Alternate Structures for Fiction (etc.)

How A Writer’s Craft can be a (more) Anti-Racist Textbook, Part 8 Matthew Salesses’ chapter from Craft in the Real World, “An Example from East Asian and Asian American Literature,” begins to really get into some of the detail I’ve been looking for in terms of alternate structures and ways to rethink creative writing. IContinue reading “Alternate Structures for Fiction (etc.)”

Book Review: Daniel Wallace, Extraordinary Adventures

Extraordinary Adventures by Daniel Wallace My rating: 5 of 5 stars Daniel Wallace has given us another thoroughly enjoyable read. His characters are easy to invest in. Nothing that extraordinary happens in their lives, at least not until Edsel Bronfman receives an offer for a free weekend at a time share in Destin, Florida. ThenContinue reading “Book Review: Daniel Wallace, Extraordinary Adventures”

Book Review: Heirlooms by Rachel Hall

Heirlooms: Stories by Rachel Hall My rating: 5 of 5 stars Disclaimer: I’ve known Rachel Hall since we were at Knox College together, so these stories would have been a joy to read no matter what, just for her voice and wry humor and the memories they evoke. Though that friendship is what prompted meContinue reading “Book Review: Heirlooms by Rachel Hall”

Southern Literary Festival 2014

Each year in the South, a group of undergraduate English majors and their professors descends on one member institution for a weekend of readings, workshops, and fun. This year, the host school for the Southern Literary Festival was Ole Miss (University of Mississippi to the rest of the country), who did a fabulous job arrangingContinue reading “Southern Literary Festival 2014”

What’s the point?

At the beginning of the semester, I sometimes stop to wonder what is the point to this education thing, especially for undergraduate creative writers. Often at AWP conferences, panels bemoan the number of writing programs out there (usually MFA programs but it applies to undergrad as well) and lament the prospects for their students. SomeContinue reading “What’s the point?”