I was honored to be part of the inaugural Summer Writers Lab at Long Island University this past week. Writers Jennifer Egan, Gabriel Cohen, and Marlon James served as instructors with Jessica Hagedorn being the organizer and maternal supportive figure to attendees and aspiring writers.
Read moreBook Expo 2011: Come one, come all!
Book Expo of America was held in New York City again and proved to be as big an event as ever. In terms of giveaways it was more extravagant than last year with publishers celebrating with cupcakes (Wiley) and some with beer (HarperCollins). All had galleys or some kind of giveaways to entice readers and book lovers to stay at their booth or come by again.
Read moreJentel Artist Residency: Week 4 (Heading out)
As much as it pains me to write this, we're in our last week here at Jentel and man did that get the creative juices flowing! Our regular gatherings diminished (though we did cook regularly for the group) in lieu of everyone wanting to work, work, work. Me, I definitely pursued morning (kinda), afternoon, and evening hours. Where as we started on a kind of 9a-5p grind that quickly moved to a 9a-11p grind with the reality settling in that we wouldn't be here much longer! (insert sad face here)
Read moreJentel Artist Residency: Week 3 (Winding down)
The third week at the Jentel Artist Residency in Wyoming brought about some blocked moments and surges of insecurity on my part. These come-and-go and at a residency you hope to be at your most productive, but can force creativity to flow. But the week progressed better than it started with good food, good people, and good times.
Read moreJentel Artist Residency: Week 2 (Settling in)
The second week with the Jentel Artist Residency brings more settling in for us residencies and getting closer too achieving those goals we set for ourselves. I have written and edited down thousands of words and dozens of pages and can't believe how productive I've been and focused. Guess I'm not so easily swayed, huh?
Read more