by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jul 28, 2010 | reading |
Ellen Gilchrist’s first book was not published until she was in her forties. In “A Reading Group Guide” at the back of Nora Jane: A Life in Stories, she is asked about this: “I didn’t begin to write seriously and professionally until I...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jul 26, 2010 | reading |
When I last left you, I was on the floor with all my Ellen Gilchrist books surrounding me. I put the last one back on the shelf this morning. Well, that’s not exactly true. I kept two by my computer so I could write this post. I kind of knew what I wanted to...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jul 23, 2010 | novels, Pam Houston, stories |
I’m trying not to search for structure. I’m trying just to write. I wrote a few pages this morning. With the other things I’ve written, I’ve seen the structure from the very beginning. As I type these words, I realize: I’ve also seen the...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jul 22, 2010 | craft of writing |
I wanted another cup of tea, but I kept hearing Ron Carlson’s voice: The writer is the person who stays in the room. So I kept staying and kept writing. Out of the corner of my eye, out the window to my right, I could see what I assumed was lots of squirrel...
by Cynthia Newberry Martin | Jul 20, 2010 | first novels, mfa, reviews |
Robin Oliveira was a graduate assistant during my first residency at Vermont College. I met her only months before her first book would be published by Viking. Mary Sutter is a midwife, and what she wants is clearly stated in dialogue in the first chapter: “I want to...
