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Life, Love, and Literature:
Continuing the Conversation
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July 2012
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Dear Friends of Creative Writing,
Subscribing to the it-never-hurts-to-ask theory of "growing the company," as it were, we've decided to take the direct approach. What say you all forward this newsletter to a bunch of friends who like creative writing, and let's see how many new subscriptions we can generate?
Be sure to tell those friends what to expect for their $0.00 outlay. For example, in the past month alone, we've run a piece on reluctant writing--by a Pushcart nominee!; announced inclusion in an art show by a prolific novelist and playwright; given a shout out to our homeboy on his birthday; and shared the fun of a Bonnie Jo Campbell reading.
Our series on the heartbreak of losing old friends (aka favorite books that don't stand the test of time) started with Catch-22, moved on to Earthly Powers, and isn't over yet!
It's been our pleasure to spotlight a MinnPost profile of Anthony Bukoski, and to scoop just about everyone with an excerpt of Jennie Fields' soon-to-be-released The Age of Desire (prepare to pant!).
As always, sprinkled throughout the month were the secret stashes of books by the beds of fascinating readers/writers and the delicious backstories of why they're there. Dick Cummins has been on a biography kick of late. Not surprisingly, journalist-turned-novelist Anne Marie Ruff's collection is mainly nonfiction, including The Art of Cooking Omelettes, a gift from a friend who found out she has a flock of hens. Frequent mover Victoria M. Johnson has pared down to poetry-rich soul food.
So spread the word. We may be free, but we're priceless!
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| Coming Attractions
In the coming month, the We Wanted to Be Writers website will feature interviews with award-winning poet and musician Joy Harjo and Pulitzer finalist William A. Souder, author of a new Rachel Carson bio. We won't be able to refrain from more praise of Jennie Fields' historical novel about author Edith Wharton. And in the same spirit, we'll feel compelled to say more nice stuff about Fred Setterberg's "true-life novel." And that's just for starters!
  
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July Calendar
Last month's reading at the Edith Wharton Society Conference in Florence, Italy was just the beginning for Jennie Fields' fourth novel, The Age of Desire. Due out in August, it's already been mentioned in Vanity Fair, and Jennie's scheduled for an interview on NPR. Her book tour starts August 7 at The Mount, Edith Wharton's house. You can check other tour stops on Jennie's website.
Joy Harjo's memoir, Crazy Brave, releases July 9 and Joy will spend the rest of the month on a multi-state book tour.
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Jul 2 - 27 -- Allan Gurganus teaches a fiction master class at New York State Summer Writers Institute, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY.
Jul 9 -- Joy Harjo in-studio interview on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," 3 pm EDT.
Jul 10 - Joy Harjo performs at Los Angeles Public Library, 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 7-9 pm.
Jul 11 -- Joy Harjo presented by Elliott Bay Book Company & the Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA, 7 pm.
Jul 12 - 16 -- Joe Haldeman at Readercon, Boston Marriott, Burlington, MA.
Jul 12 -- An evening with Native American Poet Joy Harjo, St. Paul's Church, 114 Montecito Ave., Oakland, CA 7:30 pm.
Jul 14 -- Joy Harjo reading at Bookworks, Flying Star Plaza, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 3 pm.
Jul 16 - 20 -- Taos Summer Writers Workshop Master Class with Joy Harjo, Taos, NM.
Jul 22 -- Joy Harjo reading at Collected Works Bookstore, 202 Galisteo St., Santa Fe, NM, 6 pm.
Jul 23 -- Joy Harjo reading at Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClinktock Dr., Tempe, AZ, 7 pm.
Jul 24 -- Joy Harjo reading at Tattered Cover, 2526 East Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 7:30 pm.
Jul 25 -- Joy Harjo reading at Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 7:30 pm.
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 About the Book
We Wanted to be Writers is a series of conversations among nearly 30 writers-students and their teachers-who were at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in the mid-70s. In the book, we discuss what we learned in the Workshop-and what we didn't learn-and what we learned in the decades since about life, art, the creative process, teaching, the lit biz, and more.
Our goal is to provide advice, counsel and analysis, maybe some inspiration, and a cautionary tale or two. Along the way, we also hope to entertain with some good yarns and a little gossip....
Among the talents that emerged in those years-writing, passionately jousting, criticizing, drinking, and debating in the classrooms and barrooms of Iowa City-were the young versions of writers who became John Irving, Jane Smiley, T.C. Boyle, Allan Gurganus, Sandra Cisneros, Jayne Anne Phillips, Marvin Bell, Michelle Huneven, and many others.
The book is available from Red Room, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. Booksellers please order directly from the distributor, W.W. Norton. For special sales please contact Kathryn Mennone.
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Check Out Our Website
Special features include:
- For Teachers: Most of us teach writing, or have taught it. Many of us have set up creative writing programs, or have headed them, or are heading them now. In the book, we discuss teaching, best practices, and of course that question that no one seems to tire of asking: Can writing be taught? On the site, we'll expand on the conversation in the book with a variety of materials on the topic.
- Ask the Writers: If you have any questions about writing, the creative process, teaching writing, the lit biz, or anything else having to do with writing, please send them in and we'll weigh in.
- Resources: For young writers just getting started, interrupted writers returning after other pursuits, and anyone else who's ever felt the irresistible lure/tyranny of the blank page.
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 We Wanted to be Writers: Life, Love, and Literature at the Iowa Writers' Workshop · by Eric Olsen and Glenn Schaeffer · A Herman Graf Book · $16.95 paperback original (Can. $21.50) North America (X) · CQ 24 · ISBN 978-1-60239-735-4 · 5 ¼" x 8 ¼" · 320 pages · 24 b/w photographs · Reference · AUGUST |
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