give young writers a sense of a way in, of how to take risks and not be derailed by failure, of focusing on the process, not the audience, of obtaining clarity and power, and of finding a place at the table. Notable contributors include Tobias Wolff, George Saunders, Aimee Bender, Mary Gaitskill, Jay Parini, Sam Lipsyte, Sheila Heti, and Tayari Jones.
While too eccentric to succeed as a general handbook for mentoring and being mentored—sage aphorisms and sound guidance are often weakened by wanderings and pretension—the book does offer arresting memories and useful advice on navigating the writing life.Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62534-182-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Univ. of Massachusetts
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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